Capitol Hill supporters want Obama to trade ‘kid gloves’ for boxing gloves

Lawmakers supporting Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are urging him to drop the gentleman act and get tougher with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), whose attacks have placed Obama on the defensive and stemmed his momentum.

Obama supporters in Congress say that their candidate should respond with more passion and even anger to Clinton campaign charges. They have suggested he start by pressing Clinton on her refusal to make public tax returns.

{mosads}“There’s no doubt that Sen. Clinton went very negative over the last week,” Obama told reporters Wednesday.

Obama has responded to supporters’ desire to see a more aggressive campaign by pledging to draw sharper contrasts with his rival in the coming weeks.

“He doesn’t lose his cool very often, but some of these things deserve a more passionate response,” said Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), who has endorsed Obama. “Maybe he should show a little anger.”

Yarmuth cited a recent Clinton television ad that questioned Obama’s ability to keep the nation safe in a time of crisis. The ad questioned whether Obama would be able to pick up a phone call in the middle of the night to handle a national security threat.

Yarmuth said Obama could have been more forceful in dismissing the ad as unfair, arguing that Clinton’s premise — that a future president would have to make a split decision on the phone before receiving a briefing from advisers — was unrealistic.

Meanwhile, Clinton supporters have begun to call for a joint Clinton-Obama ticket as a way to end what has become an increasingly divisive primary. Clinton said during a television appearance Wednesday that she was open to such a possibility but that it would depend greatly on who would hold the ticket’s top position.   

 Obama’s camp, however, appears more focused on raising the level of competition.

Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr. (D-Ga.), another supporter, said Obama should make Clinton’s tax returns more of an issue, especially in light of Clinton’s $5 million personal loan to her campaign.

“I personally would have liked to see her pressed more on why she didn’t release her tax returns,” he said. “What does she have to hide?”

Bishop said that Obama has been “very gentlemanly” and has been “handling [Clinton] with kid gloves.”

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, said voters have begun to question whether Obama is aggressive enough to be president.

“People will ask, ‘Is he tough enough? Does he have a glass jaw? Is he aggressive enough to be president?’

“Nice guys truly finish last in politics,” said Sabato.

Nevertheless, Bishop and other supporters acknowledge that Obama has forged a positive campaign style and that it may not be easy for him to attack Clinton without hurting his own campaign.

“To move the ball forward you have to play offense,” said Bishop. “I’m sure he’ll advance his vision for the American people in a positive way.”

Another lawmaker backing Obama, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), said Obama should emphasize questions about why Clinton voted to authorize the Iraq war and how that reflects on her judgment.

Obama seems to have taken his supporters’ concerns to heart. The candidate told reporters Wednesday that he would draw sharper contrasts with Clinton.

“She’s made the argument that she’s thoroughly vetted, in contrast to me,” he said, according to one press report. “I think it’s important to examine that argument. Because if the suggestion is somehow that on issues of ethics or disclosure or transparency that she’s going to have a better record than I have and will be better able to withstand Republican attacks, I think that’s an issue that should be tested.”

Exit polls from Texas showed that 52 percent of Democratic voters believed Clinton attacked Obama unfairly while only 35 percent thought Obama threw below-the-belt punches.

Senior Obama adviser David Axelrod told reporters on a conference call Wednesday that the campaign would begin to press Clinton on making her tax returns public.

Despite the harsh tone of recent days, several lawmakers endorsing Clinton have voiced support for a rapprochement.

“If anyone were to ask me, I would encourage him to run with her and her to run with him,” said Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.).

Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.) also hailed the possibility of a joint ticket.

“I have endorsed Hillary and think she would make a great president but I have great admiration for Obama,” he said, adding it would be a way to solve what many Democrats view as a dangerously divisive primary.

“If I see either one of them, I plan to tell them to cool the rhetoric,” said Cardoza.