The Clinton-Lieberman Connection

Confusion and misinformation are two of the most powerful weapons in a desperate politician's arsenal. They were used by Joe Lieberman in the 2006 general election against Ned Lamont, and exit polls suggest that they helped Hillary Clinton blast her way through yesterday's primary in Ohio.

Over the last few weeks, Clinton has been telling Ohio voters she never supported the North American Free Trade Agreement -- an agreement that has become a symbol of corrupt economic policies to many working-class voters. Clinton has made these claims expecting everyone to forget her speeches over the last decade trumpeting NAFTA as a great success.

Her direct quotes praising NAFTA repeatedly are not up for interpretation -- and neither are her absurd claims to "have been against NAFTA from the beginning." We're talking about pure, unadulterated lying here -- and lying with a purpose: To confuse enough voters into thinking she actually did oppose NAFTA and that her strong support for NAFTA is somehow the same as Barack Obama's longtime opposition to the pact. Last night's results prove the scheme worked.

CBS News reports that "among Ohio voters who expressed that trade takes jobs away, 55 percent supported Clinton." The Associated Press has some more details:

Clinton's past support of the North American Free Trade Agreement didn't hurt her in Ohio where most voters think trade with other countries has cost the state jobs. Blue-collar workers and voters who live in union households backed Clinton as did voters in northern Ohio where manufacturing job losses have been staggering the past decade, according to exit polls for The Associated Press and television networks. Clinton won nearly six in 10 votes from union households in Ohio's Democratic primary Tuesday and the same number among people who earn less than $50,000 a year.

If this all sounds familiar, that's because it is. Here's an excerpt of a 2006 article I wrote for In These Times about the Lieberman-Lamont race:

As the Associated Press confirmed, Lieberman's margin was provided by a segment of voters who are strongly against the war, but who (wrongly) believed Lieberman is strongly against the war. Their misperception was no accident. Immediately after the primary, Lieberman unleashed an ad campaign to portray himself as anti-war, airing an ad where he says to the camera "I want to help end the war in Iraq."...Lieberman won the election not by defending the Iraq War, but by successfully convincing a key segment of voters that he was anti-war...[Lamont's] internal polling showed that somewhere between 12 and 15 percent of the population said they simultaneously opposed the war and supported Lieberman's position on the war--a signal that Lieberman's confusion campaign was working.

Clinton was actually even more brazen than Lieberman. Not only did she lie about her record, she actually went on the offensive attacking Obama over the very trade deal she has long championed, "rais[ing] doubts about whether he was committed to reworking NAFTA," as the AP noted. To use the Lieberman-Lamont analogy, that's would be like Lieberman not only pretending to be against the war, but actually attacking Lamont for not opposing the war more strongly. Even Lieberman wasn't cravenly dishonest enough to do that -- but Clinton was.

The tragedy, of course, is that when such tactics are validated -- whether on the war in Connecticut or on trade in Ohio -- it encourages candidates and politicians to continue lying about the most important issues. And those lies end up polluting the debate and ultimately preventing any real change. If politicians can be rewarded for lying about their record on the war and on globalization, then they will feel emboldened to keep lying when those rhetorical debates turn into legislative negotiations.

Comments

[stellanoir]

The degree of disingenuousness that she's displayed is entirely reprehensible.

Reducing Obama's illustrious career to one speech was utterly bitchy especially given that the speech elucidated the error of the IWR.

The NAFTA maneuver was despicable.

Wolfson = Rove

Always appreciate your commentary.

[Macready]

great blog thank you for posting . . . the connection with the clintons and lieberman is very deep . . .bill supported lieberman over Ned Lamont . . while Obama supported Lamont; hillary backed kyl/lieberman . .. both clintons are accomplished liars . . . hillary has worked hard during her time as senator to gain republican votes; her support for the illegal invasion of Iraq; her support for kyl/lieberman; her vote against the Levin Amendment; her vote against banning landmines and cluster bombs . . . her lying tactics have only worked --unfortunately with the hard core Dems who seem to have most to lose by her becomming prez . . . because they are proabably too caught up in issues of survival due to NAFTA as in Ohio to really follow what she is doing; and then there are the old guard feminists who think that a woman in the WH for the sake of a woman in the WH -- they are also locked in their little boxes . . .

tthen we have limbaugh and coulter supporting hillary . . . why are the alarm bells ringing louder to more Dems . . . sure wish they would wake up and see what the clintons really are . . .

WE have to fight stronger against them . . . and somehow make them start to think and question . . . because the clintons will destroy the Democratic party . . . and they will continue the bush agenda . . . they have absolutely no moral scruples . . . they are driven by ruthless ambition in the quest for power . . . and have to be stopped.

[BubbaC33]

It is interesting that Obama supporters try so ahrd to link Ms. Clinton to Joe Lieberman. Obama, not Ms. Clinton, has repeatedly claimed Lieberman as his mentor in the senate. Lieberman as hismentor in the senate makes it clear who is linked to Lieberman and it is Obama, not MS. Clinton.

[Macready]

duh bubba . . .your are so wrong about lieberman and Obama . . . . get it right . . . bill supported lieberman over Ned Lamont and Obama supported Ned Lamont . . . Obama thinks independently . . . the lieberman connection is strongest with the clintons -- hillary supported kyl/lieberman . . . she was the only Democratic Senator who did and don't forget mccrazy and lieberman and good friends and who did hillary say she supported over Obama . . . mccrazy . . .

[Opus007]

Hillary is just over. She only got this far by cross over Republicans voting for her at the urging of people like Rush Limbaugh . She'll never win against McCain. The Republicans are just setting her up for her big fall. They are giddy with excitement.
Meanwhile, she alienated most of the antiwar change crowd by kneecapping Obama. She is not going to win. All that she is accomplishing is tanking the Democratic Party. That's the good old DLC for you.
You think things are tough now-? Wait until we have McCain as president and Lieberman as Secretary of State!

[Macready]

well said Opus . . hillary must not get the Democratic nomination or we are all doomed.

[Roshi98]

David, Hillary has made guardedly optimistic statements about the successes AND limitations of NAFTA, but she has NEVER regarded it as a "boon," an unmitigated success, or anything of the sort, and you know it. I've already debunked every post you've made regarding your perception of Hillary's position and record, but you just never seem to learn. Hillary is NOT PRO-NAFTA. The quotes you cite don't suggest it, the sources you pull from don't support it, and the fact that you think it certainly doesn't prove it.

[Liberal2]

I agree; plus she was not an elected official or Senate approved member of Clinton's cabient. She didn't have the position to publicly oppose NAFTA; whereas VP Gore publicly defended NAFTA ('93) and the Clinton/Gore ticket won re-election in '96. While there were many (Perot, me....) who grasped what NAFTA would turn out to be, most voters thought it was at least an economically neutral concept.

[JakeEasy]

I don't wanna cause any thought to break out her or anything, but it was Barack's dashing up to campaign for Joe in his home state that helped him in the last election. Granted he was just doing the party business, but I thought (sorry there's that word again) he was the one with principles who stood up to the party. Whoa, bummer news.

[fourex]

I believe Hillary and Bill supported Lieberman as an independent against the Democratic candidate.

[Roshi98]

No, that's not true. They both made statements that they would support the Democratic nominee, whoever that turned out to be.

[Macready]

no Jake . . who is peddling this garbage . . .bill and hillary backed lieberman in CT over Ned Lamont . . . Obama supported Ned Lamont and Lamont is supporting Obama now . . . get your facts straight . . .

[inthenitemare]

Thanks David,

The Clinton supporters don't seem to care if she lies, as long as she gets into office.

[JakeEasy]

Thanks inthenitemare,

The Obama supporters don't seem to care if he lies, as long as he gets into office.

See. Just as stupid either way.

[BenMurphyNYC]

I don’t think this depiction is correct. Clinton tried to kill NAFTA in the crib but it was her husband's presidency and decision - not hers. David Gergen is an excellent source on Hillary's view toward NAFTA.

[Astraphobia]

Oh, I see. So she can claim her time in the White House as 'experience' when it suits her nonsensical platform, but not the specifics?

Thing is, NAFTA has been good on the whole for the US/Canadian economies. Certainly there are swaths of the country in specific industries that have taken it up the 'chute, but she successfully played the white, uneducated (and apparently unemployed still?), racist Ohioans like the Right Honorable Senator Liebermenschen irregardless of the truth.

I'm waiting to see those tax returns. I want to know how Bill funneled his Kazakstani dictator money into her campaign. It should be fun.

[mcfried]

I'm confused. So all those speeches she gave that were pro Nafta including stuff in her book were lies. All the people that said she supported NAFTA lied. But David Gergen is telling the truth. I'm confused how does her constant lying in support of NAFTA help your candidate. And if it was her husband presidency what domestic experience can she claim from it, a failed health care plan?

[JakeEasy]

Hey man. Don't bring those facts in here. This kind of innuendo and faulty logic are the only things the Obama camp has going right now. Huff told us he was going negative. Didn't say he was going to be honest.

[mcfried]

I'll try and post again. If you believe David Gergen you are basically saying Hillary lied to the American people repeatedly for years including in her memo. How is this a good thing. In reality the above depiction is kinder.

[MPeter]

But the people of Ohio are not just stupid and easy for Hillary to fool, they are expremely racist. apparently 80 percent of those who voted for Hillary said race was important. No wonder Ohio is called the bell-weather state that has decided every White President we've ever had. It is apparently not that Hillary lied to them about NAFTA, it is rather because they rednecks there would rather go without jobs than have a biracial President. What I did not know about RI is just how racist it is. RI and Ohio deserve another four years of Rethugs.

[mcfried]

You may be right but I think a special thanks also goes out to CNN for running this story the night before repeatedly as if Obama lied.

[TitaniumAvatar]

Ohio voters appear to be uneducated, incurious and bigoted.

[Liberal2]

I'd take exception to your assertion....except they helped elect Bush.

[OSUMercutio]

As much as I dislike Clinton, I was disappointed that Obama didn't do a better job countering her attacks. However, time after time, Obama has proved he is a fast learner so let's hope he does a better job fighting back next time.

[pbarba1969]

Hey Dave I guess you didn't mention the memo with reagrd to the Obama campaign meeting with reps from the Canadian Goverment to downplay statements Senator Obama made about NAFTA.

Guess if you mentioned that it would put a wrench in your whole Clinton is a liar, and a closet Republican like Joe Lieberman theory...

[SamThornton]

Actually, the CBC is now reporting the memo and what it claimed was said at a meeting are complete fabrications by Canadian officials. So far, it's not clear if the fraud was perpetrated at the request of or in cooperation with Clinton campaign officials. Stay tuned. Canadians are now demanding an RCMP investigation into the affair: http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/080305/n030555A.html

[Roshi98]

The post wasn't about the memo, it was about the meeting one of Obama's top economic advisors had with Canadian officials. That's a fact that the Obama campaign has finally admitted.

[ArchAngel]

You are 100 percent correct. Clinton is also pro war.

Most importantly - What is the correct solution to quickly counter this type of lying? What has worked in the past? Can you please provide accurate examples? If you do not know, could you please have a crash meeting with those who might know?

[fourex]

In Texas last week Hillary claimed that the Bush attack on Iraq brought Iraqis freedom.

[Roshi98]

No she didn't! Talk about spin, you've got to have severe vertigo if you believe your own crap.

[mmerose]

Thanks, Mr Sirota for helping me cope with this weirdness.

All day, I've been trying to get my head around Ohioans, who clearly consider themselves beaten up by NAFTA, voting for Mrs Clinton, whose husband brought down NAFTA on their heads.

I hope Obama can use the lie somehow.

[Countess]

You must make allowance for the lack of education of many of the Clinton supporters. She is exploiting their greatest weakness and it is beyond contempt.

[Opus007]

Right Countess. Sadly these are the same voters that brought us Bush for 2 terms! I just don't get it.

I was watching a Roseann Barr HBO special and she had a great bit:
"Why do working class people vote Republican? Isn't that like the chickens voting for Colonel Sanders?"

Isn't it nice that we are getting back $300 of our own taxpayer money? With all the money we are just throwing away in a thousand different ways through corruption, no bid contracts, price gouging, theft, Blackwater and general incompetence yet STILL are soldiers are going without the rest, training, equipment and Veterean's care they so richly deserve.

Luckily for Bush with McCain at the helm there will never be any sincere investigation of this travesty.