Obama is buying votes with free Dave Matthews tickets. What ever happened to the days when a bum's vote could be purchased for $5.00?

Ticket giveaway steals Bill Clinton's thunder
By Bill Ruthhart
Posted: April 3, 2008Read Comments(67)Recommend (2)E-mail Print Share Del.icio.us Digg Reddit Yahoo Google A A BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- It was an unexpected showdown of surrogates for Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton here Wednesday, and it sure looked like Obama's representative whipped up the most excitement.

As former President Bill Clinton was extolling his wife's credentials, Obama's campaign office in Bloomington began giving away tickets to Sunday's Dave Matthews concert at Assembly Hall.


Jason Schechtman, 19, Deerfield, Ill., a student at IU, got his tickets about 8 p.m. after waiting more than three hours. He met folks in line who said they'd left the Clinton rally to wait for tickets.

"I was leaning toward Obama, but this sealed the deal for sure," he said. "The Obama campaign announced this right as (Bill Clinton) was about to speak, and it brought everyone from over there to over here."

Still, Clinton persevered. He told Indiana University students they should choose his wife for president not because she's a historic candidate but because the country's future is better off in her hands.

His visit to Bloomington capped off Clinton's third campaign trip to Indiana, where he has made 12 appearances in 11 cities.

On Wednesday, the former president also visited Columbus, Seymour and Bedford.

At IU, he taught a little history to the 6,000 students at Assembly Hall.

Clinton drew a comparison between the race between Sens. Clinton and Obama and the 1968 Democratic primary contest between Robert F. Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy:

"Most of the blue-collar folks that knew they needed a president were for (Kennedy), and most of the university students who wanted a feeling for change were for McCarthy, and they thought he had a purer position on the Vietnam War."

Student Rebecca Waxman, a 21-year-old from St. Louis, said, "There are Obama signs all over campus, but the fact that Hillary's husband and daughter are coming out here makes it clear that they're trying to convince Bloomington."

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As former President Bill Clinton was extolling his wife's credentials, Obama's campaign office in Bloomington began giving away tickets to Sunday's Dave Matthews concert at Assembly Hall.


Jason Schechtman, 19, Deerfield, Ill., a student at IU, got his tickets about 8 p.m. after waiting more than three hours. He met folks in line who said they'd left the Clinton rally to wait for tickets.

"I was leaning toward Obama, but this sealed the deal for sure," he said. "The Obama campaign announced this right as (Bill Clinton) was about to speak, and it brought everyone from over there to over here."ROFL!!

I love it. :)

"I was leaning toward Obama, but this sealed the deal for sure," he said. "The Obama campaign announced this right as (Bill Clinton) was about to speak, and it brought everyone from over there to over here."

I tip my hat to whoever thought of that in the Obama camp. Brilliant.

didn't Dave Mathews empty his tour bus waste tank on a bridge, and onto a boat full of ppl?

i hope this isn't a harbinger of what's to come.


http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0825042_dave_matthews_2.html

As former President Bill Clinton was extolling his wife's credentials, Obama's campaign office in Bloomington began giving away tickets to Sunday's Dave Matthews concert at Assembly Hall.

ROFL!!

I love it.

I'm curious, Sedan.

Does this not seem to you like somewhat of a subversion of the democratic process?!?!

Do you honestly approve of such putrid (smacking of Rightwing subterfuge, as it does) dirty tricks..........?!?!?!

I have a hard time believing, no matter who you support, that you'd applaud such a despicable trick.

It is to me truly beneath ANY politician's dignity --even that of the faction of Reichwing assclowns they're running against-- to pull such an odious stunt..............much less for a person like Barack Obama to stoop so low.

I am saddened that such an intelligent, progressive minded person such as yourself would applaud it.

I'm curious, Sedan.

Does this not seem to you like somewhat of a subversion of the democratic process?!?!

Do you honestly approve of such putrid (smacking of Rightwing subterfuge, as it does) dirty tricks..........?!?!?!

I have a hard time believing, no matter who you support, that you'd applaud such a despicable trick.

It is to me truly beneath ANY politician's dignity --even that of the faction of Reichwing assclowns they're running against-- to pull such an odious stunt..............much less for a person like Barack Obama to stoop so low.

I am saddened that such an intelligent, progressive minded person such as yourself would applaud it.

I'm curious, FT.

How exactly did the Obama camp "trick" people? All they did was offer people a chance to get Dave Matthews tickets.

Do you honestly approve of such putrid (smacking of Rightwing subterfuge, as it does) dirty tricks..........?!?!?!You think this was a dirty trick?!?

Hillary lying about being against NAFTA while simultaneously running ads in Ohio claiming Obama had contacted the Canadians about it (the two lies that probably won Ohio for her) -- now that was a dirty trick. Or Hillary saying "He's not a Muslim ... as far as I know". Are you kidding me? Peeling away at most a few hundred people from a rally pales in comparison. Hell, there is no comparison.

The Obama campaign has taken far too much crap in this campaign for me to not enjoy a good finesse when I see one.

I'm curious, Sedan.

Does this not seem to you like somewhat of a subversion of the democratic process?!?!

Do you honestly approve of such putrid (smacking of Rightwing subterfuge, as it does) dirty tricks..........?!?!?!

I have a hard time believing, no matter who you support, that you'd applaud such a despicable trick.

It is to me truly beneath ANY politician's dignity --even that of the faction of Reichwing assclowns they're running against-- to pull such an odious stunt..............much less for a person like Barack Obama to stoop so low.

I am saddened that such an intelligent, progressive minded person such as yourself would applaud it.
how dare they put on a better show!!!:rant:

I don't blame the Obama camp for offering the tickets but it is a worrisome sign of the shallowness of the younger portion of our electorate when tickets to a concert by a second tier has been determine who someone will vote for.

I don't blame the Obama camp for offering the tickets but it is a worrisome sign of the shallowness of the younger portion of our electorate when tickets to a concert by a second tier has been determine who someone will vote for.
Who says that determines who they'll vote for? I think that most of the young people who got those tickets probably won't end up voting anyways.

Read the article. The guy said that the tickets had determined him to vote for Obama.

I'm curious, FT.

How exactly did the Obama camp "trick" people?

Don't be facetious. You know perfectly well why they offered the tickets. Anyone who'd think the offering of these tickets for this purpose was "okay" must also think it's "okay" for a con artist to dupe people out of their money.

Oh please FT, a con artist analogy? What the hell?

The people had a clear choice to either get a chance to get a Dave Matthews ticket or listen to Pres. Clinton stump for Hillary, and they chose the lesser of two evils.

For someone who talks about how blind and stupid the American public is, and criticize Hillary and Bill, you really seem to be getting bent out of shape when you see hordes of idiot college-age kids preferring a concert to a politician speak.

You think this was a dirty trick?!?

Yes, it was. And -respectfully- I think you know it was.

Hillary lying about being against NAFTA while simultaneously running ads in Ohio claiming Obama had contacted the Canadians about it (the two lies that probably won Ohio for her) -- now that was a dirty trick.

I agree sedan. It was a despicable tactic. But I would look very negatively on her doing it, and I would also look negatively at Obama pulling the 'free Matthews tickets" trick.

Two wrongs do not make a right.

I'd like to see anyone who runs against a Republican leave the lying and the cheating and the rank dishonesty to the scum of the earth on the far Right.............people like Karl Rove.

I agree with Freethinker. It was an effective ploy but it was really beneath someone who aspires to the highest office in the land. It comes far too close to buying votes to leave me comfortable.

I'd like to see anyone who runs against a Republican leave the lying and the cheating and the rank dishonesty to the scum of the earth on the far Right.............people like Karl Rove.I don't see offering the tickets as being, in any way, 'lying' or 'cheating' or being 'rankly dishonest'. Bill Clinton is stumping for his wife. Dave Matthews is doing the same for Obama. They are both in competition for the attention of the same audience. They are each free to attract that audience in their own ways. There's nothing 'Rovian' about it -- it's plain politics.

One difference between you and I is that I don't complain about the 2000 and 2004 elections being 'stolen'. In both cases the Democrats had great opportunities to win but were out-spent, out-organized and out-hustled by the Republicans. Yes, the Republicans shamefully manipulated the system but in politics that's not an acceptable excuse for losing.

Now, regardless of who the Democratic nominee is that's not going to happen this time around. But if it's Obama you can look forward to some deft politicking indeed. Look at the way he has manipulated the caucus system to squeeze out his delegate lead. Look at the way he raises money -- huge numbers of people giving modest donations. Look at the way his campaign has run circles around the Clintons at the grass-roots level. What's more, you can be certain he won't passively take being swiftboated the way Kerry did. I don't think very many people realize yet how skilled a politician he really is (the Clintons are only just now beginning to figure that part out for themselves). And it's going to take a highly-skilled politician to beat the Republicans in November. I see this story as just one small example of the heads-up kind of campaign the Democrats will need. That's why I said "I love it".