OBAMA CHANGES TUNE ON UNION

Obama Accepts Endorsement From Labor Union He Attacked As "Shadowy," "Negative ... Deceptive ... Special Interests" Just Weeks Ago ______________________________________________________________________

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Endorsed Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign:

Today, "Sen. Barack Obama Won The Support ... Of The 1.9-Million Member Service Employees International Union..." (Jesse J. Holland, "SEIU Endorses Obama," The Associated Press, 2/15/08)

"SEIU Will Mobilize Thousands To Go Door-To-Door, Work The Phones, And Will Send Mail About Their Support For Obama." "SEIU members are supporting Obama with an aggressive political effort. With more than 150,000 members in the upcoming primary states, including Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas, SEIU will mobilize thousands to go door-to-door, work the phones, and will send mail about their support for Obama. SEIU also will have a substantial presence on television and radio in every critical state." (Service Employees International Union, "SEIU Members Endorse Sen. Barack Obama," Press Release, 2/15/08)

But Several Weeks Ago, Obama Attacked SEIU For Campaign Activity As Among "Shadowy, Washington-Based Organizations" And "Special Interests":

Leading Up To The Iowa Democratic Primary Caucuses, Obama Attacked SEIU-Backed Ads Supporting Former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) As "Negative And Even Deceptive ... Paid For By Huge, Unregulated Contributions From Special Interests." Obama: "Right now groups supporting Hillary Clinton and John Edwards are flooding Iowa and the other early states with millions of dollars in paid ads, phone calls, and mailings. Some of it is negative and even deceptive, and a lot of it is paid for by huge, unregulated contributions from special interests. Taking on these groups isn't just a matter of setting the record straight about me or my positions. It's about proving that a new kind of campaign - funded by ordinary people who want something better for all of us - can defeat the same tired, old politi cal textbook that so many Americans just don't trust anymore. ... For John Edwards ... Alliance for a New America (SEIU): $760,801.00." (Mark Halperin, "Memo From Obama Campaign," Time's "The Page" Blog, thepage.time.com, 12/20/07)

"A Powerpoint Presentation Released By The Campaign This Morning Includes A Slide Titled 'Special Interest Spending On Behalf Of Edwards And Clinton,' Along With An Itemized Accounting Of What The Unions Have Spent." (Matt Bai, "Whose Interests Are Special?" The New York Times' "The Caucus" Blog, thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com, 12/31/07)

Obama Campaign Attacked SEIU As Among "Shadowy, Washington-Based Organizations..." "Obama campaign manager David Plouffe has called such groups 'shadowy, Washington-based organizations.'" (Jim Morrill, "Iowa Win Would Bring Edwards Big Bucks," The [Raleigh] News & Observer, 1/3/08)

Media Noted Obama's Attacks On SEIU And Even Wondered "If Making This Argument ... Could Haunt Him Later":

"Before The Iowa Caucuses, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, Repeatedly Disparaged The Independent 527 Groups Backing Former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC, And Running Ads On Edwards' Behalf -- The Most Prominent Of Which Was Largely Funded By State Chapters Of The Service Employees International Union, Which Tonight Announced It Is Backing Obama." (Jake Tapper, "Obama Wins Endorsement Of Union He Once Slammed," ABC News' "Political Punch" Blog, blogs.abcnews.com, 2/14/08)

"As For Mr. Obama, You Have To Wonder If Making This Argument, Right Or Wrong, Could Haunt Him Later..." (Matt Bai, "Whose Interests Are Special?" The New York Times' "The Caucus" Blog, thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com, 12/31/07)
A Product Of The RNC Research Department

THE TRANSPARENT CANDIDATE?

Obama Praises Transparency In Government, But Refuses To Let Others See His Own Records
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On The Campaign Trail, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) Has Championed His Work To Create More Transparency In The Earmarking Process:

While Running For President, Obama Has Repeatedly Mentioned His Work On "Opening Up And Creating More Transparency In Government." "On the campaign trail, Obama has specifically mentioned his ability to work across the aisle 'on opening up and creating more transparency in government,' so that all government spending is 'posted on a searchable database.'" (Paul Kane, "Candidates' Earmarks Worth Millions," The Washington Post, 2/14/08)

"Obama's Criticism Of Washington's Insider Culture Is A Linchpin Of His Campaign..." (Paul Kane, "Candidates' Earmarks Worth Millions," The Washington Post, 2/14/08)

But Obama Refuses To Disclose The Earmarks He Sought Before He Was Running For President:

Obama Has Refused To Disclose His Earmark Requests For 2005 And 2006. "Since last year, he has publicly released the letters he submits to the Appropriations Committee seeking support for the spending items, but has not released those submitted to the committee in 2005 and 2006." (Paul Kane, "Candidates' Earmarks Worth Millions," The Washington Post, 2/14/08)

In 2007, Obama Secured Over $91 Million In Earmarked Funds. "He secured $3.3 million in earmarks through his own sponsorship, and collected $88 million in concert with other Illinois lawmakers." (Paul Kane, "Candidates' Earmarks Worth Millions," The Washington Post, 2/14/08)

And He Requested More Than $300 Million In Earmarks. "Obama's more than $300 million in earmark requests range from $33 million made along with other senators for a nationwide project to promote civics among students to $125,000 to add turn lanes and traffic lights at an intersection in rural Oregon, Ill." (Nedra Pickler, "Obama Details His Requests For Pet Projects, Says Other Candidates Should Do So," The Associated Press, 6/21/07)

Obama's Lack Of Disclosure May Be Due To His Poor Record On Pork Barrel Spending And Government Waste:

The Club For Growth Gave Obama A Score Of 33 Percent For His Votes Against Anti-Pork Amendments. "[T]he Club for Growth released its 2007 Senate RePORK Card, compiling a scorecard of all senators' votes on fifteen anti-pork amendments throughout 2007. ... Obama (D-IL) Score: 33% Ratio: 2/6." (Club For Growth, "The Club's 2007 Senate RePORK Card," http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2007/11/the_clubs_2007_senate_repork_c.php, 11/5/07)

Citizens Against Government Waste Gave Obama A Lifetime Rating Of 22 Out Of 100. (Citizens Against Government Waste, "CCAGW Challenges Presidential Candidates On Earmarks," Press Release, 12/27/07)

FLASHBACK: Obama Also Refused To Disclose Records Related To His "Obscure" Investments:

"[L]ast Year There Were Questions About The Blind Trust Obama Set Up And How Transparent He Was About How His Finances Were Handled." (Jake Tapper, "Mr. Transparency?" ABC News' "Political Punch" Blog, blogs.abcnews.com, 2/12/08)

Obama Has Not Disclosed The Name Of His Stock Broker Who Recommended Two "Obscure" Investments. "Obama has not disclosed the name of the UBS broker, and thus it hasn't been explained why the broker recommended these two investments in what some deem obscure companies...with ties to Obama donors." (Jake Tapper, "Mr. Transparency?" ABC News' "Political Punch" Blog, blogs.abcnews.com, 2/12/08)

Obama Also Failed To Produce A Shareholder Letter That Alerted Him To The Questionable Status Of His Blind Trust. "Moreover, it's unclear what shareholder notification letter Obama was talking about when he first told this story last year. ... So it's still quite unclear how he learned the trust wasn't truly blind." (Jake Tapper, "Mr. Transparency?" ABC News' "Political Punch" Blog, blogs.abcnews.com, 2/12/08)

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They Said It! Obama Chief Strategist David Axelrod On Clinton Library Lockdown

Axelrod: "[I] think transparency is going to be an issue. I'm sure there's going to be eagerness to pore over these records of her White House years that so far have not been disgorged by the Clinton library, and other such questions." ("David Axelrod On How Barack Obama Can Defeat Hillary Clinton," National Journal, 2/8/08)

FLASHBACK: "An Obama spokesman, Ben Labolt, last week declined to say where Obama's records from his years in the Illinois State Senate are located. ...The records from Obama's office - if he kept them - would potentially show appointments with lobbyists, policy memos, meetings, etc." (Lynn Sweet, "Living In A Glass House," Chicago Sun-Times, 11/5/07)



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They Said It! Barack Obama's Back And Forth On Superdelegates: Country Vs. District

Obama: "My strong belief is that if we end up with
the most states and the most pledged delegates from the most voters in the
country, that it would be problematic for the political insiders to overturn the
judgment of the voters."

(Maria Gavrilovic, "Obama Says Superdelegates Should Back Candidate With Most Pledged Delegates," CBS News' "From The Road" Blog, www.cbsnews.com, 2/8/08)

FLASHBACK TO TWO DAYS AGO: Obama: "I think that those super delegates who are elected officials, party insiders, would have to think long and hard about how they approach the nomination, when the people they claim to represent have said, 'Obama's our guy.'" (Sen. Barack Obama, News Conference, 2/6/08)

New York Post: "The Message: If You're An Elected Member Of Congress, And Your District Backs Obama, Casting A Vote For Hillary Rodham Clinton Could Be Bad For Your Political Career." (Geoff Earle, "Obama Issues 'Super' Threat To Top Dems," New York Post, 2/7/08)