ABC's George Stephanopoulos clearly had John McCain's houses on his mind Sunday, for during the latest installment of "This Week," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's real estate holdings were discussed with every guest.
What Stephanopoulos may not have expected was Time's Mark Halperin claiming that "this is going to end up being one of the worst moments in the entire campaign for one of the candidates, but it's Barack Obama."
Adding delicious insult to injury, much to Democrat strategist Donna Brazile's dismay, Halperin saw the Obama campaign's attack on McCain not knowing how many houses he owns as opening the door for the Arizona senator to bring up the Illinois senator's connections to Tony Rezko, Reverend Wright, and William Ayers (video embedded right, partial transcript follows):
MARK HALPERIN, TIME MAGAZINE: My hunch is that this is going to end up being one of the worst moments in the entire campaign for one of the candidates, but it's Barack Obama.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, HOST: Why?
HALPERIN: I believe this has opened the door to not just to Tony Rezko and that ad, but to bring up Reverend Wright, to bring up his relationship with Bill Ayers. I think if the Obama campaign aggressively jumped on something --
STEPHANOPOULOS: Don't you think that was going to come up anyway?
HALPERIN: I think it would have been hard for John McCain given the way he says he's going to run this campaign to do all of this stuff without the door being opened. There was no criticism from the press and the chattering class of coming back with that Rezko ad. We're going to see it not from McCain, but his supporters. Tony Rezko more, Ayers more. There's already an Ayers ad on. If the debate in this election is about people in the past --
STEPHANOPOULOS: You should explain who Ayers is.
HALPERIN: William Ayers is now a professor in Chicago but is a former radical --
GEORGE WILL: Former terrorist.
HALPERIN: -- who committed a violent act --
COKIE ROBERTS: He and Barack Obama --
DONNA BRAZILE: Obama was 8 years old --
HALPERIN: Barack Obama, but he was in a professional association with him and some Americans will find, I believe his failure to fully repudiate him to be, to be --
BRAZILE: But, you know, if we go down that road the Democrats are clearly prepared to bring up the Keating five. If we want to bring back the past --
HALPERIN: But Donna, would you rather the election be about Ayers versus Keating or about the economy and George Bush?
BRAZILE: I would rather it be about the economy and George Bush.
HALPERIN: Right, and I'm saying that this attack, this aggressive attack, opens the door to making this about who do you trust, who do you not.
BRAZILE: But if Obama does not attack back, if he does not fight and does not stop these character attacks then people will come away with the impression that he will not fight for them. So he has to attack back.
HALPERIN: But it started with the Obama campaign filled with machismo and aggressiveness saying, "We're going to not, we're going to make this week not about" --
BRAZILE: Are you saying the Obama campaign started with the attacks?
ROBERTS: But the housing is about the economy. It's a metaphor for the economy and it's a way of saying that he says the economic times are good and they've been bad under George Bush say the Democrats. This is just a way of getting at that issue in a way that voters can relate to.
STEPHANOPOULOS: How is this attack worse than saying someone would rather lose a war in order to win a campaign?
HALPERIN: As you made clear on this show that was a pretty serious personal attack for which he paid I think less of a price --
STEPHANOPOULOS: But that's why I'm having a little just trouble following your argument then. How is this the seminal event? This attack. It seems that all of this stuff has been on the table and is going to continue to be.
HALPERIN: Because the style now, the tone of it, is you can do, you can bring up anything you want.
I'm verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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I was completely taken
August 24, 2008 - 12:42 ET by bigtimerI was completely taken aback by Halperin...I also enjoyed the reactions from not just Donna, but Cokie and Georgie.
They really ought to listen to Mark, but heck they are leftists with an agenda...they refuse to listen to someone who is not exactly on the right side of the aisle.
Personally I hope the left continues on in the fashion they are....blinders can be such a lovely thing.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
Didn't you just love
August 24, 2008 - 12:53 ET by motherbeltDidn't you just love Halperin's description of Ayers: a professor, a former radical, who committe a violent act.
Good for George Will calling him a terrorist!
That's how Obama tried to describe him....a professor at U of C that he knew....and he was 8 years old at that time...completely ignoring that as recently as 2001 Ayers was regretting that he didn't do more....and that since then Ayers has run a fundraiser for him....
I can't believe Halperin was actually suggesting that something might come back to bite Obama...too bad Brazile doesn't want to believe it.
and public service, too
August 24, 2008 - 17:37 ET by tejanodiabloseems to me they bothe did public service .. obama in chicago, McCain 5 years in a hanoi hotel .. umbrella drinks, horse doovers ..
never look a gift skunk in the tail ..
After the cameras shut down
August 24, 2008 - 12:51 ET by jdhawkAfter the cameras shut down and the mics were turned off, the following was said in the above interview:
Steffy: Biden told me a joke the other day, I thought I would share with all of you. It goes like this. What do bambi (aka 57 states) and Osama Bin Laden have in common?
Brazile: What?
Steffy: They both have friends that blew up the Pentagon!
Steffy: Hey! It wasn't me. Biden told me that one . . .
Also, Obama and Biden's
August 24, 2008 - 12:52 ET by soulpileAlso, Obama and Biden's constant harping on McCain's property ownership really just makes them sound jealous. It not only opens up doors but exposes their own weaknesses.
What was it Biden said about McCain and his not being able to pick which kitchen table at which to sit? Sounded like someone wants to own seven properties himself.
That kind of class warfare
August 24, 2008 - 12:58 ET by motherbeltThat kind of class warfare only works against a candidate like Kerry, who is tone deaf, who flaunts his wealth...and then tries to act like Joe Sixpack (Can I get me a hunt'n license? or claiming that he goes wind-surfing because that's what "regular" lunch-bucket guys do...LOL!)
It won't wash with McCain, because even if he or his wife own 7 homes, he acts like every other guy, and isn't conspicuous about his wealth.
HALPERIN: Because the
August 24, 2008 - 13:02 ET by MidAmericaHALPERIN: Because the style now, the tone of it, is you can do, you can bring up anything you want.
He's probably right. The campaign is sliding into a street brawl and that's the way it should be. The media has been trying to be the referees who get to decide what ideas and topics are off limits to the discussion.
MA
August 24, 2008 - 13:10 ET by Noel SheppardMA,
Exactly. And this is why Biden was a VERY bad choice. Sure, he's a streetfighter. Definitely. However, he also has a history of saying things off the cuff. Now that he's the Veep nominee, such things will be scrutinized much more closely.
It seems a metaphysical certitude that Biden is going to say something in the next couple of months that seriously harms his campaign. After all, he's been doing it for decades. ns
"It seems a metaphysical
August 24, 2008 - 13:14 ET by Blazer"It seems a metaphysical certitude that Biden is going to say something
in the next couple of months that seriously harms his campaign."
Yep, and hopefully whoever McCains veep turns out to be he will do whatever it takes to lead him there come the debates, it wont' be hard. Get this guy on the subject of race and it's over. Archie Bunker was more p.c. than Joe Biden.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Get this guy on the subject
August 24, 2008 - 13:27 ET by motherbeltGet this guy on the subject of race and it's over. Archie Bunker was more p.c. than Joe Biden.
Oh boy, is that true!
I can see it now..."I'm not a racist....I'm playing number 2 to a black guy, aren't I??"
lol
August 24, 2008 - 21:54 ET by timrfrench61Oh no!!!!!!!!
I have a sore spot from
August 24, 2008 - 13:26 ET by MidAmericaI have a sore spot from scratching my head trying to figure out the logic of choosing biden. Did everyone else turn it down? At this point I have nothing against biden. If that's who Delaware wants as their Senator, fine, but he's too much like a wacky uncle at a family get-together that makes eveybody cringe because they know somebody is going to be embarrassed by something he just blurts out.
I agree, MA....for a
August 24, 2008 - 16:33 ET by motherbeltI agree, MA....for a campaign that seems to have done everything right, this seems to be a real blunder.
Not only does it throw Obama's message of "new politics" into the dumpster, I have a feeling they are not going to be able to control Biden's mouth, in spite of whatever promises he makes.
Did they not vet this guy's out-of-control mouth and ego? Of course, if Barack Obama had spent some real time in the Senate, he might have seen Biden in action in his native habitat.
Midam and MB - I developed a strong dislike of Biden
August 24, 2008 - 16:43 ET by Dee Bunkwith his disrespectful treatment of Roberts and Alito. They made him look like the fool he is, but that didn't excuse his actions.
Speaking of buildings...
August 24, 2008 - 13:19 ET by acumenHALPERIN: Because the style now, the tone of it, is you can do, you can bring up anything you want.
Cool. It is understandable why McCain would not know how many properties he owns. McCain's assets are seperated from those of his wife for conflict of interest/ethical reasons. If McCain actually knew how many buildings he and his wife owned, then that would be a justified cause for concern among voters.
And now that we have establishment media permission to bring up anything we want; I wonder if Obama knows how many buildings his good friend and confidant Bill Ayers along with Ayers' wife tried to blow up?
" I wonder if Obama knows
August 24, 2008 - 13:21 ET by Blazer"
I wonder if Obama knows how many buildings his good friend and confidant Bill Ayers along with Ayers' wife tried to blow up?"
acumen, that would make an excellent ad for a rebuttal.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
ac....Obama's good friend Ayers
August 24, 2008 - 14:04 ET by BlondeI'd love to see this story grow some legs. Obama is desperately trying to keep Ayers and the full spectrum of their relationship in the closet ("um, I was 8 years old when that happened").
Can Obama survive the Annenberg Coverup?
The truth is that the two men worked closely together for years, beginning several months before that 1995 fundraiser. The fund Obama chaired and which was supposed to improve public education in Chicago never met its stated purpose of improving public school pupils’ performance and, in fact, probably hindered it, despite having blown through $110 million in the process. And as chairman of this group Obama funneled this money to politically useful types including Fidelistas and Maoists who like Ayers (now vice-president elect of the American Education Research Association) are working to make our public schools indoctrination centers for the left .
.....
Will voters who consider education an important issue — and surely that includes many important voter groups for Obama — take kindly to a man who took $110 million of charitable funds which were earmarked for improving public education and squandered it on salaries for men like Weatherman Ayers and Michael Klonsky, the Maoist leader of the Revolutionary Youth Movement which worked with the Weather Underground and who at the time of CAC’s lavish grants to him worked as a cab driver?
Street fighting tactics are probably exactly what we need in this election, since the media are hell bent on protecting Obama's every flaw.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
The One is a Zero
August 24, 2008 - 13:24 ET by KC MulvilleThey have the nerve, like Brazile, to pretend that they have been taking the high road, and that The Noble Barack is too pure to engage in these 'tactics.' Who me? But this conversation started when Obama tried to launch a wave of ridicule at McCain for stumbling over how many houses he has.
And what a clever counterattack it was - they giggled like sophomores in biology class. "He's old. He's out of touch. It was a senior moment. He doesn't appreciate what you're going through." The reality is that they've been at least twice as insulting and condescending as anything McCain has said.
1 = 0. The One is a Zero.
Doesn't matter KC, the
August 24, 2008 - 13:31 ET by motherbeltDoesn't matter KC, the template will always be Obama strikes back.
I can understand McCain not being sure. He probably wasn't sure which houses were in his name, his wife's name, or both names. And God forbid he should get it wrong....they would clobber him with that even worse! It was a lose-lose situation for him.
KC Democrats have no shame and no bounds - ACA
August 24, 2008 - 13:33 ET by acaiguanaFor the past 8 years I have listened to the Democrats in the Senate and House, the representatives of the US government, make such statements as the war is lost; Bush lied; and who have ridiculed our military (Murtha) and its leadership.
For the past 8 years I have listened to the most vile personal attacks on George W. Bush, making fun of his name (dubbya) and making fun of his intellect.
For the past 8 years I have heard Democrats and their Leftist supporters spout the most insane theories about 9/11 (Michael Moore and Moveon.org) including the idea that somehow Bush and company were behind the attack.
For the past 8 years I have heard Democrats and their lap dogs on the Internet call our President a monkey, call him an addict and call him a drunk.
For the past 8 years I have heard Democrats and the rest tell us how Bush has destroyed America's image in the world.
When the Republicans bring up Obama's association with a known and unrepentent terrorist (who somehow is teaching at a University in Chicago - surprise) and a thug now convicted as a felon, it is suddenly....
POLITICS AS USUAL AND A SMEAR CAMPAIGN THAT SHOULD NOT BE PURSUED.
Case made.
ACA
...
Chat Moderator
Quoted from: 'Acaiguana notes from the Underground' (Soon to be at theaters near you)
Serious people
August 24, 2008 - 23:46 ET by KC MulvilleThese are not serious people. They themselves don't pay attention to what they say.
For all of these people there is no high road...
August 24, 2008 - 17:23 ET by ThalpyDonna Brazile suggesting that the Keeting Five has the moral standing of members of the Weather Underground is a joke! Moral equivalency can't raise its ugly head on this one. Obama had Ayres as his mentor, one of the proud founders of the Weathermen, along with his Manson Family groupie wife, Bernardine Dohrn. It's seldom mentioned that Ayres and Dohrn are on the outside because of a technicality, not because of innocence. Brazile said that it's in the past. Really?
I suggest reading articles about them at frontpagemag.com.
Obama and the Media
August 24, 2008 - 13:29 ET by NKurucOkay, now John McCain's number of houses is a campaign issue. Are you kidding me? Is the Obama campaign beginning to believe his plummeting poll numbers. Whos running his campaign....Michael Moore?
Here's my problem with the media, the coverage of the entire Obama candidacy, and the subsequent announcement of Biden as VP nominee.
Since the beginning of Obama's run for POTUS the only original thing has been the fact that he is black and running for President. His message of CHANGE is getting old. Everything that he does is completely orchestrated from his trip overseas to the VP nominee announcement in Springfield, to his acceptance speech at Mile High. Nothing is unique....simply dramatically staged. Like a bad Hollywood movie. Every network plays into his hands, giving him full, and positive coverage. Every liberal pundit goes on all networks and pounds the same thing home....ignoring all questions...with the same message. Change, we don't want 4 more years of Bush, withdraw our troops, the failed economy. No solutions are offered by the pundits or for that matter the candidate. When pushed into a corner, it becomes a racial issue. Cut away the fluff, the "right look", and the non stop rhetoric, and you have another average inexperienced guy running for President. And somehow, every day all of the networks, regular and cable, cover this crap. November is coming, and we'll see just how accurate these polls really are, and if fact the regular voter wants this kind of change. I, for one, believe that this nation is in for a real surprise, and not what the media thinks will happen.
I just read the other day
August 24, 2008 - 13:46 ET by motherbeltI just read the other day (I wish I could find it again, or had saved it!) a column about how whenever people talk about Obama, they tend to talk about the size of the crowd he gathers, the emotion he engenders, the adoration poured out on him.
As for talking about what is so great about his ideas for America...not so much. Ask his supporters what is so great about him and you get he's new, he's fresh, he want's "change" and again, about his ideas, not so much.
Maybe someone else who saw it can come up with the link. It was a real eye-opener and a real look into manufactured candidate running on charisma, not ability.
For Halperin to make a....
August 24, 2008 - 13:45 ET by BEGRUNTstatement like that....you know Obamatron is in BIG trouble. Just wait for Biden to open his big fat mouth, and it's over folks.
"If a man does his best, what else is there"?
General George S. Patton Jr.
Boomerang's
August 24, 2008 - 13:46 ET by 10ksnookerA lefty speciality. Joe Biden catches them in his mouth.
Quick, someone ask Kerry how many houses he owns
August 24, 2008 - 14:05 ET by DaMavThis is a complete BS issue. Are the Dems saying because John McCain is the "man" he should be running the "business" side of the family while his wife brings the money to the table? Sounds pretty stereotypic to me.
The real question we should
August 24, 2008 - 15:19 ET by alamojbThe real question we should be asking of the Obama / Biden ticket about their houses is do they have solar panels on their roofs? If not, why not? since the Democrats claim to be for alternative energy sources.
The real question we should
August 24, 2008 - 15:19 ET by alamojbThe real question we should be asking of the Obama / Biden ticket about their houses is do they have solar panels on their roofs? If not, why not? since the Democrats claim to be for alternative energy sources.
Cokie Roberts got a little
August 24, 2008 - 16:52 ET by GregECokie Roberts got a little bit of a surprise, thinking the whole panel was going to be favoring Obama. Noel didn't print this part in the transcript, but listen closely as Cokie thinks she knows where Halperin is going, but she doesn't....
MARK HALPERIN, TIME MAGAZINE: My hunch is that this is going to end up being one of the worst moments in the entire ca--
COKIE ROBERTS (off camera): Right.
MARK HALPERIN, TIME MAGAZINE: --mpaign for one of the candidates, but it's Barack Obama.
___
Now that's good stuff!
The Economy and George Bush?
August 24, 2008 - 19:57 ET by CobraMan"But Donna, would you rather the election be about Ayers versus Keating or about the economy and George Bush?"
WTF? Are these two discussing Kerry's 2004 campaign or something?
Yo, Democrats, how dumb can you possibly be? BUSH IS NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT! Are you really suggesting that Obama should run as the Anti-George Bush? That’s equivalent to McCain running as the Anti-Bill Clinton. It’s totally irrelevant to election 2008. We Americans are not that stupid, we’ll see right through that ploy and will consider Obama as someone who is out of touch with reality and who is obsessive about past political defeats, as someone who's unable to Move On with his life and treat his candidacy in a serious manner. That's NOT a good image to portray as a presidential candidate, is it?
Obama: My job is above my pay grade
Oh, the hypocrisy of it all
August 24, 2008 - 23:18 ET by ZuccoZoidThe good ol' boys are still running the plantation: how much more can you telegraph to the world that Obama ain't in charge here (Biden, change we can believe in...)
So... owning multiple properties is now a bad thing; wonder how many americans, including democrats, took umbrage at that notion: multi-millionaire dems like Gore, Reid, Pelosi, Rockefeller, Edwards, etc. can amass fortunes - but not yer average citizen, oh no - ONE house for you pleebs, preferably government financed.
As for Biden's loose lips - from 7-11s to a "clean" Barry, it's now a sign of character! I want to see and hear more spin from these characters about why this is no longer "racial insensitivity" - is the MSM ready to drop the PC shackles for all of us, or just for one of the two americas?
McCain's Houses
August 25, 2008 - 05:29 ET by Cool ArrowHey Obama! How many brothers and sisters do you have? is your brother living in a shack in Kenya? Is he "the least of My brethren" you say you care about?
I ♣ my seal