"Old-Style Politics," In Pictures

Ben Smith flags this sharp-edged quote from Obama adviser Steve Hildebrand:

"The Clintons have always put people in a box - they look at everything through racial lines, gender lines, geographic lines; they tend to segment people," said Steve Hildebrand, a senior Obama adviser who spearheaded his Iowa effort. "She goes to Nevada and sits with Latinos in their living room to court their vote - that's not the way Barack approaches people. If the Clintons paint him as the black candidate, no one's going to stop them from doing that. They are playing the same old-style games."

Hildebrand is right, Obama doesn't sit with Latinos in their living room to court their vote. He sits in their backyard.

From an "economic opportunity" photo-op in Van Nuys, California 10 days ago:

Just to set the scene:

Photos are by Jonathan Alcorn, found on Flickr.

Comments

[MichaelO]

02:15 PM on 01/27/2008

I still hold out hope of the possibility of a Clinton/Obama, Obama/Clinton ticket. "Hope, Unity, Change" and "Experience, remember the 90's" will give way to who is the best politician that can fix what the Bush has done come November. Obama will have to get a bit dirtier and Clinton a lot cleaner if they want to win.

[VOTER]

05:28 PM on 01/26/2008

Time for the Obama Campaign to drop Steve Hildebrand.

And this guy is being paid a salary?

He could host his own show on Fox or MSNBC!

[Marichu]

02:55 PM on 01/26/2008

What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander . . . . and vice versa. Realistically, it's all politics; they will do what it takes to obtain the nomination. One candidate may be better than the other at masking the actuality of what it takes to achieve that goal. Their principles or core beliefs will have to have some elasticity in order to win.

[BillyCioffi]

01:48 PM on 01/26/2008

People are constantly on the make with Hillary everything has some dark sinister motivation but has anyone but me noticed that there are times when the Obama campaign sounds every bit as jive as anyone else and there are also times when HE sound mean and snide- condescending. I suppose the point is anyone can be creepy and "judge not... and all that stuff...I still say anyone wit a D after their name is 1000% better than what is there now. People should not loose sight of that.

[apresdeluge]

12:40 PM on 01/26/2008

So Nico, who is really playing the "race card"? Does Obama have the exclusive right to campaign for minority votes? What a crock his whole "holier than thou" personna is. His tactics will probably win in South Carolina but will fail in the rest of the country.

[pennyfortheguy]

11:47 AM on 01/26/2008

Collect the entire set of race cards, and John Edwards, we may call him 'Joker'.

[ALMAL]

10:29 AM on 01/26/2008

Now i often hear people say'
they played racial card with OBAMA ,
and made argument,that in IOWA he won lots of white support,
and if now white people dropping him
but AA people continie support him,
so they blame this on racism.
I would argue ,that people now got to know him better,and they dropping support,becouse there not much what to support,
and understandably people of color want him to succede,so they dropping him little slowlie.

I SAY,HE IS SINKING AND HE WILL SINK EVERYBODY ON TICKET WITH HIM.

He got to much of history,and not much of achivement

[jarrett]

10:11 AM on 01/26/2008

Obama is a calculating hypocrite.

[independentrepublicrat]

09:09 AM on 01/26/2008

Quote from the AP: [Obama's] campaign manager, David Plouffe, was far more pointed in a written statement that accused the Clinton campaign of "an entire week's worth of false, divisive attacks designed to mislead caucus-goers and discredit the caucus itself."Whatever the hard feelings, Clinton told supporters they would fade by the fall general election campaign. "We will all be united in November," she said, as the crowd chanted "HRC, HRC." [end quote] ----------------------------------------------------------------- I have said this time and again. The Clintons and their surrogates believe that they can do anything and that no matter what lies, dirty politics, race-baiting, xenophobia inciting, lying, misreprensenting, amoral campaign they run, that Democrats in general---and Blacks specifically---will have no choice but to support them in November if they are successful in stealing this nomination. I beg to differ. I hope all intelligent Democrats of good conscience will vote for a change in the political party by NOT supporting her if she robs the public of a chance at an honest debate and a substantive choice for president. Don't vote for Billary in the fall under any circumstance; make a stand about your morals and your values as a party. Blacks more than others should always stand up for right because they, since inception, have been the true moral conscience of this nation; FACT!

[ALMAL]

06:58 AM on 01/26/2008

This night i watched 360 for 5 minutes,
there were 2 white persones and 2 persones of color with Anderson Cooper.
Whites were republicans and colored were progressives.
So he asked progressives about somebody,who named Bill Clinton first black president.
First guy ansvered,that it isn't true,and black writer ,who named Bill Clinton First Black American President,did disservice for people of color and shame on him.
Then woman continied telling that only in one it may be true,becouse Clinton eat junk food and chited on his wife.
Than all of them laughed.
I don't know ,why those two white republicans laughted becouse of ansvers,or becouse of stupidity.
I could think about republicans,who just laughted,whatever i want,but
what to think about this to progressives?

[mi]

06:35 AM on 01/26/2008

I hope voters will see through Obama's
half-truths. He makes himself the victim,
beware.

[mutatio]

05:08 AM on 01/26/2008

OMG!!! Did you all see the the lawn and construction equipment in the picture?!! How stereotypical!!! How can Obama dare to orchestrate such an obvious appeal to our Latino stereotypes?!! LOL jk ;-) :-)

[mutatio]

03:19 AM on 01/26/2008

Such a positive campaign by Obama, right? lol This is just asinine. Obama's campaign however, I would agree, has been pretty effective at creating a potent narrative against Clinton. It's a pretty effective (old-school, I would argue) political machine that can effectively raise the argument that the nation's first female president, Democratic at that, would not be a real/historically significant/believable/inspirational/etc change for the country. Mind you that's not said directly, but as noted, that's the narrative or the theme I get from the Obama campaign (ironically with a large portion of former Clinton campaigners on board). You wanna see a plastic photo-op? Check Mitt with the "Who let the dogs out" comment.

[nightslider]

12:54 AM on 01/26/2008

Having earned my bones so to speak in 1968 at the Democratic Convention Chicago Illinois, I think I CAN SAY WITH SOME CERTAINTY THAT OBLAPIE DOES NOT FIT MY MOLD OF A DEMOCRAT. A Repukeagain Lite yes, nor will I quailify the comment other than referencing his RAYGUN RONNIE remarks.

He lost me for good there with his declarations concerning RAYGUN, I lived through that periode and I recall all to well the airline union be eviscerated by this bastard, and Oblapie quotes him?

I've always believed that those who yell the loudest are the guiltiest, and Oblapie proclaiming the Clinton's as racist should take a remedial course in history where this couple is concerned, the Only racist here is Oblapie the empty suit.

[letitgo]

11:57 PM on 01/25/2008

The worse thing whining male chauvinistic pigs fear is a woman who won't do what she's told. Cowgirl up Hillary!