FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 22, 2008

 

South Carolina Truth Squad Formed to Respond to Counter Clinton Attacks

 

COLUMBIA – In a conference call with Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, former South Carolina Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum, and South Carolina state Representative Bakari Sellers, the Obama campaign today announced the creation of a South Carolina Truth Squad to respond to misleading negative attacks from the Clinton campaign.

 

“We’re creating a South Carolina Truth Squad today to respond to a series of misleading attacks from the Clinton campaign,” Senator Daschle said. “South Carolinians and voters across the country want an honest debate about the issues, and they’re tired of a discussion dominated by misleading half quotes and distortions. We’re here to be vigilant and set the record straight.”

 

In addition, Truth Squad member Dick Harpootlian responded to President Bill Clinton’s false accusation that his wife and Senator Obama have the same record on Iraq – even though Obama is the only candidate in the race who showed the courage and judgment to oppose the war before it started.

 

“This morning, Bill Clinton continued his Washington, DC-style attacks against Barack Obama when he claimed there’s ‘not a dime’s worth of difference’ between Hillary Clinton and Obama on Iraq,” said Harpootlian.  “As Hillary Clinton herself said last night, the record and the truth matter. The truth is, Senator Clinton cannot divorce her record of voting for the War in Iraq in 2002 from her Iraq policy today.  To say there is not a dime’s worth of difference simply does not square with the record or the truth.”

 

On the conference call, Tenenbaum and Sellers said that the issues facing South Carolina families were too important to be obstructed by false, negative attacks from the Clinton campaign and urged South Carolinians to report any evidence of negative attacks to a telephone hotline established by the campaign.

 

“We want this debate to be honest,” Tenenbaum said. “South Carolina faces a lot of great challenges, from education to the economy, and political dirty tricks bring down the level of the conversation and takes away from the issues. We want an honest and healthy debate, which is why we’re going to work to set the record straight here in South Carolina.”

 

“We’re going to be prepared vigilant, but we’re going to need help from supporters across South Carolina,” Sellers said. “If you hear of any misleading, dirty politics, please call 877-622-6229 and report it to the campaign.”

 

The members of the South Carolina Truth Squad include:

 

Former SC Governor Jim Hodges

2006 Democratic U.S. Senate Nominee Inez Tenenbaum

Former SC Democratic Party Chair Joe Erwin

Former SC Democratic Party Chair Dick Harpootlian

State Representative Bakari Sellers

State Representative Todd Rutherford

Former Democratic Attorney General Nominee Steve Benjamin

Greenville City Councilwoman Michelle Shain

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 Contact:          Kevin Griffis                                                     Amaya Smith

803-255-8008, ext. 234           or                     ext. 272 or

803-727-0825                                                 803-873-1478

 

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