Looking Forward to a Nice, Clean, Issues-Oriented Election Season

[BPSCG]

In case you were thinking that if Obama gets the nomination, the tenor of the campaign will be substantially elevated over that of previous elections.


The Democratic National Committee (DNC) filed a number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with Cabinet-level agencies and inter-agency departments looking for opposition research to use against presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.).

In early February, there was a sharp uptick in the number of FOIA requests from the DNC with McCain as a specific target. February was about the same time McCain emerged as the front-runner and likely nominee.

A review of FOIA requests and independent confirmations obtained by The Hill turned up requests from the DNC at at least three agencies – the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Commerce Department.

According to one filing, Alicia McClintock, a DNC operative, wrote DOI asking for “any and all records of communication (including but not limited to letters, written requests, reports, telephone records, electronic communication) between your agency and John McCain or his offices/staff from 1999 to present during which period he has been a United States Senator.”

A spokeswoman for the DNC said the FOIA requests and research efforts are “standard.”

The review did not turn up any similar requests from the Republican National Committee (RNC), which employs an expansive research department.Cue up the standard bleatings that, "The Dems are being forced to do this because they know the Repubs will try to smear them in the campaign." :goat

"Of course I snuck up behind him and hit him. He was gonna hit me first!"

Link (http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dnc-pores-over-agencies-records-for-dirt-on-mccain-2008-04-17.html).

[KoihimeNakamura]

Nitpick.

Obama != DNC.

[BPSCG]

Nitpick.

Obama != DNC.OMG! You're right!

So I guess that means we can all look forward to a nice, clean, issues-oriented election season. Because once Obama locks up the nomination, he will certainly tell the DNC that he will not tolerate any campaign mudslinging against his worthy opponent.

[corplinx]

Whoever the candidate is, becomes the defacto party leader even though Dean has the title. Right up until they lose or leave the office of the president.

[KoihimeNakamura]

Didn't say that, did I? :rolleyes:

I fully expect attack ads from other agencies than Obama, I'm not (yet) going to speculate on whether or not Obama runs attack ads of that nature.

... I'm waiting until later in the season, for lack of other words.

[T.A.M.]

Why don't we wait and see who throws the first dirty laundry punch, Obama, or McCain.

I suspect any mudslinging by either, will be in response to the others surrogates.

TAM:)

[BPSCG]

Why don't we wait and see who throws the first dirty laundry punch, Obama, or McCain.I predict it will hardly be noticed. It will be a zinger that seems just a tiny bit unfair. The response will be a tiny bit more unfair. Escalation ensues.

By the end of November, the Repubs will be accusing Obama of having conspired with Osama bin Laden on September 11, and the Dems will be accusing Mccain of causing brain cancer in babies.

That's why the Dems are stocking up on ammo with their FOIA requests.

[T.A.M.]

lol...dear god I hope not.

TAM:)

[kallsop]

Has the DNC made any FOIA requests regarding Hillary? She will still be running against Obama all the way to November to keep her 2012 dream alive.

[T.A.M.]

Has the DNC made any FOIA requests regarding Hillary? She will still be running against Obama all the way to November to keep her 2012 dream alive.

sad, but probably true.

TAM:)

[UserGoogol]

I'm sure the Democrats will sling mud to some degree, but I really fail to see how these FOIA requests are inherently mudslingy. Asking for records of communication between various branches of government and McCain can be used simply for the purpose of examining his abilities to lead as president. Digging through his garbage would be an inherently dirty thing to do, but how he interacts with the government is somewhat relevant information.

[T.A.M.]

well given the Right Wing mouth pieces have already not only dug, but slung the mud in hundreds of fistfuls on Obama, I think researching such things is certainly not as offensive.

TAM:)

[BPSCG]

Asking for records of communication between various branches of government and McCain can be used simply for the purpose of examining his abilities to lead as president. Yeah, that must be it. They'll get the papers, they'll spend six weeks scrutinizing them and then the DNC will hold a press conference two days before the election and announce, "We have made a thorough examination of Senator McCain's dealings with government agencies and based on that examination, we conclude he is in every respect, splendidly qualified to be the next President of the United States. But you should still vote for Barack because having a black President would be so cool." :biggrin:

[UserGoogol]

Yeah, that must be it. They'll get the papers, they'll spend six weeks scrutinizing them and then the DNC will hold a press conference two days before the election and announce, "We have made a thorough examination of Senator McCain's dealings with government agencies and based on that examination, we conclude he is in every respect, splendidly qualified to be the next President of the United States. But you should still vote for Barack because having a black President would be so cool." :biggrin:

There's kind of an excluded middle there. Of course they are going to use it negatively if they use it at all, but just because they're going to use it negatively doesn't mean they can't use it negatively in a substantive issues-based way.

Of course, if they find out that McCain was calling up the FDA so that he could have sex with boys, then they might decide to sling mud, but it seems premature to assume that just doing a FOIA investigation neccesarily implies mudslinging.

[BPSCG]

There's kind of an excluded middle there. Of course they are going to use it negatively if they use it at all, but just because they're going to use it negatively doesn't mean they can't use it negatively in a substantive issues-based way.How would contacts with executive branch agencies by McCain's staff make a difference on the rights and wrongs of an issue? Is abolishing the death tax a good idea only if McCain didn't talk about it with the Treasury Secretary?

Uh-uh. This is a dirt-digging expedition. The most charitable way they'll use it will be to point up inconsistencies in McCain's positions on issues.

That's all fair, as far as I'm concerned; all's fair in love and war, and especially in politics. But the Dems shouldn't get up on their outraged high horses about how the Repubs fight dirty.

[T.A.M.]

But you should still vote for Barack because having a black President would be so cool." :biggrin:

and in that statement lies the true heart of discontent in the right wing.

TAM:)

[dudalb]

and in that statement lies the true heart of discontent in the right wing.

TAM:)


No, it is saying that Obama should be elected because he is black is a stupid as saying you should vote against him because he is black.
You know TAM, if the Obama supporters do begin a "everybody who does not support Obama is a racist" routine it will backfire on them.

[T.A.M.]

Yes, I was trying to say that the heart of the right wing attack on this is to try and portrait Obama supporters as extremist ideologues, who are voting for Obama purely because he is black.

Perhaps I misinterpreted the intent.

dudalb, I hope to hell they do NOT do that, because it will turn me from him and his campaign if he allows his surrogates to get away with such crap.

TAM:)

[Darth Rotor]

Yes, I was trying to say that the heart of the right wing attack on this is to try and portrait Obama supporters as extremist ideologues, who are voting for Obama purely because he is black.
TAM:)
I expect that card to get played again.

DR