Obama in N.H.: No planted questions in town halls

Without directly criticizing Hillary Clinton -- he didn't have to -- Barack Obama declared yesterday that his campaign has never and would never use planted questions in its public forums.

Speaking to reporters in Nashua, N.H., the freshman Illinois senator said planting rigged questions among crowd members is “not a practice that we’ve ever engaged in and it’s not a practice that we ever plan to engage in.”

Over the weekend, Clinton staff were forced to admit that they had planted at least one question with a student at a public forum in Newton, Iowa, last week, and they faced questions about another reported attempt earlier in Iowa, in April . To watch a video of the rigged question and Clinton's perfectly formatted response, click here.

On Saturday, former Sen. John Edwards said his campaign does not stage questions and criticized Clinton, saying, "That's what George Bush does."

Obama was asked about it Monday.

“When I go into a town hall meeting," Obama said, "I never know what questions to expect and that’s a good thing because the people of New Hampshire should expect that their candidates are going to hear what’s on the voters’ minds and not what’s been concocted by the candidate’s staff."

Obama said he actually learns more from unexpected questions and has been stumped at times and then goes to learn the answers. Here's a video of his response.

Andrew Malcolm writes for Top of the Ticket, the L.A. Times political blog.

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/

No, it's usually the people who've been TOLD to ask you about global warming...

and it is only natural that her opponents distance themselves from her actions. Good response from Obama.

I have been at his and Edwards events in Iowa. They get some real far out and tough tough questions. Neither weaved or ducked!

Fair and square.

It seems like it would be good thing to be challenged every once in a while.

Barack Obama and Gay Rights in Illinois: Barack Obama supported gay rights during his Illinois Senate tenure. He sponsored legislation in Illinois that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Barack Obama in the United States Senate: Every two years the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay and lesbian organization, issues a scorecard for members of the Senate based on their sponsorship and voting on key issues of importance to gay and lesbian citizens. Barack Obama scored 89 out of 100% in the 2006 scorecard. Here's how HRC rated Barack Obama:
Barack Obama on Hate Crimes: Barack Obama co-sponsored legislation to expand federal hate crimes laws to include crimes perpetrated because of sexual orientation and gender identity.

http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/lesbianactivism/p/BarackObama.htm

Barack Obama placed an "ex-gay" clown as the star of his campaign event after countless warnings, objections and criticisms from LGBT groups. After this clown spewed homophobic filth to a receptive audience, Obama defended this clown and his decision to leave him in the concert.

Now, he calls the "ex-gay" clown a "good, decent" person.

Obama '08: We Need The Votes....By Any Means Necessary

I warmly invite you to point out what in my post was not factual

organization give him 89 out of 100? They do that because of his record and voting history and his action, not just words. If that is no good to you then go to the other candidates if you can do better. Ignore a history of his and pick one thing you don't like, your choosing.
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"Every two years the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay and lesbian organization, issues a scorecard for members of the Senate based on their sponsorship and voting on key issues of importance to gay and lesbian citizens. Barack Obama scored 89 out of 100% in the 2006 scorecard."

I told the truth and you know that, so now you're backtracking and accusing me of "ignoring his record". As if that was the issue at hand. What the hell does his record have to do with him hiring an "ex-gay" bigot clown to headline his event? What does it matter that the HRC gave him high marks previously when the head of the HRC asked him directly to drop this bigot clown from the event?

Bringing up his record on LGBT simply makes his behavior on the whole McClurkin episode puzzling and infuriating. Why would such a stalwart defender of equal rights commit such an egregious insult, not only to gays and lesbians, but Democrats everywhere. And continue to compound that insult by saying we need to "reach out" to bigots?

are making it. It doesn't matter what he does, you have something against him other than your "one" episode.

A hell of a lot has to do with a track record which is why you ignore it & don't care about it and what makes you so upset because you know it.

So much for it, don't care, nothing would matter to you.

What the fuck do you think "OK ignore the record and make up yours" means?

If I were you, I'd be a little more careful about whom I'm accusing of lying. I don't such accusations lightly.


And, for the record, I could care less if Obama tended to the lepers in Calcutta....his choice of an "ex-gay" clown to headline his concert told me all I needed to know about what a craven panderer to bigotry and hate he is.

want them to be and ignore those you want to ignore. So get over it & move on, I don't give a dam as most people do know what he stands for. If that one issue bothers you, you will have a hard time with anyone.

Funny that....

Who needs plants when you have (ex-)fruits headlining your campaign event?

from the voters.

Who would have guessed that?

BTW - Do you suppose Obama stutters sometimes because he doesn't always ahve a rehearsed answer but has to stop and think about what people have asked him?

But the Obama-haters call it "inexperience".

I'll take honest inexperience over expert deceit any day.

Love it :)

Edwards/Obama08 :patriot: