Uh oh …:
DETROIT (AP) - Democrats John Edwards and Hillary Rodham Clinton consider themselves among the top presidential candidates.
They were caught by Fox News microphones discussing their desire to limit future joint appearances to exclude some lower rivals after a forum in Detroit Thursday.
Edwards says, “We should try to have a more serious and a smaller group.”
Clinton agrees, saying, “We’ve got to cut the number” and “they’re not serious.” She also says that she thought their campaigns had already tried to limit the debates and say, “We’ve gotta get back to it.”
Here’s how they tried to weasel out of their comments:
In New Hampshire, Clinton seemed to lay responsibility on Edwards.
“I think he has some ideas about what he’d like to do,” she said, adding she liked participating in the forums.
For his part, Edwards told reporters in Iowa that he wasn’t in favor of barring anyone from future gatherings. Rather, he said he wanted to see them separated into two groups of four each, chosen randomly.
“The result would be that we would have a much more serious discussion and people would actually be able to see what the differences are between us,” he said.
Isn’t it typical for Hillary to blame this on someone else, even though she was clearly an equal participant in the discussion, as this video shows:
Candidate Dennis Kucinich, who presumably is one of the “unserious” candidates, is outraged:
An angry Dennis Kucinich lashed out at John Edwards on Friday, saying his Democratic rival showed “a consistent lack of integrity” by suggesting fewer candidates should participate in presidential forums and then trying to explain his remark to reporters.
“This is a serious matter and I’m calling him on it,” Kucinich, an Ohio congressman, said in a telephone interview Friday. “Whispering, trying to rig an election, then denying what’s going on and making excuses. It all reflects a consistent lack of integrity.”
[...]
Kucinich called Edwards’ explanation “disturbing” and said he planned to contact Edwards and Clinton immediately to demand an apology.
“I accept their offer to participate in a debate with just the two of them,” Kucinich said. “John should be happy with this, since he wants a small group.”
LOL. Say what you want about Dennis Kucinich, but he doesn’t back down at all.
I find this mildly humorous rather than outrageous - I’m not outraged because at some point clearly the candidates will have to be pared down to top four or five so they can have more time to explain their views (and I’m not just talking about the Democrats, either), so the desire to want to narrow down the field to the front runners is understandable, although I think that now is too soon to start narrowing down the debates to just a few candidates. What’s funny about this is that Clinton and Edwards, amongst many other prominent Democrats, have complained for years that the President and the Republican party in general likes to “shut down” or “squash” debate so that opposing views can’t be heard - they both claim to be staunch advocates of ‘letting all voices be heard’ (so they say, anyway), yet here they are whispering back and forth about wanting to narrow the field down to the ’serious candidates’ by shutting out Kucinich and Gravel and possibly one or two others - in effect, silencing them.
As a side note, I think it’s a hoot that it was Fox News microphones that caught Hillary and Edwards’ little impromptu meeting of the minds, considering that it’s Fox News that both of them (among other candidates) have demonized as ‘unfair’ and ‘not a serious network’ and as a result backed out of two scheduled Dem presidential candidates that are both sponsored, in part, by Fox News.
Sweet.
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But this is so unfair on the Dems. Now if it was a GOP it would be fair.
Comment by stackja @ 7/13/2007 - 10:54 pm
This just shows that oak tree ankles and breck girl thin theier s#@t don’t stink and they are oh so much better than everyone else.
Couldn’t happen to two more better jerk wads.
Comment by Drewsmom @ 7/14/2007 - 5:39 am
How typical of these two slithering snakes.
Comment by Tango @ 7/14/2007 - 11:15 am
The fuuny part was Hillary. Everyone saw the tape, but she pointed the finger at Edwards. That was classic.
Comment by G Monster @ 7/14/2007 - 1:38 pm
Yes, it is a hoot. And no, I don’t take it all that seriously. There has been political maneuvering(s) going on in smoke filled rooms/behind closed doors since Machiavelli was in three cornered pants. This is nothing new, other then it was caught on tape. Should the smaller fish be squawking? Of course, wouldn’t expect otherwise. Is this kind of positioning/posturing unique to the Dems? Again, of course not.
Other then it shows Her Thighness and the Breckgirl to be more then a little sloppy in conducting their business in private. What do we expect. The sharks are starting to circle (a bit early to be sure) … it’s gonna be a fun summer!
Comment by Guy S. @ 7/14/2007 - 3:36 pm
Maybe in the general election in November 2008 she will ask that the candidates be limited to one, her. Where else does this happen? Cuba, Venezuela, Iraq during Saddam, and just about any other dictatorship around the world. Enough said.
Comment by Splendiferous @ 7/14/2007 - 3:41 pm
One thing about Koocinich is that he has had the courage to face the big bad FOX news. I have seen him on FOX a couple of times. Shrillery and the Breck Girl are too afraid to actually be asked some hard questions from the “partisan” FOX reporters. ROFLMAO
Comment by arcman @ 7/14/2007 - 6:14 pm
Did you see this one?
Dodd Rips Clinton, Edwards for remarks
LINK
Comment by Ali @ 7/16/2007 - 2:42 am
Hillary’s not alone in deflecting criticism. Some of her supporters are just as bad. Case in point:
LINK
Comment by Fred @ 7/16/2007 - 7:30 pm
That clip puts Hilary’s “Sopranos” spoof ad in a whole new light.
Comment by Fred @ 7/16/2007 - 7:33 pm
As arcman pointed out, at least Kucinich has the cojones to go on Fox News. I believe Joe Biden has gone on Fox News also.
I don’t agree with alot of what Biden and Kucinich have to say, but, they definitely get brownie points for debating thier views in a real debate.
Comment by G Monster @ 7/16/2007 - 8:39 pm