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Subscribe to RSSFormer President Bill Clinton is joining forces again with President Barak Obama and holding a series of New York fundraisers. Politico's Roger Simon discusses.
NEW YORK - After earning headlines for becoming the latest Democrat to speak positively of Mitt Romney's history in the private sector, Bill Clinton made clear exactly whose side he's on when he hit the Big Apple on Monday for three joint fundraising appearances with President Barack Obama.
Electing the Republican nominee would be "calamitous for our country and the world" Clinton said at a reception in private home where tickets went for $40,000. And at the New Amsterdam Theatre near Times Square, he said: "I don't think it's important to re-elect the president, I think it's essential to re-elect the president."
The trip came less than a week after Clinton drew headlines for becoming the most prominent Democrat to undercut the president's attacks against Romney for his time at Bain Capital. In an interview on CNN last Thursday, the former president said Romney "had a sterling business career" and described his time as an executive at a private equity firm as "good work."
And while Clinton did not walk back any of his earlier remarks, he found plenty of other ways to build a case against the former Massachusetts governor.
"They tell you how terrible this health care bill is," Clinton said of Republicans. "It's hard for them, since Gov. Romney's finest act as governor was to sign a bill with an individual mandate in it, which he has now renounced."
Clinton introduced the president at all three appearances here. Obama asked for his donors support in what he acknowledged will be a tight race, all the while maintaining that he stands for the same issues he did during his 2008 run.
"The only reason that this is going to be a close election is because people are still hurting," the president said at the theatre.
But it is a slip of the tongue at the last event that may garner the most attention from the day trip. "We are not going back to a set of politics that say you're on you're own. And that's essentially the theory of the other side. You know, George Romney," Obama said, referring to the Republican nominee's father before quickly correcting himself.
Both Romney and Obama have been working furiously to raise cash in an election that will have plenty of money influencing it aside from what the candidates rake in. Speaking before the crowd that paid at least $250 to hear a concert and two presidents, Obama addressed the role outside groups will play in this year's election.
"Sometimes when thing are tough, you just say, well you know what, I'll just keep trying something until something works. And that's compounded by $500 million in Super PAC negative ads that are going to be run over the course of the next five months," he said. "And they'll try to feed on those fears and those anxieties and that frustrations. That's basically the argument the other side is making. They're not offering anything new, they're just saying 'Things are tough right now and it's Obama's fault.' That pretty much sums it up. There's no vision for the future there."
Still, any drop in enthusiasm from his base was hard to decipher.
"I still believe in you," Obama said to the theatre crowd that interrupted him multiple times with standing ovations. "I hope you still believe in me...when people ask you what this campaign is about, tell them it's still about hope, it's still about change."
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George Bush and Cheney should be indicted and impeached for lying to the American people about WMD! Then going to war over their lies! Scum of the earth! Yet they have their scum of the earth followers nice! So complain all you want people NOTHING will get done except the further destruction of our once noble country! Thank you repugnants for showing once again you are scum! Their montra of "Austerity" is really working in Europe they are walking talking oxymoron; they don't know what the truth is! They just want to destroy and line their pockets with our money, sweat and tears! What will they do when they no longer have the middle class to bail their sorry as#@!! out.
A true story from an unidentified source in the memoirs of Rush Oxycontin Lintball:
Mitt the Mexican Manchurian Candidate Romney and Dick Darth Vader Cheney were out hunting in the woods when they happened upon two beautiful women
They asked the women if they'd like to "fool around"
The women replied, "We're game!"
So Cheney shot them, and both "men" fainted from the sight of blood
When Cheney came to, the police had arrived and began interviewing him but Mitt was nowhere in sight except for a pile of his clothes
Cheney screamed, "What the hell happened and where is Mitt?"
The police replied, "When you scare the crap out of a Mormon, there's not much left!"
Poor Mitt....he will be scarred for life
LMAO! So Cheney took over and told the police a huge lie that the two women were hiding WMD in their pants and he had to kill them................the police didn't buy the bull and a law abiding citizen who lived near by came and shot Cheney dead,stating he felt threatened by him and all was well again! THE END!
Super Bon
Touche!
One can only hope
Amen to that Unforgiven3578588!
It's about time Clinton decided which side he's on!
AMEN sista!
A Romney Presidency would be "Government of the 1%ers, by the 1%ers, for the 1%ers, and the Other 99% of Us can "DROP DEAD" - as President Ford famously told NYC back in the '70s !!!
So Obama's $40,000 a plate fund raisers are part of the 99%. Right. It's all the same
Hey can't beat them join them and then beat them at their own game! LMAO! Poor babies!
Just don't tell me you care about the plight of the American people and lie to my face. He should just admit he has a golden spoon, get over it.
Getting a BJ in the oval office, finding new uses for cigars and committing perjury also fall into that category. Oh, wait...he is a lib, so thats all ok......
THIS IS WHAT HYPOCRISY LOOKS LIKE.....LOL
Really who care if we went to war over a big fat lie that there were WMD and killed so many of our young men and women......oh wait he is a repugnant so that's OK.....
Right back at ya MORON!
Killing our soldiers over lies like WMD is so much better!
How much did the democrats actually spend on the whole BJ thing? That's right, nothing. Now the party of "Small Government" republicans spent plenty of our tax dollars on this matter. How much did the republicans spend on those two wars? Oh, that's right, they never were funded so the answer their answer would be nothing right? Come on RobDebo89, how about we get our priorities straightened out just a tad bit here.
Seeing as we were holding the receipts for said WMD's I think there may have been good cause to believe that they were there.....at least at one point and time! And I think it was warranted to make sure they didn't still have em, I am also believe that we were at that point and time not going to find any... and it was poor timing... but really... could we afford not to make sure they were not there. Look at the boiling pot going on in that portion of the world right now, and then throw in a batch of possible WMD's... Nuff said....and yes I did serve more than one tour in Iraq.... what the hell have you done! That's right... you just collect your Obama money and live and let live. Don't get it twisted that I endorse either of the bumbling idiots in office or the one that the MSM is cramming down our throats that is running for office, cause I DON'T. Fact is, both of those guys are worthless, and I hope that we will soon find a solution. I am sick of voting for the lesser of two evils. I don't endorse all that Dr. Paul is about either, he is an old man and probably couldn't make it through the term if he did win it... but... I would rather vote for him than either of the others. At least he don't flip flop everyday..and at least he is sincere in what he says and will stand by it even if it means standing alone. And unlike Mittens he has a plan....and unlike Obama... he don't just say its someone else's fault. He says it's our fault, and includes himself in that statement. We have let this way out of control and it is time for a change. Most of his wacky ideas that he has, have no hope of making it through to law, so they don't scare me either. The ones that do make it....will in fact be very good for ALL AMERICANS! I believe he is the best choice for this fall. And besides....with the silent delegates that he is collecting, and they are adding up fast... neither of the others can afford to discount him, because he continues to have a huge following, and is taking over most of the leadership positions in the Republican party. They will have a hard time getting anything done without the backing of his following. We may have 4 more years of pure hell with either the incumbent...or god forbid, Mittens. But come 2016 there will an entire new set of leadership to deal with....and they are all for the Liberty movement that is sweeping the voters of tomorrow of their feet. Get used to it... it can not be stopped now!
JustanotherVeteran, thanks so much for your service. I did mine, gathered up parts of dead marines in Beruit. You remember that day right? I'll never forget it... Thanks for playing.
Bill we already have a calamitous dumb twit in power! In fact, we have the first gay Jane in the White House. Such crude remarks of yours keeps you from missing an opportunity to shed light on the loser in the oval office while helping your toad wife. No one not even you Billy boy has failed as much as Barack Hussein Obama. Not even the clown prince of foreign policy gaffers such as Jimmy Carter have ever measured as low as the bungler in chief we all have to endure. Oh sweet November where are you?
LMAO! Crazy alert! Crazies are out! Coo koo! What faux news not spewing enough lies and hate for you today buddy LMAO!!!!
...I'll take calamitous Romney to pathetically clueless Obummer.....any day......
of course you will, because that is what your told to do! Be a good boy now and go back to faux news LMAO!
....and you be a good dog and go sleep in the corner where you belong, Fido......
Fundamentalist Christians are not going to vote for a cultist who believes in millions of gods and thinks he will be god of his own planet when he dies. A Hindu priest would have a better chance of being elected. This is a man who believes American Indians are Jews in spite of DNA evidence proving they are not. Yes I think a man who believes that black people were sentenced by the god of this planet to be slaves in this life, and the next, because they wouldn't fight in god's war with Jesus' brother satan, would make a calamitous president. More importantly I think the Mormon prophet would make a horrible president, and that is who the real president WILL be if Mitt gets elected. Of course the real clincher will be his insane pick for a running mate. I expect someone more embarrassing than Palin. He will probably pick Santorum (Palin with a whang). The Lunatics are now in charge of the Republicon party, and insanity is always self-defeating. Enjoy oblivion this fall!!!!
John Rational great post!!!!!!!!
Bill Clinton, when he mentioned Romneys accumulation of wealth (business acumen), failed to relate how Romney's PREDATORY financial success was orchestrated.
Lets say we take over a going business that has valuable assetts, we sell those assetts and pay ourself a dividend equivalent to the value of those assetts which we deposit in our personal account offshore , then we look at the balance sheet and determine that we could borrow a great deal of money based on our balance sheet and we do borrow, now we have provided the business quasi valuable business guidance (consulting) so we take the lions share of the borrowed funds as a fee for the quasi consulting which we then take that fee and deposit it in our personal offshore account.
Now the business has an astronomical debt burden to pay from revenue and no additional assetts that could be sold to pay down debt.
But we have a ton of money in our offshore account that is doing nothing for anyone but me.
What we have effectively done is impair the business's viability to exist, while extracting CAPITAL FROM THE USA ECONOMY! That is ANTI CAPITALISM, ANTI AMERICAN, even a vulture contributes something of value to the environment, not so with a PREDATOR!
Great post! So true! The crazies can't think for themselves so probably lost on them, but the people who thin for themselves know you speak the truth!
Bill Collins... "first gay Jane in the White House" So what's your problem here?
"Such crude emarks of yours..." Of "YOURS"? There's one for the pot and kettle list.
B.A. Jackson needs to come down from her caffeine (or whatever) high!! Since he is a member of 'The Presidents Club' (great read btw) Billy boy is only doing what is required of him. He spoke the truth when he was complimentary (maybe even envious) of Mr. Romney's business backround. Neither Bill or 'The Amateur' President O'Bama had any business experience before becomming president and probably couldn't understand a spreadsheet or other financial statements if they tried. Let's see their college transcripts. Did they take any financial business courses in college? Probably not. Our government needs to be fiscally more responsible, which the current administration has no clue where to start to make that happen.
Please! Venture Capitalist DO NOT CREATE Jobs! Prove otherwise moron! Romney couldn't even create jobs in Mass! YOU GOT NOTHING!
Bill Collins post brings to mind an old saying "the lady doth protest to much" meaning bill may not be out of the closet yet. Poor Bill.
Skyrocketing gas prices, escalated unemployment rates, higher health care costs, downward spiraling home values. That is what the hopeless change of the last four years has brought us. FYI Billy, that is calamitous!
Apparently you are as ignorant as your posts! Everyone with any intelligents knows the pres has nothing to do with gas prices moron! Unemployment is better than when Obama took office and home values are also getting better. Now of course we all want it to continue to move FORWARD. I am just amazed at how with all the obstructionism by congress/repugnants that we are still managing to move slowly forward. It must be eating the repugnants alive that the USA has not failed completely like they want.
tapdao,
President a) has nothing to do with gas prices and b) the rise in healthcare costs have nothing to do with his newly enacted healthcare plan because most of it hasn't even been implemented and healthcare costs rise every year regardless. The other two are debatable.
Super Bon,
Stupid is as stupid does. Ever hear of the Keystone pipeline? Got your unemployment check lately? "Everyone with any intelligents" knows that when a President says "fuel prices will necessarily skyrocket" and then they do, he damn well had something to do with it. BTW look up the correct spelling for intelligence!
Silly sad sheeple, you haven't seen anything yet if Willard get in, I see a civil war the like no one has seen.
J
This country has been involved in a Cold Civil War since 1865
The victorious North made a terrible mistake by not eliminating as many of the defeated Southern traitors as possible
Thus, far too many of the Southern traitors were allowed to basically go home and metastasize like a cancer to this day
The $10,000 question is not whether there will be another Civil War in this country but rather what will be its catalyst
Vipp, I'd remove the housing crisis to that omission since that issue was projected to continue to flush out over years by just about everyone.
I think the velocity of improvement in the unemployment rate is where the debate lies. Should the number be at a different place? I don't know. Who's fault is it? Another area of debate...
Bill Clinton is right, and the GOP really screwed up the entire presidential candidate nomination process.
So,
The GOP nomination has been won by a perfect nobody in the sense of not being able to govern this country, HBS or not -- big liar Mitt Romney who has spent his life in the real economy and not in DCA. In 2002, to be Governor of Mass., he offered less government, less debt, better business, less tax, but the result was more fees, less business, more debt, and bigger inefficient state government. He just did not get the job done, as his dubious accomplishments, to be president, attest to. He is already crippled and weakened physically and morally by his riches. He bears no similarity whatsoever to the average American and is therefore not likeable by a vast majority of the country.
This group of weirdo misfits called GOP presidential candidates, in reality, could not even shine Obama's shoes. They only involved themselves in petty personal politics.
However, the GOP has a right to be in total chaos and fractured!
Romney with real world applications, HBS – less than 15% effective rate taxpayer, instead of 30%; off shores’ money manager man, Swiss banks and Cayman bank accounts, instead of putting the money in US banks; domestic job destroyer that buys companies for profit and then dissolves them, firing everyone in sight, instead of using his business background to turn around these companies´ economy and boost job creation; immigrant hater; not concerned about the poor, 47 million Americans; his economic plan is just a list of good intentions with no ideological base; posthumous Jewish baptizer; and, too filthy rich to be president -- and Gingrich – a serial libertarian cheat, sex maniac at best, while pursuing dreams of living in a moon colony with his ladies; fined for tax evasion and writing fraudulent checks -- are fellows running for the presidency that really, in the final analysis, don´t respect anybody in the good old USA. People don´t matter to them, only money matters! They take orders from their churches (especially the Mormon slime machine, HBS?), their financial backers, their women, and their money, and that´s all folks. Romney, the finalist, is not worth it!
Meanwhile, Santorum is an ex lobbyist that has made millions while in DCA, and many feel that the mafia would resuscitate if he made it to the White House. This guy is a suck-up who panders and postures to whomever he thinks will give him the vote. Another warmonger who just wants to defeat Obama -- never mind he has absolutely no plan or vision. Just more of the same -- more debt, cut domestic programs, especially college education for he doesn’t believe in it, but NEVER the military. He knows where his bread is buttered. Cut military spending and you cut your own throat.
Ron Paul is too conservative, constitutionalist, and libertarian for anybody´s liking.
The GOP has managed to set loose in the election scene of the country four stooges, and weirdo misfits, Banana republic style, that are not convenient for the presidency of the USA. And, by far, Mitt Romney is the worst of the four.
I would rather stick it out with Obama for the next four years. His economic management has been a great success.
Hey German - Your comments about Romney and record are crap! In comparison to Obama's record ( or lack of an acceptable one) Romney keeping the overwhelming liberal state of Mass from a path of destruction and financial Armageddon like California is a feat in itself!
Your guy Obama has no chance if people pay attention to his record vs. all the promises he continues to make. Socialism doesn't work and proven time and time again!
Right on, tell it like it is.
I know many of you disagreed at various levels with Ron Paul's platform, myself included, but now, on second thought with much consideration, I'm beginning to think we missed a disguised opportunity.
The encumbant silver-tongued barracuda, and the predatory elusive shark...what a choice. Should have gone with the old fisherman!
Who cares what Clinton says ??? This is the same guy that had the opportunity to take out Bin Laden and save all the people who died on 9/11 and then the wars afterwards!!!!
About the only good thing he did while Pres was NOTHING! He inherited a great economy, thanks to Reagan ending the cold war, that and new companies such a Intel, AOL, you know the internet etc. and Email were all new during Clinton's time in the White House. Give me a break. Too much credit is given to this guy. It took the pressure of the Republicans under Gingrich to actually balance the budget and this was during a time when our economy was going like gang busters. Plenty of tax revenue with all the profits coming in. Clinton and the Democrat party are a joke.
Clinton is a man hoe and he thinks he has the right to put down Mitt Romney, go tell it to Monica Lewinksy Mr. Bill, America does NOT believe one single word out of your mouth, you are a skirt chasing pig and a liar.
Clinton is a lying man hoe, he has no right to say anything about Mitt Romney, go tell it to Monica Lewnsky Mr. Bill, because Americans so NOT I reeat do NOT like or trust a skirt chasing man hoe as your self, go away Mr. Bill, please go away and never show your man hoe face again.
I'll take a "hoe" that knows how to run our country over a right wing hypocrite anyday. Amazing how your troops rallied around Gingrich and Cain - what were they?? Just shows your intellect. Go back in your trailer.
deborah, you go back to your trashy trailer and also to your trashy family, and I guess you would take a hoe, you are just like Bill Clinton then. Your lack of education is also showing since those who do not think the way you do then you have the right to attack and call names, you Deborah are disgrace to your own name.!
StClair: You are aware that Mitt claims he can pick up his own turds by the clean end?
Does Clinton know what the word "calamitous" means? That's a big word for him. Didn't he have trouble during his Monica Lewinsky trial, trying to understand the simple one syllable word "sex"!
Gingrich and Cain - the "non" hoes
Mr. Bill's famous last words, I did not have sex with that woman, he lied then and he is lying now.
"man hoe"?
Does that go with the "man shovel"? Or "man trowel"? Or "man rake"?
Hmmm...
correctanswer, given his educational background I'm guessing he knows the meaning of the word far more than you.
He had a problem telling the truth, not trying to understand the word "sex", but you knew that... The objective of his obfuscations were simply not being caught by his wife.
Look, I'm not defending him, he was a dog and was treated like one deservedly so... But don't color him stupid, he's far from that...
Oh, come on. Clinton can't stand Obama. He just said last week that Romney had a "sterling" business career. There are still hard feelings from the Hillary '08 campaign. Clinton is just walking the democrat walk. Remember when Bill took over the podium with Obama standing in the background? Then, Obama said Michelle was waiting on him for a dinner and left. Bill took over, answering questions and loving it. Those two really grate on each other. Bill really wants Obama out. So do I.
Kinda like Romney denouncing his own health care plan - the only thing he did right for Mass.
Deborah, and just what have you done for your country, I have personally served 12 years in the Navy, and to this date I do volunteer work, what do you do besides bad mouth those who do not think like you, Mitt Romney is a very good person with a plan, something that Obama has NOT had in 4 years.
Thank you for your 12 years of service. Please, enlighten us with Romney's plans?
"I stand by what I said, whatever it was."
Thank you for your 12 years of service. Please, enlighten us with Romney's plans?
"I stand by what I said, whatever it was."
Isn't Bill Clinton EVER going away?
I wish he could run -quit complaining about him - at least did our country right!
I hope Mr. Bill does go away so and real soon.
If there were no term limits for the president and Clinton ran again, no one, democratic or republican would be able to beat him. Sure he lied, I don't think that there is a single man who would would admit that they cheated on his wife. Use some common sense people, I think everyone knows that a great majority of people we elect to local, state and federal offices play around. We just don't want to hear about it.
The Internet Bubble made the nineties and Bill Clinton (in spite of himself) a successful decade. It is what set the economy in motion to create the housing boom/bubble of the first 8 years of the 21st century.
Whens bubbles expand, they have an elasticity/resistant point...hence, The Burst. No amount of success in the 90's was going to be foundational for long term economic expansion. And the housing boom was propped up by fraud in banking (can you say WAMU?) and government (Fannie Mae and Mac.) All bubbles burst...can you say Zuckerberg? That's the latest burst of a bubble...or is it a pimple?
Bitter and green with envy, little bear? Kind of like the people that wanted to impeach Clinton based on trivialities? Look, I am no die hard liberal, but when are people going to realize what a cancer the Republican party has become?
Honey, there would be no internet, no smart phones, no flat screen TV's, no commercial space flight without progressive thinkers.
PJ you're confusing innovators, entrepreneurs, and technicians with "progressive thinkers". There's a huge difference.
soazDan, you are confusing "conservatives" with thinkers rather than the reactionaries that they are. Innovators, entrepreneurs, and technicians are progressive by nature. What part of progressive do you not understand?