Edwards Campaign Accidentally Pushed False Obama Quote To Media

Early Thursday afternoon a quote attributed to Sen. Barack Obama applauding the political dexterity of Ronald Reagan appeared on CBS News' website. The statement seemed to be an extension of comments made by the Illinois Democrat during a Monday meeting with the Reno Gazette-Journal editorial board, in which he cast his presidential candidacy in the same historic light as that of Reagan in 1980. Only this time, Obama offered an even deeper, more detailed analysis of why he thought the Gipper was a political success.

"Reagan knew the electorate was so sick of a blue-state president and blue-state policies, they we're willing to go 100% red," Obama said, according to the account. "Reagan didn't mince words." (Read the full quote below.)

There was a problem, however. Obama never made the statement. And roughly an hour after the quote went up, CBS News was forced to take it down. In its place they put the excerpt from the Reno Gazette-Journal interview. And several hours after that they ran the following correction:

"This blog post originally included an inaccurate and unverified quote, provided by the Edwards campaign, in lieu of the Obama quote used above. CBS News regrets this error."

So where, exactly, did the Edwards campaign get the quote? An aide to the Senator acknowledged that they had lifted the material from an entry on the progressive blog, Daily Kos. And Matt Stoller, writing for the site OpenLeft, identified Mark Kornblaut, a spokesperson for Edwards, as the one who had done so.

That Daily Kos post, which was made in the wake of Obama's comments to the Reno Gazette-Journal, included the same erroneous quote that appeared in the CBS piece. But the words "Obama said" where never in it. And at the top of the page was the following disclaimer.

"If you listen to the interview, Obama is RIGHT. He didn't say the following... but the the [sic] logic behind what he says is thus..." (emphasis added)

According to the same Edwards aide, the Daily Kos entry was sent out as an actual Obama "quote" to the Edwards' campaign traveling press, including four network embeds and a New York Times reporter. CBS was the only outlet to run the quote. The network and reporter declined to comment.

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Reached by phone, Kornblaut said that while he erred in sending out the wrong information, it shouldn't overshadow the underlying fact that Obama had painted himself in the same historical light as Reagan.

"What Sen. Obama actually said is even more laudatory of Ronald Reagan than the mistake quote," said Kornblaut.

+++

The full quote falsely attributed to Obama:

"When the country was so sick of a blue state president, Carter, Reagan was able to tap into it by being 100% red-state. Reagan knew the electorate was so sick of a blue-state president and blue-state policies, they we're willing to go 100% red. Reagan didn't mince words. He ran on a 100% red-state message. When Reagan won with a 100% red state message, Reagan had a 100% red-state mandate. Reagan knew transformation was all about mandate. Reagan ran a clear red-issue campaign. He never reached out to blue. Reagan was able to bowl over any resistance in Congress because he had a clear 100% red-state mandate. When you have a 100% red-state mandate, no one is surprised by what you do. Reagan, therefore, was able to get all the changes he wanted. Reagan was for those reasons...transformational."

Obama's real quote:

"I don't want to present myself as some sort of singular figure. I think part of what's different are the times. I do think that for example the 1980 was different. I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it. I think they felt like with all the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s and government had grown and grown but there wasn't much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating. I think people, he just tapped into what people were already feeling, which was we want clarity we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing."

Comments

[jennifer Vizzo]

Where did this guy (from Edwards' camp) get his political training? The Karl Rove School of Obfuscation and Skullduggery?

[Transcendentobserver]

Wow! Komblaut is correct; the actual quote, if accurate, is more disconcerting than the erroneous one. One could replace Cheney's name with Obama's with scarcely a raised eyebrow.

[neworleanslady68]

Why is it that the link to this story screams that the Edwards people pushed this false quote, yet when you get here, the headline is that, in fact, they did it accidentally? Sometimes HuffPo engages in the worst sort of sensationalism.

(obama supporter)

[Tellmethetruth]

if Edwards wants to get some free press he should insult Obama as so far Obama is the media darling. The media is controlled by a few billionaires and six major corporations - all of whom are Republicans. Yes, the Republican want Obama to be the Democratic nominee, so they are giving Obama lots of press and lots of favorable press.

But, when Edwards insults Clinton - no one cares, -it's not news. Edwards can get more publicity by doing some trivial offense of Obama.

Obama's crowd screams and screams over the slightest offense because it is a smoke screen for anyone discussing experience, knowledge, issues and the state of what is happening to the average American and what is going on in the world, or the fact that America is engaged in two wars.

Let's talk substance for a change?????

It's the economy stupid!!!!

No we don't want Reagonomics and trickle down economics!

[tbone99]

"When you think about what Ronald Reagan did to the American people, to the middle class to the working people," former Sen. John Edwards shot back at an event in Henderson, Nevada. "He was openly -- openly-- intolerant of unions and the right to organize. He openly fought against the union and the organized labor movement in this country...He openly did extraordinary damage to the middle class and working people, created a tax structure that favored the very wealthiest Americans and caused the middle class and working people to struggle every single day. The destruction of the environment, you know, eliminating regulation of companies that were polluting and doing extraordinary damage to the environment."

Edwards added, "I can promise you this: this president will never use Ronald Reagan as an example for change."

[Ides]

A lot of whining, but you'd think people could find the original quote on the same website that they're posting on.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/16/obama-compares-himself-to_n_81835.html

Of course, Edwards and Clinton would never tell you THE REST OF THE QUOTE:
"I think Kennedy, 20 years earlier, moved the country in a fundamentally different direction. So I think a lot of it has to do with the times. I think we are in one of those fundamentally different times right now were people think that things, the way they are going, just aren't working."

Has this nit been picked enough or are you going to carefully edit reality to fit your biases?

[tbone99]

What a misleading title - why does Edwards get the blame for Obama lauding Reagan like this:
"He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it. I think they felt like with all the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s and government had grown and grown but there wasn't much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating."

Well that fundamentally different path has brought us the S&Lscandal ,deregulation of utilities( Enron), union busting,media deregulation and takeovers, corporate ruin to the enviroment,intended privatization of our schools and Social Security, no bid contracts, millions evicted thru predatory lending and absolutely no social net for the predictible cyclical boom/bust of unfettered capitalism. Oh - but LOTS of corporate welfare.

When you hear Obama say the word "entrepeneurship" ,( another Reagan fave) - imagine yourself in a small business competing against Wal-mart. Obama's beyongd optimism -he thinks we're stupid - hey but he says it in such a positive way, that makes it worth voting against your own self.

[whfrye]

What is wrong with the press? Virtually every comment I've heard concerning Obama's statement reported that he was somehow supporting Reagan. All he said was that Reagan "changed the trajectory" of America, which is a completely accurate statement. He didn't say that Reagan changed America for the good, simply that he changed America. Change is not always for the good. Peter Beinart recognizes this, others seem not to. To say that Reagan changed America is a true statement and does not imply that one agrees with Reagan's policies.

[Researchguy66]

That was stupid. I'm an Edwards guy and I admit that they should be more careful when they fire off press releases like this. Everyone's operating in hyperspeed, which is why we see stupid stuff like this and the famous Obama race memo.

Anyway, since it appears that the Democratic Party elite are working their tails off to get rid of Edwards, what about Edwards as a third party candidate? I like to think he'll win the nomination, but what if he doesn't? We could self-destruct both corrupt Democratic and Republican parties in one fell swoop.

[Drewkowski]

"Excesses of the 60's and 70's?" Oh, like welfare that worked and kept the elderly from eating cat food? Like genuine attempts by Carter at energy independence and mid-east peace? How excessive! No wonder we needed to go from a nobel winner to a senile actor. Fool.
Obama and Hillary are in the same canoe, and it appears they must paddle together to get where they are going. Now is the time for Edwards to row his kayak ahead of both the corporate bootlickers.

[AZDemocrat500]

I saw Obama quote and no mattter how the Obama Post tries to back pedal, those word are not acceptable from a Democrat. Imagine if a Republican were to speak of a Democratic President in this manner, he would be castigated. This will all stop on February 5th when Hillary is our nominee.

[JACKSWADE]

TO ALL THE IDIOTS AT RISEUP AMERICA...BETTER TO BE THOUGHT A FOOL THAN TO SPEAK AND REOMVE ALL DOUBT....FOR OBAMA TO HATE WHITE PEOPLE WOULD BE FOR HIM TO HATE HIMSELF...WHICH HE THEN WOULD BE LIKE YOU... SINCE IT IS OBVIOUS FOR ONE HAVE SUCH VENOM TOWARD SOMEONE THAT YOU DONT KNOW YOU WOULD HAVE TO HATE YOUR SELF!!! REMEMBER WHAT JESUS SAID...HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME WHOM YOU HAVE NOT SEEN,,,WHEN YOU HATE YOUR BROTHER WHOM YOU HAVE SEEN!!!

[godlessclif]

Obama 's health plan is not universal and does not require membership, therefore, the insurance companies will rake 30% right off the top.
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That is 30 billion a year of your tax money going to insurance company profits and not health care.

[godlessclif]

Is Obama going to flip flop on his Reagan ass kissing. Let's hear Obama denounce Reagan and the Reagan supporters giving Obama money like UBS bank.

[Triangulate]

Before Iowa, I was torn between Edwards and Obama. I was thrilled that they placed 1st and 2nd, ahead of HRC. But Edwards taking Obama's quote totally out of context -- making one up essentially -- is unconscionable. I watched the entire 48 minute sit-down with the Reno Gazette-Journal and was extremely impressed with Obama. I'm sure they were impressed too because the paper, Nevada's second largest, endorsed him today.