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Subscribe to RSSMitt Romney began invoking Bill Clinton last month on the campaign trail, lamenting that, it's too bad Barack Obama is just nothing like the former president.
Yes, the same Bill Clinton congressional Republicans pushed to impeach in the 1990s.
After Clinton's on-again, off-again messaging for President Obama, Republicans in Congress are now feeling the love, too.
Just today, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports that Sens. John Thune, a potential vice-president pick for Romney, and Orrin Hatch took to the Senate floor to sing Bubba's praises.
Hatch went all out, invoking the 42nd president's name 10 times.
THUNE (R-SD):
"and with regard to the tax increases, I would make the same argument. the same argument actually that former president Bill Clinton has been making and that is we need to extend these tax rates; we create too much economic uncertainty out there by having this cloud out there on the horizon and that that is a real warning sign..."
Not to mention, of course, that Clinton doesn't support permanently extending the Bush tax cuts and that every Republican voted against Clinton's 1993 tax increases.
HATCH (R-UT):
"Well, it was no surprise therefore that when former President Clinton stated yesterday that we were still in a recession. Economists might say that is not technically accurate, but it is certainly how most Americans feel. What did come as a surprise, however, were President Clinton's remarks on tax-mageddon, the fiscal cliff that the nation faces at the end of this year. At least yesterday it sounded like his view was that we should do a complete 180 and race away from this cliff extending in full the tax relief extended, or enacted by President Bush and extended by President Obama in 2010." ...
"There should be no higher priority for the president and the congress than addressing these tax increases. Yesterday President Clinton seemed to agree, arguing that we should act now, not after the elections, to avoid the fiscal cliff. at a minimum, he concluded that a temporary extension of current tax relief was in order. quote -- to quote former President Clinton -- "They will probably have to put everything off until early next year. that's probably the best thing to do right now," unquote." ...
"Now, President Clinton further argued, quote, "What i think we need to do is to find some way to avoid the fiscal cliff. to avoid doing anything that would contract the economy now and then deal with what's necessary in the long-term debt-reduction plan as soon as they they can, which presumably will be after the election." Unquote." ...
"Now, channeling Gilda Radner, President Clinton tells us, never mind. President Clinton knew what he was saying. One thing I can say, knowing him as well as I do, he's a very smart man. He was making an elementary point, one that the president, President Obama, seemed to agree with when he was -- seemed to agree with when he was not running for election on a platform. President Clinton, not wanting to further undermine our economy, recommended a short-term extension of all the tax relief." ...
"This is just me now," this is President Clinton. "This is just me now. I am not speaking for the White House. You could tax me at 100%, and you wouldn't balance the budget. We are all going to have to contribute to this. If middle-class people's wages were going up again, I don't think they would object to going back to tax rates from when he was president." With due respect to our former president, I do think that he was speaking for the White House, and I do think that most Americans would object to a tax hike. That is why President Obama has decided to lay low." ...
"And if the president and his campaign team think that they can punt this issue until the fall, they are sorely mistaken. The American people will voice their displeasure with his failure to lead in November. President Clinton got it right the first time yesterday. The fiscal cliff must be addressed now. We cannot wait until later in the year."
A reminder:
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It just occurred to me that the GOP wants the unemployed to take whatever job is available for whatever pay is offered, because work instills personal responsibility. But they were opposed to the auto bailouts and stimulus whose objectives were to keep people in their jobs. The GOP doesn't understand that a person's job/work isn't just to make a profit for their employer. Just like in the New Deal, work has dignity in an of itself and helps give people hope. (Yes, I know Obama's hope is bad, but Romney's help (hope) is on the way is good).
there is no need of any qualification to be president; just having money or having access to money and
drones to feed the press the usual propaganda.
Yeah, even that slack-jawed Arkansas yokel is better than the incredibly incompent Obama.
Clinton is making it clear: Obama is bad for America. Hilliary should be the next Democrat nominee! Anyone but Obama. The Democrat Party and Liberals may go down in death in November. The next POTUS might send Liberals to Gitmo!
Hey, NBC, he was impeached...not pushed to impeach...he has gone down in history as being impeached for lying to Congress and obstruction of justice but the really sad thing is that he lied to the American people and he lied to his wife...not too many Republicans that I know point to Clinton and say they want their kids to grow up like him.
Clinton may have been a terrible president from 1993-1995, but after Newt Gingrich and Trent Lott took the reins of the legislature, Clinton became downright adequate.
Unless Bill and Hillary simply want to be rulers of the palace and nothing more, then a strategy of waiting till 2016 coupled with an Obama loss is extremely cynical. By 2016 75-80 percent of the federal bench will be GOP appointees. The Supreme Court will have a permanent 7-2 majority (Ginsberg and Breyer will be gone by then). The NLRB and EPA will have been greatly downsized due to funding cuts, even if the laws they are supposed to enforce are not repealed. The tax code will be even more etched in stone in ways that can't be easily changed. It will not be the same America in 2016 and the government will have been crippled to the point that being president has little power.
This burned-out bozo is just a money-whore...he could care less about the politics one way or another. As long as you have a bundle of cash to give him he will endorse ANYTHING.
Clinton was a much better president than Obama in my opinion.. He is getting his hand slapped for giving opinions that Democrats don't like and they force him to retract like praising Romney. With Hillary hoping to get the Democrats nomination for president, he needs to maintain party loyalty and not say what he thinks like praising Romney and supporting keeping all Bush tax cuts including the one bracket that Obama wants to eliminate,
Also the new Book "Obama Amateur in the White House", Amateur came from Bill Clinton.
Bill and George Bush were both much better at getting Congress to pass bipartisan legislation than Obama, who I am convinced creates his own problems with diviseivness .
This pretty much sums up clinton AND his wife...such a shame... Man,when you can say you wished clinton was back as president right now ...you know things have gone to HELL.
Bill doesn't like Barry and Barry doesn't like Bill. So Bill takes subtle jabs at Barry to show his disdain for him while making it look like he's still toeing the party line. He still hopes there's a slim chance for Hillary in 2016...
I think Hillary takes Bill to the woodshed for a good spanking after some of his comments that may force her to change parties if she wants to be president.
They always seem to "evolve" and get retracted the next day.
If you make less than $100,000 a year and you're a conservative you're an idiot. Unless of course you're the typical redneck who hates blacks, hispanics and gays. Then you're a racist bigoted idiot.
The rich and their Republican servants, who are mostly rich themselves, are concerned with maintaining their wealth. Notwithstanding there being a Democrat in the White House those rich still control the government and what happens in this country.
Their members in Wall Street pretty much brought this country to ruin, but you'll notice, not a single one of those that committed these crimes has ever been brought to justice, and their rich friends, through their control of things govenrnental even managed to get themselves bailed out of trouble by using the tax money paid by you poor bastards making less than $100,000 a year.
The rich have successfully undercut funds for education and have openly disparaged those in higher education for the simple reason that the more people that do not get educated the easier it is to control them. So when things get dicey and it looks like the great unwashed might actually be starting to think about who may really be the ones causing all their problems, the rich's servants, Republicans, start screaming about the threat to America from gays getting married, or women having abortions, or anything else that will get the country's simple minds off of what is the real problem.
And they've done a marvelous job. Think about it. You have one of the biggest phonies and liars that ever came down the pike as the Republican nominee for president. And it's fairly obvious that anyone with a brain better than a turtle's can see that he's a liar and a phony. And in spite of this there's actually a fair number of uneducated, ignorant, if not downright stupid people that support him.
I just hope I live long enough to see Romney get elected and then watch the disparity between the rich and poor in this country become so enormous it will be like we were back in the Middle Ages. Millions will be homeless. Many millions more will be dying like flies with untreated illnesses.
Because you see, that's how Willard does things. He will destroy Social Security and Medicare, and he will eliminate any form of government paid health care. He will balance the budget, and in doing so will drive the country to the absolute bottom it was headed toward when the greedy Wall Streeters and their Republican helpers started this mess.
Why do radical Libs call Republicans either RICH or Red Neck? I don't get it?
Make up your mind!
Can you spell "puppet"?
Some of us may see things you do not. The poor will be hurt badly also by Democrats when Medicare goes bankrupt shortly and we follow Greece down the toilet. Nobody will make out when that happens.
"Don"
You get it!
:-)
gemini, you don't understand that the dems are just as rich and Wall St is full of them. Did you not hear how Obama kicked off his Obama on Broadway fundraisers? At a hedgefund manager's house.
Since Hillary doesn't want to run...........I would VOTE for Chelsea, just to get the Rock Stars OUT of the White House!!!!!
Just the Billions of dollars it cost for "Obama One" is adding to our $16 Trillion dollar debt and he doesn't give a dam!
6 fundraisers on Friday....3 more Monday in NY...Michelle Antoinette on Letterman....almost 200 fundraisers on OUR dime! The View, ESPN, Leno, Science Guy, ........BOTH of them Never found a Camera they didn't like!!!
I think she will run next election, possibly as a Republican unless Bill stops being frank with his opinions.
And Democrats sure love Reagan!
Ain't that the truth!! All of my Republicant friends take it for granted that I worship Reagan just like they do!!
Liberals are always attempting to deminish the conservative credentials of Reagan, saying he added to the debt and signed amnesty. Reagan is a moderate, they say. LOL. Reagan's approach to unions make Scott Walker look like Jimmy Hoffa. All you need to do is look at the Reagan Supreme Court appointees to see just how moderate he was. Scalia, Rehnquist, Kennedy.
It does not impress me that the Republicants are embracing The Great Bill Clinton after how dirty they have always treated him. He is one of the most intelligent presidents we have ever had, if not the most intelligent. If he could have ran a third time, he would have had my vote again. Not taking anything away from compliments made about Hillary's integlligence, I don't think she was running the country when her husband was president. They are just an amazingly intellectual couple who despite everything, compliment each other very well. And had she won the presidency in 2008, she would have done a fine job herself. I'm sure they have always helped each other, don't undersestimate either of the Clintons, ever!!
Bill was much better able to work with Republicans and get bipartisan bills passed. Most of the legislation passed under both Clinton and Bush was bipartisan and I really believe much of the reason we are no longer seeing that is due top our current president.
Don, You are 100% correct, but the left is so blinded by the donkey dung, they cannot see the truth.
Thelma Hart ahead of her time.
Little by little, liberals are speaking from the heart. It’s getting where some liberals don’t care if Obama wins or not.
Many of them do seem to be frustrated with him, whether they admit that in public or not.
The media contrived the issue out of semantic dust. When there is a lack of news, trust the media to create some. That is catnip for Republicans in search of any excuse or lie available. It's 2012! Two day shelf life.
Ah... Affinity is on site.........deflecting deflecting deflecting.....
It’s one thing to spin something to one’s advantage. It’s another to simply
make things up to make the other guy look bad. Romney’s Solyndra speech was an
example of the latter. Disgraceful.
Hargreaves shows that Mitt Romney’s key claim — “An independent inspector
general looked at this investment and concluded that the Administration had
steered money to friends and family and campaign contributors” — has no basis in
fact.
The second piece, also by Hargreaves, lists 7 key facts:
1. It was started by Bush: The DOE loan program that funded Solyndra was
actually started by President Bush in 2005. It was intended to provide
government support for “innovative technologies”….
In fact, as Climate Progress reported back in September, the “Bush
Administration advanced the Solyndra loan guarantee for two years” before Obama
became President.
2. Congress thought there would be more failures: Two companies have declared
bankruptcy under the loan program so far, out of the 33 projects funded.
Congress was expecting more….
All political rhetoric is nuts . No honest politician would ever get elected or re-elected. I even saw a quote from Obama where he stated that anyone is foolish to take political rhetoric seriously.
I have never seen a politician like Obama that exaggerates, leaves out relevant facts and can distort the way he does. I am rarely seen him being honest about anything.
Spending increase under Obama has been 1.8%, the lowest amount since the first term of Eisenhower 60 years ago. The biggest spenders by far were presidents Reagan and Bush the Shrub. Clinton left Bush a surplus. Bush left Obama the biggest increase in debt in history, two wars, and a crashing national economy. The decline was stemmed within a year and recovery has be slowly coming for 27 straight months.
May I remind you that ALL spending and funding must originate in the House (not the White one)? Republicans have blocked every jobs bill for the past two years, have refused to do anything but cut revenue, and have been the most unproductive representatives in a century. They wanted something to blame on President Obama, in addition to their crazed deficits.
The only response Republicans have is lies, lies, and more lies. I can remember when they were a respectable political party and I was a member. Now they are a syndicate of liars and reactionaries with hare brain ideology that no self-respecting conservative would endorse. This country is down to one traditional political party and an asylum of goons.
The GOP house has sent 28 jobs bills to the Senate. Only the last one was brought to a vote and passed, then signed by the Pres. Get your facts straight. The Dem's, under Harry Reid have stopped all but one piece of jobs legislation. Blame, deflect, attack, anything but lead........
Affinity there was deception concerning the spending increase figures . Obama people did not point out that the stimulus that was worked on at the tail end of Bush admin by both Bush and Obama counted against Bush.
When TARP money paid back with interest during Obama admin, that counted as spending cuts.
Obama people often leave out relevant facts.
Romney's answer for everything: "I'll look into it". Somebody should ask him where the Sun is.
I would rather have a president that considers things first rather than one that says things without considering all the facts. An example , Obama promising to close Gitmo without first considering where the prisoners would go .
Obama promised to close Gitmo? Oh, yeah. Funny nobody ever brings that up. Seemed to be a pretty hot topic four years ago. Seems strange that a story like that would just be buried for so long. I'm sure once Mitt takes over we'll have all kinds of outrage once again.
AssininityGW--
That's clever. Sounds like you musta "got higher education" somewhere along the line.
Gitmo would be closed if it weren't for Republicans scaring the Hell out of their weak minded Bubbas. We all know that Gitmo prisoners can walk through stone walls, explode over and over, eat babies and old ladies, and that the American justice system is terribly weak. There are plenty of Republicans that would shoot a hole in their lifeboat if Rush told them to.
I remember Obama trying to send Kalid Sheik Mohammed to NYC for a trial in a civilian court without considering what he was doing. He had to change his mind in a hurry.
With Gitmo, I don't think any country wanted them, and no US city wanted them either. There was no viable alternative to closing GITMO without releasing the prisoners back to the wild.
Economist John B. Taylor of the Hoover Institution summed it up aptly: "Unpredictable economic policy -- massive fiscal 'stimulus' and ballooning debt, the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing with multiyear near-zero interest rates, and regulatory uncertainty due to Obamacare and the Dodd-Frank financial reforms -- is the main cause of persistent high unemployment and our feeble recovery."
Ideologues might say anything. Perhaps the core problem is the Republican recession and constant efforts to stymie recovery until November 2012, just as they said they would. However, it may be due to rusting buckles on suspenders and belt sales causing waist.
When Clinton speaks the truth, Republicans love him. When he lies they don't while the opposition embraces him and celebrates his style and finesse. Not that hard to figure out.
Well said
I agree. President Clinton moved towards the center and except for an intern episode, did quite well. Many of his remarks that past few years let's you know he really does believe in "trickle down" regarding taxes.
If you look at IRS figures showing what various income groups pay for an effective rate on federal income tax rate, I don't think "trickle down" really applies. The rates may not be as high as some want, but the high income people do pay most of the taxes, so "trickle down" is not real accurate.
Kal, we know when he speaks the truth and when he is doing "party line" and I understand his situation with Hillary planning to stay a Democrat and Obama being Hillary's boss, so I don't really hold the less than honest stuff against him.
What is clear from the Corey Booker incident and the ongoing Bill Clinton incidents is that there are individuals within the party that want to be realistic about what is happening, but to do so is harmful to Mr. Obama's campaign. So when ever these individuals start talking about reality and what could lead to a bipartisan compromise,they have to quickly change what they said in order to placate team Obama, because it does not square with Mr. Obama's position. But at some point these individuals need to stand up, for the good of the country, and simply tell Mr. Obama that his is wrong and it is his policies and practices that are hindering progress.
Mr Clinton is a very smart man and he fully understood what he said in the interview and how it would be received. It was very clear. He also knew Repubs and Mitt Romney would seize upon his statements in support of their position, no matter how he would back off of them after being scolded by team Obama.
Unfortunately, individuals like Mr Clinton and Mr Booker value their allegiance to the party more than they do to the country, so they will still rally around Obama, even if they don't share his views. But at least, in some ways, they are simultaneously sending a message to Mr Obama that he needs to change his policies/practices ( if he wants to get reelected) while telling the country that perhaps we should be considering other choices than Mr. Obama if we want this to get the mess fixed in a reasonable period of time.
I understand Clinton's position with Hillary still a Democrat. But you are correct from what I have read that many democrats and associates of Obama are frustrated with him and it seems he does not work well even in his own party.
A casual, clumsy remark is Republican gospel, if they can spin it. Grasping at straws is how the little pig built his house. It blew down quickly. The little pig was desperate for a place to run.
I think all politicians will do this . You can't convince me that Democrats would not be all over " a casual clumsy remark" if Romney made it. In fact I can guarantee that media like MSNBC would be all over it if Republican words something in a way that can be interpreted several ways.
Affinity............please explain this if you can:
And the left calls the right the Party of No.....what a joke....remember this libs?
"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a Sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. ...Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that 'the buck stops here'. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and Grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better."
SENATOR BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA, MARCH 2006
The above quote consists of two excerpts from a long speech delivered by Barack Obama during a Senate debate over raising the national debt limit on March 16, 2006. Along with his entire party, Senator Obama voted against the increase, which passed nonetheless with overwhelming Republican support.
President Obama says he regrets having taken that stand. "He realizes now," explained White House spokesman Jay Carney in a statement to the press on April 11, 2011, "that raising the debt ceiling is so important to the health of this economy and the global economy that it is not a vote that, even when you are protesting an administration's policies, you can play around with."
Your right about one thing, Mr. President.....the country deserves better but we certainly did not get it with you, President Flip-Flopper
Now you might notice that the Republicans back in 2006 supported increasing the debt limit whereas they oppose it now. So what is going on.........? The answer is that both parties work exactly the same----oppose anything the other party wants. So dems get off your high horse and look at your own droppings as well
Notice that the White House said:
"...that raising the debt ceiling is so important to the health of this economy and the global economy that it is not a vote that, even when you are protesting an administration's policies, you can play around with."
WHAT......are they saying that by not voting for the debt increase in 2006 that they did not care a damn about the US and World economy. Of course they are which means they are not any damn better than the republicans by a long shot.
So get your head out of the proverbial dark spot and see the reality of politics.
I have posted this before.....if you don't like then tough _______.
Seriously? Do you actually talk like this around other people? Do you ever actually talk to other people?
Hillary would have been a much better president than BO.
I thought about voting for H. Clinton before her LIES about coming under fire in Bosnia came to light...
...with video no less!
She has been a terrific Secretary of State, but thinking she would have been ANY better than President Obama is One Foolish Idea! President Obama would have been better if he had a LOYAL opposition.
Oh, hell yes. Now, being that I'm a conservative, does this opinion mean that my racism trumps my sexism?
And OneFoolishIdea? Don't sell yourself short. I'm sure you have all sorts of foolish ideas.
Funny how TEApublicans forget the REAL past, such as they IMPEACHED Clinton.
And G.W. Bush BROKE the BUDGET and the Wall Street SUPER RICH destroyed the WORLD ECONOMY.
Supporting the GOP is One FOOLISH Idea!
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012
Never, ever, ever trust a man that cheats on his wife, I still do not understand why good ole Bill keeps getting a pass for being a idiot (for getting caught) and a jerk (for cheating on his beautiful wife), on second thought maybe i can forgive him for a little of being a jerk, but a Rhodes scholar who gets caught, not such a smart bubba afterall. Bring back billy beer!!!!
Sonny,
Maybe you forgot about McCain?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html
Bill Clinton won a second term because he moved to the political center and turned out to be a pretty good President in spite of his awful taste in women.
Barack Obama simply cannot follow Clintons advice and I am so glad. He is ensuring his defeat in November and all I can say about that is HOOAH!