N.Y. Surrogates on the Anti-Anti-Obama Backlash

So what about this notion of a backlash against Obama critics?

Local Obama supporters on a conference call with New York reporters earlier said that they'd count on a backlash for whoever goes negative, but that probing Obama’s legislative record is to be expected.

State Senator Bill Perkins of Harlem said, “the lessons of Iowa is that folks are not interested in negative. Folks are interested in positive, folks are interested in a vision. The concept of change that was voted on included wanting to know what the positive is, how we can move forward. And so I think in South Carolina, the backlash will come against those that go negative. And if any campaign does that, that campaign will suffer. And I’m confident that the negative will not come out of the Obama camp. In fact, quite the opposite. The formula for his extraordinary success in Iowa is the same formula that he’s been speaking on since the campaign began and there’s no reason to change. If it works, don’t fix it.”

Jon Cooper, Suffolk County Legislature Majority Leader, said, “Clearly a debate on Senator Obama’s legislative record is completely appropriate. What I feel is inappropriate are negative, personal attacks. Unfortunately we saw a bit too much of that in the weeks leading up to the Iowa caucuses from some of the opponent’s campaigns. Hopefully that will not be repeated in the days leading up to the New Hampshire primary, but only time will tell.”