Candidate Strategies Differ on Aide Controversies
Thu, 03/13/2008 - 12:10pm
Recently, top advisers for both Democratic candidates resigned over negative statements about the opposition. Last week, Samantha Power, one of Obama's top foreign policy advisers was quoted calling Clinton a "monster." Shortly after, Clinton adviser Geraldine Ferraro fueled racial controversy by suggesting that Obama wouldn't have made it this far if he wasn't a male African American.
Within hours, Power apologized and resigned over her comments. Ferraro also resigned, but was anything but apologetic. In her resignation letter, she said she was stepping down so she could speak freely without damaging Clinton's campaign.
Obama's campaign moved quickly on the "monster" comment, and stayed relatively quiet, though an Obama spokesman said that the candidate disavowed such statements. Clinton waited longer to address Ferraro's comments, but unlike Obama she addressed the issue by personally expressing her regret.
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Keeping It Quiet
By Patrick M McLeod
Thu, 03/13/2008 - 2:47pm
I'd bet my bottom dollar that the Clinton campaign is going to quietly yet strongly encourage Ferraro to keep silent about saying anything else about Obama and how he got to where he is because of race.
It will still be damaging to Hillary's campaign for Ferraro to keep saying these things publicly. You can count on every time she says something along the lines of what she's said that it will be qualified with "Geraldine Ferraro, former Clinton adviser".
Even that kind of connection is something that the Clinton campaign cannot afford.