Clinton Camp: Obama Falsely Claims He Doesn't Take Oil Money

A new memo out from the Clinton campaign:

False Advertising: New Obama Ad Falsely Claims He Does Not Accept Money From Oil Companies

Phil Singer: "It's unfortunate that Senator Obama is using false advertising to explain why he can be trusted to do something about energy prices. Senator Obama says he doesn't take campaign contributions from oil companies but the reality is that Exxon, Shell, and others are among his donors. I wonder if they'll fix the ad."

A new ad by Sen. Obama running in Pennsylvania falsely claims that Sen. Obama does not accept money from the oil industry. In the ad, Sen. Obama says "I'm Barack Obama and I don't take money from oil companies or lobbyists and I won't let them block change anymore."

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Sen. Obama has received over $160,000 from the oil and gas companies. Two major bundlers for his campaign -- George Kaiser and Robert Cavnar - are oil company CEOs. Sen. Obama has accepted money from Exxon, Shell, BP, Chevron and just about every other major oil company. Just last month, Sen. Obama accepted another $8,400 from ExxonMobil, $12,370 from Chevron and $6,500 from British Petroleum.

In 2005, Sen. Obama voted for the Dick Cheney energy bill, which was written in secret with the oil industry. Hillary Clinton opposed Cheney's energy bill, has a plan to eliminate oil industry tax breaks, and would require oil companies to contribute to a $50 billion strategic energy fund to jumpstart research and investment in clean energy technologies.

Here's the ad:

Comments

[KDH]

Obama will take anyone's money. Especially Rezco and Exelon.

[Thatcher]

And he's returned that money.

Ask Hillary if she'll ever return that $170,000 from the firm that has had widespread sexual harassment charges against them? http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/29/718538.aspx

Oh she's a fighter, all right ... for every dirty buck she can put her hands on.

[kennedy]

And Obama will get in bed with anyone as long as he leaves with $$$$$$.

[FancyPantsElitist]

Again, PROVE that.

You have no proof. Because there is none.

Get over yourself.

[Memorye]

One for Hillary she said she would take money.. Good for her and voted against Cheney's Bill. Obama voted for it . His cousin.

[vippy]

Oh and who is surpressing the HSU Trial going on at this moment - The Clinton Machine!
Look at the money given to Hillary by the corporations and look at Obama's then come back
and make this statement. But first look! Rezko has not been determined so quit assuming.
Obama gets most of his money from people like you and me and that is a good chunk!
So vote for someone like Hillary who voted for the Patriot Act TWICE and she condones torture
with her Military Commission Act she voted on.

[JonStewart4President]

Well other than some "low information" voters, I'll let you guys continue to speak for yourselves here...I think the rest of us get that once again, Hillary's campaign is trying to spread some stupid and unncessary lie.

Most of us who aren't morons, get that the money alluded to in this comes from individuals. And it doesn't even have to be some executive who wants to try and curry favour, it could be some person who works the counter at an Chevron gas station/convenience store. Yes, that person's $25 to Obama is "Big Oil," if we use the Clinton math. All independent studies have shown that Obama receives very little to no money from PACs and lobbyists and the ones he has accepted from, aren't "Big Oil."

Yet again, just like Edwards was forced to admit in a debate with Obama, he receives money from individuals who work AT those places. When anyone contributes to a campaign in the US, you have to list an occupation, and so anything related to gas, oil, energy, any of those companies, can therefore be counted as "oil/energy," even if the money was a palty sum from some peon in those organazations.

Meanwhile, Hillary has received huge amounts of money from PACs and lobbyists. Nice attempt to deflect again, Hillary.

[AnninCA]

You know, the first lie I recall from Obama regarded PACs. He took Edwards to task. He was lying. His own PAC outspent Clinton 4 to 1 in buying superdelegates.

I personally think that's why he did not get Edwards to endorse him. Edwards was just that ticked off at that lie to the public.

People can make fun of the Bosnia exaggeration of Hillary. She should be embarassed at her behavior. It displayed ego and cost her a weeks worth of polling.

But you should take a closer look at the types of lies Obama spews constantly. He's one big walking lie.

He's not about change. He is the same ole, same ole with a tan and a quick temper to play the race card when it suits him. He's pretty darn wussy, too, if you ask me. Quick to take offense.

But mostly....­...some of us really have been listening. ANd we KNOW his lies are far more substantive than mere exaggeration of a story as she did.

[noamjunior]

keep posting-good points

[mediahack]

Nice attempt to deflect JonStewart­4President­. The ad is misleading. Period.
Maybe you should consider the source of your news gathering : Jon Stewart is not a journalist. He's a comedian making fun of American Broadcast Journalism.

[juangault]

I think it's fair to point out that if an individual donates, they are not expecting any return favors. But when a big company give a big donation, usually through some byzantine loophole, they will come around expecting quid pro quo when a bill affecting their bottom line is before congress, or the president. They should have representation, but the common good of the nation and the will of the people should trump private interests.

There is a pattern of misrepresentation of the truth by the Clinton's for a long time now. They're better at it than most. Best not to trust them any further than you could **** . Does anyone have a list handy of all that can fit into the kitchen sink so far?

[Memorye]

GET REAL. All companies get a number then the lobbyist goes collecting money for their candidate. And that person writes the number on his check . Believe me those lobbyist and not asking small change . Small people are not recorded by were they work.

[Seattlelite]

My husband and I own our own business which is incorporated. It has two employees myself and my husband we both have donated $2,300 to Sen. Obama's campaign, so according to this logic a "corporation" is funding Sen. Obama.

[dragonfly142]

Just yet another Obama lie....you know the change candidate.­..the one who does favors for Rezko, has shady land deals with the indicted real estate developer.­and takes money from oil companies but says he doesn't ..you know the same person who slammed Clinton for sitting on the boards of Wal Mart and yet his wife makes buku bucks and dividends from Wal-Marts biggest supplier, sort of hypocritical

[rzan]

Except that he hasn't lied.

[mthespian]

What favors? The Tribune can't find any quid pro quo. Please enlighten us oh great one.

And still no money from oil companies -- just some people who work for them.

just keep yakking . . .

[movealongtrain]

HuPo, I agree it is outrageous that you just printed this nonsense without any correction, explanation, etc. The Clinton camp's claim is obviously yet another distortion, to use the kindest possible word for it. This money came from individuals, who worked for those corporations, not the corporations themselves.

[timeforachangenow]

OH...you mean those SAME idividuals that are living high on the hog with the MASSIVE profits they make on the oil stocks they own....8)

[civitat]

These contributions clearly are from individual workers, not from the companies. Everyone who gives to a presidential campaign has to disclose their employer. So the Clinton campaign is counting the line workers at Exxon who have given to Obama as "oil company" donations. Clinton knows this: she also receives donations from individuals who work for companies. Those of us who are still employed in this economy tend to work for *someone*! The very amount of the contributions makes their source clear. Clinton says Obama received $8,400 from "Exxon-Mobil" last month. But Exxon nets $10 BILLION dollars in profits per quarter. If they were contributing to Obama, don't you think they could put up a little more cash than that?
Clinton's attack isn't just dishonest, it's disrespectful to the individuals who are contributing to Obama's campaign as well as her own.

[afgail]

Not true. The limit for individuals is $2,000 per election.

[JonStewart4President]

No, the individual contribution is 2,300 for the primary, 4,600 for the General Election. Someone can give both, as long as the candidate has it set aside and only spends out of each. Now individuals can "bundle" money through entities, which is what PACs do. And Obama is rightly saying he doesn't accept money from oil PACs.

And the poster your replied to is 100% correct. This is junk information by the Clinton campaign. Each individual has to list and occupation, so that even just some Joe Schmoe who works at an Exxon gas station as a mechanic who contributed to Obama, would be classified using Clinton's specious 'logic' as a member of the oil industry! Well not really, other than that yes, Joe gets paid by Exxon and that's how that money went to Obama. But obviously Joe isn't some influential lobbyist or member of a PAC. He's an individual­...who happens to be paid by Exxon, instead of a bakery like someone else. Doesn't mean that Obama would be in the hands of big baked goods, if he received money from them either.

[yotinzepol]

An Obama presidency would be an extension of Bush's term. Like Bush, Obama tells lies with a straight face.

[Barbarossa03]

Was he really saying that he was dodging sniper fire when he made that commercial?

[FreedomLoverX]

Never an example. I have pages of lists of Hillary lying, just like this lie here. But Obama? Give just one example. Don't regurgitate examples that have already been debunked, because that is just more lying. Give a real example. I dare you.

Liar.

[AnninCA]

Easy. I don't have PACS. *haha
I only worked 4 to 5 hours on the Rezko file. *haha
My campaign did NOT talk to Canadians about NAFTA. *hahaha*
I did NOT hear Wright speak this way. *hahahahaha*

Frankly, your candidate has a far, far, far worse record of lying when it should matter to voters. He looks you in the eye and lies.

[sadcitizen]

FreedomLoverX Lie-My parents met doing the march at Selma Truth-He was born 4 yrs. before the march. Just one example

[Barackanot]

LIE: “I don’t think NAFTA has been good for Americans, and I never have.

"Obama said the United States should continue to work with the World Trade Organization and pursue deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement.­" [AP, 9/8/04]

Obama said the United States benefits enormously from exports under the WTO and NAFTA. [Decatur Herald & Review, 9/9/04]

LIE: I passed "a bill requiring nuclear plants to promptly report radioactive leaks." (Dec. 2007, Iowa campaign speech)

The bill failed to pass. It was so watered down that it regulated nothing. Exelon executives are now among Obama's top fund raisers.

[kennedy]

OBAMA = BUSH = CHENEY

Three pea cousins in a pod.

[timeforachangenow]

hey you can't BLAME Obama.....


he had VERY good teachers..­.8)

[cbmtrx]

kennedy, give it up. Your posts sound paranoid.

[cbmtrx]

This is a rather blanket accusation. I'm open to facts, if you can produce them, otherwise give the man the same leeway you give Clinton and her anything-but-clean donor list.

Remember the threat letter sent to Nancy Pelosi by Clinton's "elite" supporters? Presumably you have no problem with that?

[tomcj]

yotinzepol I also love Hillary and fell in love with her when she fought and won the Battle oF Tuzla. My God that woman can tell the truth.

No wonder she settled the Northern Ireland Conflict. No wonder she lost her records and then they turned up in her office. No wonder an independent counsel said she lied about firing the Travel Office Staff (Poor Hillary didn't even know their was such a staff until she put her own people in).

Despite all those bullets she dodged, no thanks to the careless Armed Forces who claim that there were no "Corkscrew maneuvers", no "sitting on Flak Jackets during the landing" and no danger on the Tarmac...T­he nerve of those poeple in the Armed Forces to claim they "protected" Hillary during that trip!, Hillary still doesn't get the credit she deserves for either passing or opposing NAFTA (ddepnding on whether you think it is a good deal or bad deal: Hillary has the flexibilty learned in long nights sleeeping alone waiting for Bill to finish working.

Maybe it would serve America right for rejecting her if she had stayed in her beloved Cattle Trading where she was averaging 100 thousand a deal per afternoon in 1970's money.

Too bad she had to restrict her genius to one afternoon.

As her namesake Sir Edmund would say, Hillary Climbs the Mountain of truth every day.

[Jedi007]

Clinton's talking pointing have been carefully tested with focus groups of low intelligence people to make sure they cannot see right through them. I have solid proof of this. Read some of these comments.

[MadeinAmericaProud]

1000% agree,

This amount is to cover the bloggers on other sites. We have people logging in very early in the morning. It's they believe their comments will change a core believer.

Haves vs the Have not
Rich vs Super Rich
Rich & super Rich vs Middle class &Poor
Middle vs Poor
white vs Black,Hispanic, Asian, and Mixed
Black vs Hispanic
Jews vs unknown
TV Media vs Internet Youtube Myspace & other like sites
White Pastors vs Black Pastors
Christian vs Catholic
Christian vs NON Christians
Muslims American vs unknown
Asian American vs unknown
The pollster also like these best:

white educated vs uneducated whites
blue collar vs white collar

we have so many groups we must not leave out these
haters vs morons

[mthespian]

At last someone speaks the truth!

[PrdAmerican]

Hmmm...Bil­l Clinton recieves $10 million dollars from the Saudi Royal Family for his Library...­.which other president, heavily involved in oil interest, also recieved $10 million for his Library...­.George W. Bush. The Saudi's dont' usually, without expecting something in return, offer up millions of dollars for an American Presidential Library...­.how much was oil hovering at this week?? I'm sure Hillary can't wait to clasp hands with the Saudi King and do a little sword dance.

[kennedy]

You mean the one that gave all that money to Obama?

[littleblackcat]

kennedy, you're a disgrace to the name. Are you on the repu payroll, or billary's? I think you write drivel just to annoy people.

[cbmtrx]

Troll. Ignore.

[Oldchef]

Kennedy be specific please. Are you saying the Saudi Royals gave millions to Obama? Proof, please. He did it too just doesn't get it. Cite examples or STFU.

[Memorye]

That is chump Change for Saudi Royal Family

[rosal]

Hellary better don't go there. We may need to ask who gets the more money from the Health Industry. Where are her taxes, list of earmarks, donors to her husband's library, Marc Rich, Yucaipa, Dubai, Nursultan Nazarbayev, I can go on and on. Don't throw stones from glass houses.
I wish Obama's campaign would investigate all this. She is again painting herself as a saint. Getting ready for Pennsylvania. Pathetic!

[timeforachangenow]

you mean as in SAINT OBAMA....8­)

[cyndeewi]

timefor changenow.­.. you continue to use Obama's Slogan. Why don't you get back to Billary and her old politics..

[CTtransplant]

This article is more than a bit slanted! There is a big difference between saying "Sen. Obama has received over $160,000 from the oil and gas companies.­" vs. Obama has accepted contributions from people/individuals who happen to WORK for oil companies. The millions of us across the US who contribute enthusiastically to Obama's campaign DO need to work somewhere, don't we? Are those of us who work for the 'oil companies' somehow lumped in with the oil companies just so you can 'fact-check' Clinton's comment as right? So you can 'mislead' the public? Obama's contributions have come from INDIVIDUALS who just happen to work in that industry. His contributions are not COMING FROM that industry. There is a difference - and your lack of ethics in reporting it as you have tells me you are aware of it...and its intent is to mislead! Shame on you!

[AxelDC]

Today, the Clinton campaign announced that Barack Obama sacrifices kittens to Cthulhu.

[debwarot]

Well if they said it , it must be true. I didn't know Muslim's sacrificed kittens!

And.......­..........­..sad but true..some­where in America someone is actually thinking these very thoughts!

[kennedy]

BYE BYE OBAMA WE ARE ALL DONE WITH YOUR BS!

[x88justy]

I really don't care who Obama gets his money from at this point. He's intelligent, he's honest, he's the real thing. I can't think of anybody in American politics I'd be more proud to fling all the money I can at (and I have). The United States was born amid a slaveholding society, a hellhole of racism, but ironically became the greatest assault on racism and inequality of opportunity the world has ever seen. I can't wait to vote for Barack Obama come General Election Day. And Go Dodgers!

[Oldchef]

Is this the kennedy who used to be on MTV when they actually played music videos and who was a big fan of George Bush? Still no specifics, just abuse with no evidence presented.

[Highwind]

Listen people, individuals from these companies have donated this money. Why on earth would he base his entire campaign on this if it's not true? It just doesn't make sense. You mean to tell me all he got from these companies 8,000 from Exxon Mobil? Haha! Get out of here! When you make a donation to a campaign you have to write down where you work. Everybody knows this!

[kennedy]

Why would Obama sit his butt in a pew for 20 years and listen to hate????

Why does that crook do anything he does????

[FancyPantsElitist]

you are obviously an operative. Anyone who saw the entire sermon would know that this was videoclipped. and as Maher said tonight, who would say sometime when they saw what this country is doing, "Goddamn America!"

[nomobull]

why do you write drivel

[cbmtrx]

I don't ever recall a public figure apologizing for sitting through sermons given by Pat Robertson, or Jerry Falwell, or John Hagee.

Explain your double standard. We're all waiting.

[Oldchef]

Why did you repub shills only come up with 3 miniscule soundbites from 20 years of sermons. Go back to youtube and watch the full quotes. 30 seconds of frustrated rhetoric in 20 years, but you've managed to spew more garbage than he did in 20 years just today.

[cathye]

Why haven't all Catholics quit their church because some priests molested little boys?

Why didn't all members of Ted Haggert's church quit when he came out of the closet?

Because the preacher is not the whole and sum of the church. Any good Christian knows it's the Bible and Jesus that make a church, not the pastor. And anyone that claims otherwise isn't really Christian at all!

[genia]

Barack is running these ads in Pa.
Clinton is tight on money.
THIS stradegy is cheap...he­ll it's free.
Who cares that it's not true?
Not the Clinton's that's for sure.

[GnitenGoodLk]

That's the problem. He has the money to respond to these ads and the support to get a response commercial/flyer out showing otherwise. She's gotta do her homework. That's how these states she thought were in the bag end up being close calls/losses.

[patriotscholar]

Since the money for campaign donations is public knowledge and not secret, one can only assume that whomever engineered this claim is counting on people to not look their claims up. Those that do look their claims up are certainly enlightened at the tactics being employed.

[Mariposa4Life]

I really think the last road the Clintons want to travel in is the "who's getting PAC money and donations from FAT CATS" road. Especially when we have yet to see YOUR taxes for the past seven years or the contributers to the Clinton Library.

Hard right Clinton, make a hard right!!!!!

[timeforachangenow]

Hard LEFT Obama, he is hard LEFT!!!!!