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Obama’s Checkers Speech

Posted by ROBERT STEIN in Politics.
Jan 31st, 2008 | Comments

The new politics can take a leaf from the very old tonight at the 21st Democratic debate. Just as Richard Nixon saved his vice-presidential candidacy in 1952 from news of a secret political slush fund, Barack Obama has to explain away Antoin Rezko as an obstacle to his campaign’s momentum.

For weeks now, the darker side of the Clinton machine has been hammering him with accusations about the Chicago slumlord, and the Former First Lady herself invoked the dreaded name during the last debate.

Yesterday there was another drip of Rezko bad news as Obama’s campaign upped the amount of contributions being given to charity to almost $150,000.

Obama’s style precludes maudlin Nixon props like his wife’s cloth coat and the family dog, but he would be well-advised to prepare his own one-minute version of the Checkers speech to unload the Rezko albatross.

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flyerhawk

I just don't see how the Rezko thing really plays particularly if Hillary tries to throw it out. I would think that Obama could respond to those accusations fairly easy. It's not like the Clintons are pure as the driven snow.

elrod

It's important to address it. But now is not the right time as most voters have never heard of it.

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