Politics

DNC scrambles to deflate Obama video before Daily Caller story published

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
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The Democratic National Committee — armed with the help of dismissive tweets from a variety of journalists — scrambled Tuesday night to attack The Daily Caller for its videos of President Obama’s controversial race comments in 2007 before the story was even published.

Using comments from reporters speculating on TheDC’s report, the Democrats quickly worked to dismiss the story it hadn’t seen yet — which was teased Tuesday afternoon on Sean Hannity’s radio show and on the Drudge Report — by calling it “lame.”

At about 7:30 p.m. ET, the DNC Rapid Response team sent an email to reporters titled “That was Lame,” listing “instant reaction to the latest lame Drudge/Hannity desperation tactics.”

The email merely included tweets from journalists — before the story was published — expressing skepticism and disinterest and the mistaken claim that the video had been published before.

The tweets used by the Democratic National Committee came from reporters at organizations including Politico, BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, New York Magazine and the Atlantic.

The mere prospect that videos of Obama talking about race and his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, would be published had the committee quickly working to kill the story.

In an attempt to link the story to Republican nominee Mitt Romney, the DNC also sent out an old story about Romney saying he would not make Wright a campaign issue.

Before he knew what was in the story, DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse quickly tweeted his disgust:

Here is the full the text of the DNC email:

Please see below the instant reaction to the latest lame Drudge/Hannity desperation tactics.

Sam Stein ‏@samsteinhp
Tucker Carlson actually covered Obama’s quiet riot speech on his old MSNBC showhttp://nbcnews.to/QMthLf

Andrew Kaczynski ‏@BuzzFeedAndrew
This speech was actually covered on Tucker Carlson’s MSNBC show Tucker in 2007 oddly enough.

Sam Stein ‏@samsteinhp
GAMECHANGER – Obama, in Drudge video, says impoverished communities need help regardless of whether or not they’re hit by hurricanes

Nate Silver ‏@fivethirtyeight
The fact that Drudge is trying to make news would weigh against the hypothesis that the polls are tightening.

Sarah Reese Jones ‏@srjones66
HOW YOU CAN TELL THEY ARE LOSING: Fox and Drudge stoop down to Rev Wright again. FYI, this is not working, again.

Jared Keller ‏@jaredbkeller
That’s it? RT @myurow: Here’s the Reverend Wright clip Drudge and Fox are teasing:http://bit.ly/T06uYM

Tim Dickinson ‏@7im I believe this is what they call “grasping at straws”

Ben Smith ‏@BuzzFeedBen
This stuff has all been on YouTube since the last campaign, Obama’s race, religion, pastor known a bit longer

Sam Stein ‏@samsteinhp
nevermind, the part Drudge is teasing about Rev Wright has been on youtube since 2008http://youtu.be/geSRuNtlg24

Stefan Becket ‏@stefanjbecket
That was lame.

Farhad Manjoo ‏@fmanjoo
If Drudge/Hannity really are touting this speech they’re idiots. It’s a fantastic speech. We should be proud a president made this speech.

Garance Franke-Ruta ‏@thegarance
So basically the news in the Hampton Roads video is that Obama is black, opposed the Iraq War, & thought NOLA was neglected after Katrina.

Jason Linkins ‏@dceiver
This is probably just a new dubstep version of the Hampton Roads speech.

Dave Zirin ‏@EdgeofSports
According to the death pornographers at @buzzfeed, the “new Obama video” has been online since 2007. A speech at Hampton.

Michael Winship ‏@MichaelWinship
Extrapolating from Drudge headlines, shocking Obama tape is same as one popped up in 2008 campaign from 2007 Hampton U. convocation. 0 new.

sethdmichaels ‏@sethdmichaels
sooooo, you basically already have to think Obama is bent on revenge for racial grievance for this video to bother you: http://bit.ly/QVPG5E

Jake Sherman ‏@JakeSherman
here’s where conservative critics lashed out against the Obama speech drudge is pimping …. but this was 2007 http://bit.ly/QCo1pX

Walter Shapiro ‏@waltershapiroPD
Since Drudge & Co. believe Rev. Wright is potent GOP weapon, remember: No incumbent president has lost votes over anything pre-White House.

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