Previewing his primetime speech tonight at the Democratic convention, former President Bill Clinton tells NBC's Brian Williams that he will explain why President Obama's economic approach "is right" and will "pay off" if he's re-elected.
Clinton also says in the interview that no president, in four years, could have restored the current economy "to full health" after the financial collapse of 2008.
Former President Bill Clinton, who will address the Democratic National Convention tonight, told NBC's Brian Williams why he feels President Obama needs to be reelected.
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Cover of Newsweek, "Why Barack needs Bill." Why do you think Barack needs Bill? What do you have to offer?
BILL CLINTON: I really don't know. I've always been mystified by that. I was honored when he asked me to nominate him. I hope what I can do, because we did have a good economy, because we did have the longest expansion in history, is explain why I think his approach is right and it'll pay off if we renew his contract. Explain why the economy he faced was much weaker and different than the one I faced, so that there's no way any president, no president could have restored it to full health in just four years.
The rest of Brian Williams' interview with Clinton will appear on NBC "Nightly News" beginning at 6:30 pm ET.


print more counterfiet money, that will fix everything.. devalue the currency. that will fix it all. give to the people who do not work and tax the hell out of those who do work hard. that will fix it ... or maybe the 47 million on foodstamps is a good thing?? obama the food stamp president.. they should put his face on the food stamp..
Clinton is liar, and Obama is a HUGE liar. Especially when says "Obamacare is no tax"
Did he read his own bill? I did. Read the 2700 pages, it is full of hidden taxes. is an abbreviated list of taxes on families and businesses introduced by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), known as Obamacare, totalling more than $500 billion over the next ten years as prepared by the Americans for Tax Reform:
Excise taxes on charitable hospitals ($50,000 per hospital if they do not meet HHS criteria of "community health assessment needs," billing and collection," and "financial assistance" (PPACA, 2010, pp. 1,961-1,971)
Codify "economic substance doctrine" (IRS will not allow any legal deductions or tax-minimizing plans because it lacks "substance" and is intended to reduce taxes owed); this is a tax increase of $4.5 billion (Bill Reconciliation Act, 2010, pp. 108-113)
"Black liquor" tax on a special bio-fuel (Bill Reconciliation Act, 2010, p. 105)
Tax on innovating drug companies (PPACA, 2010, p. 1,971-1,980)
Blue Cross/Blue Shield Tax Increase (PPACA, 2010, p. 2,004)
Ten percent tax on indoor tanning (PPACA, 2010, pp. 2,397-2,399)
Medicine cabinet tax disallows Americans to use health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, or health reimbursement pre-tax money to buy over the counter medicines except insulin (PPACA, 2011, pp. 1,957-1,959)
HSA Withdrawal tax hike from 10 to 20 percent (PPACA, 2011, p. 1,959)
Employer reporting of insurance on W-2 forms, taxing health benefits on individual tax returns (PPACA, 2012, p. 1,957)
Surtax on investment income for families that make at least $250,000 or $200,00 single (Bill Reconciliation Act, 2013, pp. 87-93)
Medicare payroll tax increase (PPACA, Reconciliation Act, 2013, pp. 2,000-2,003, pp. 87-93)
A 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device manufacturers (PPACA, 2013, pp. 1,980-1,986)
Medical expenses can be itemized if they exceed 10 percent, no longer the previous 7.5 percent, resulting in fewer people being able to itemize (PPACA, 2013, pp. 1,994-1,995
Flexible spending account cap of $2,500 which is now unlimited (PPACA, 2013, pp. 2,388-2,389)
Eliminate tax deductions for employer-provided retirement prescription drug coverage in coordination with Medicare Part D (PPACA, 2013, p. 1,994)
Limit of $500,000 annual executive compensation for health insurance executives (PPACA, 2013, pp. 1,995-2,000)
Individual mandate excise tax starting in 2014 if a person does not buy a "qualifying" health insurance, 1 percent in 2014, 2 percent in 2015, 2.5 percent in 2016; exempted are hardship cases as determined by HHS, religious objectors, undocumented immigrants, prisoners, those earning less than the poverty line, members of Indian tribes (PPACA, 2014, pp. 317-337)
Employer mandated tax, non-deductible of $2,000 per employee if the employer does not offer health coverage and at least one employee qualifies for a health tax credit; if an employee receives coverage through the government exchange, the employer penalty for that employee increases to $3,000 (PPACA, 2014, pp. 345-346)
Tax on health insurers based on premiums collected per year (PPACA, 2014, pp. 1,986-1,993 (this all but forces employers to stop offering insurance, forcing their employees onto the government exchanges)
40 percent excise tax on comprehensive health insurance plans or "Cadillac plans" (PPACA, 2018, pp. 1,941-1,956)
It will save LIVES.
wow, you are a right wing nut job....exactly what is wrong with this counry..dividing instead of uniting...very sad..
The guy just provided a list of factual information, I really don't see how that's dividing, nut jobby or sad. I would even go as far as to say that a person who refuses to acknowledge factual information if they don't like that information is much more tragic. Nobody wants to do thier research, look at the truth or evaluate things rationaly. They want to pick a guy and then agree with everything he says; and break thier necks to ignore the facts. Now that is sad, and that is what's wrong with America.
Wow! Sounds like you're a total STOOGE for the health care industry that has been raping Americans with the most expensive, bloated and ineffectual health delivery system in the world! We pay vastly more than any other citizens on earth for health care that is ranked number one in cost and only 17th in HEALTH. But the CEO's at these repugnant "managed" care insurance companies have some of the most grotesque bonus systems on earth as well. Obamacare will work for US ALL. What a concept, universal heath care!
Hey numbskull, Obamcare will destroy business large and small. I have read it, have you?
Publius, please, enlighten me..what page and line numbers are all of the statistics you have posted come from..and what publication??? You cannot answer because you made them all up...
America needs all 3. Republican obstructionist need to go in the House. WAKEUPAMERICA. America stands for us not them.
Interesting...Bill Clinton did it in 2 years....but he also was a scheming fraudulent Democrat too. He balanced the budget and left a healthy surplus. Looks like Barack need help lying again....
Give 'em hell Billy!
I think you have all been played as suckers. Do you really believe that the president can do much about the economy? Do you really believe there is much of a difference between Rep and Dem? We are all being played by these jackasses in Washington. We keep playing this game and our country keeps getting deeper in debt with more problems and no one with enough balls to stand up and say, "Look, here's the deal: We are in bad shape and we need to make some changes. It doesn't really matter how we got here - there's plenty of blame to go around. Now, here's how we're going to fix it and everyone is going to be unhappy about some of the 'fixes'".
Instead, we get the blame game (both parties) and no leadership. Let's choke Washington off financially and also vote ALL of these morons out of office.
Nobody expected the Obama administration to wipe the slate clean in four yours.........but most of us also didn't expect him to actually make things worse in that time either. I think that the facts and the presidents record will cut through the rhetoric and catch up to him in the end.
I kept telling people that if I was going to see a first black president, I'd want somebody I knew would do well. Not somebody with next to zero experience that only won because the competitions VP pick looked even worse and John McCain could die any second. Now, what's really tragic is that if Obama loses this election, we probably won't see another black president for a very long time.....especially if things improve under President Romney. If I were going to see a first of anything in the white house, it sure wouldn't be an inexperienced idealogue with a shady past. Of course his not doing well with the economy has nothing to do with him being black.......but you know how people are.
Actually Russell you are right on one thing. We will not see a Black President from the present republican party in a long long time. Too many birthers in the Republican party that have race issues.
Even Herman CAIN himself clearly bore the MARK OF CAIN that the religious crackpots at the TEMPLE OF MORONS say was finally lifted after their leaders ascended to the upper rooms at the temple and GOD literally spoke to them lifting the curse of CAIN. And now these goons want to put a piece of utter human garbage like Romney in charge of a land with distinct separation of church and state? Get real, ole Willard is the VULTURE, just like the evil cronies he panders to. Romney will destroy America and that ain't no lie.
and you would know, wouldn't you Clinton, oh wait, we should believe you after you had inappropriate sexual relations with an intern, and then somehow avoided impeachment... why the hell would anyone listen to you, they didn't when you were president, or should we say Hillary was president.... laughable at best..
Apparently Republicans felt good enough about President Clinton to include him in their welfare reform lies. True story,
Actually he was impeached. He was acquitted at the Senate Trials.
Sorry crazies but Mr Clinton is one of the most popular and best regarded presidents in American history and his speech will be devastating to Romney. That's a fact!
In the History of the United States only Two Presidents have been impeached.
President Andrew Johnson In 1867 was the first.
President Bill Clinton in 1998 was the second.
Must be pretty embarrassing to have to go running and crying for help form the only living President to be impeached and only the second in U.S. History.
Please tell us more about those "Family Values" that are so important to the Obama's.
Cigar anyone?
David that is great! LOL
Cigar anyone ?
Yes, nobody did more to degrade and embarrass the Office of the President than Clinton.
"I did not have sexual relations with that woman" He said that because he thought a blow job did not count as a sexual act? This guy was our President and then he is invited to speak at the Convention to re-elect the current failed President! LOL
Must have been pretty embarassing for republicans to put GW in witness protection AND NOT SPEAK at the republican convention. I imagine it would have reminded many republicans that they themselves have a hand in where the economy is today.
Ronald Reagan did it in 3 years. Worse unemployment; inflation; interest rates; He did the exact opposite of obama who has made it worse. Plus he won the Cold War and restored America to Super Power status. He also did not cheat on his wife and lie about it. The progressives can lie all they want but obama is a POS that is destroying the real America. You marxists will pay. Count on it.
Clinton saying that " nobody could have restored the economy in 4 years" is not the point.
What matters is the policy and what you do in 2009 onward. B O's policy made things worse not better!
Obama was all about promoting his Agenda vs. doing the things necessary to really get jobs and the economy back on track. He failed miserably!
all the new regulations Cap and Trade, Frank-Dodd, attempts to help housing that failed repeatedly, led to the lowest Consumer Confidence and the Highest % on the "Misery Index" since we lat had a far left Liberal in the White House - Jimmy Carter.
NOBAMA 2012!!
Good ole slick willie, walking the earth in his white robes, sprinkling the holy water here & there.
Sharky, Clinton looks good compared to Bush, bad compared to Reagan, and freakin' outstanding compared to Obama.
Seriously? Obama was given everything he asked for and said he turn things around in less than four years or would be a one term proposition.
My gawd, Bush signed TARP, as well as, the Bail-Out of GM which at the time was only $17 Billion placed in a working escrow. Obama signed the checks and over saw the administration of the funds, as well as, the re-structuring of GM.
With $50 Billion in their pocket in 2009, GM closed 13 plants, including the one in Janesville, laid off 21,000 workers. These plants were not of Obama's approved re-structuring plan for GM.
Investing in China was. They opened 11 new plants, and hired 35,000 Chinese.
Those GM Chinese cars have been imported for a year now.
If we give $50 Billion to a failing car company, is it not reasonable to have them use those funds to keep plants open here and not closed them like the one in Janesville?
Then we gave Obama a $867 Billion stimulus package filled with his trickle up policies. He even had democratic control of the congress and the senate his first two years, passed everything he wanted. Did it work? No. It added a measly $700 Billion added to the GDP, that will not even cover the stimulus. A net jobs loss of 297,000 as of today. Did he use his time focusing on jobs and bring down debt? No. He championed and passed a bill handing off health care to the government who can not even run a cash for clunkers program and runs to Vegas partying or on dime. Geez, where can I find an off shore account to keep my hard earned cash from these idiots.
The results show, corporations and jobs running to China escaping the highest corporate tax on the planet, the Roman Legion EPA, Unions, and above all, Obamacare.
Obviously the job was to big for him to solve. Taxing the %1, borrowing more money from China to fund his spending programs, and having the FED simply print more money, is not a plan for success; it is a recipe for more failure.
If Obama failed. What makes anyone think the next four years will be any different.
Yes Publius, and last year the GM CEO said in a speech that "7 out of 10 GM cars are made overseas"
So much for Obama's stimulus!!! don't talk to Clinton about "Stimulus" he may reach for a cigar! LOL
Obama is the OUTSOURCING PRES OF THE U.S.!
GM is alive all right, on the backs of Chinese slave labor.
GE's Immelt gave them idea, he told them to produce and invest in China, and import here. They would make huge profits.
GE has been out-sourcing for decades. Some guy for Obama to pick as a "Jobs" CZAR.
For all you republicans that say the president could have worked with the republicans he tried and was told in no uncertain terms that they(republicans) were not interested. then when he decided to go alone the republican complain he didnt want to work with them. As for working on jobs first, he tried with the stimulus, but was beat back by the constant squaking of the republicans saying we dont want to raise the debt. What gets me though is that I didnt hear any rebublican complaining about the war of convience, how much it cost and who was going to pay. if you recall the bush administration didnt even put the cost of the war on the books. quite frankly thats what disgusts me about the republicans, they have no trouble sending folks to war, make money from the exclusive government contracts, want their taxes lower, complain when the debt is high, then want to deny americans decent health care at an affordable price. the only one that tried was the house speaker and he got shallacked by tea party memebers. Moderate republicans have no place in the party now days and what i see is old line whites dont want to see a black family in the white house. I believe gov strickland had it correct with the chuck todd interview. then lie in your face and expect you to take it as gospel and the reason is they think your to dumb to know the difference. ever wonder if there is a correlation between low education acheivement, southern states and the republican party?
Michael--- YOU LIE !!!!
The Republican were shut out of meetings on Obamacare which is loaded with tax increases on the Middle-Class. The Republicans were shut out even after in Obama's words "A Shellacking" in Nov. 2010 when record numbers of Republicans were replacing ousted Dems in Congress. It seems as if Obama forgot in 2011 what happened in 2010? People voted Republican IN to STOP ALL THE CRAZY SPENDING! That was what last summer was all about and when the Republicans thought they were going to meet with his royal Highness - Obama and negotiate a budget, Obama shut the door on them. that is what happened!
Now we go into 2013 not knowing what is going to happen to tax rates etc. How do businesses and investors invest confidently when they do not know? thus we have dismal jobs numbers and we are facing another recession in 2013!
It's widely known that the president ISN'T responsible for the current economic malaise (see the bipartisan University of Chicago survey of the nation's leading economists). Only Republican ignorance would prevent one from understanding that. As it stands, it's growing at a far better pace than when Bush was in office (re: jobs, GDP). But Obama's efforts to improve the economy have been thwarted by the neoCON's from the very outset.
It isn't so much that Republicans are proud to be stupid. It's that they have so many followers that are also proud to be stupid. Spouting lies and hatred and racism doesn't seem to add a great deal to their integrity (unless you want to be a terrorist).
Come to think of it, we just described Mitttens.
Can Clinton can put it in simple-enough language for the CONS to understand? That's an impossibility. Nobody can simplify something that much.
Obama/Biden
LOL... Dems had to BACK TRACK and change their platform to now include the word GOD and Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. What an embarassment to the Godless party being called out and having to change.
If anyone would know it is the man who left office with a surplus. Less than a year later the huge defict began. VP. Dick Cheney said that deficits don't matter. So of course, with an attitude like that they feel they can spend uncontrolled amounts in two unnecessary wars.
My degrees are in science, BUT I did have Micro and Macro Econ in college. What EVERYONE fails to realize is this, when Uncle Braindead took office after Jimmy Carter people still RETIRED from the place they worked. Yeah RETIRED from the place they WORKED for 30 years whether it was Sears or Dunkin Donuts. It was during this Grade "D" actor's presidency and at his string pullers orders that the 401K was shoved up everyone's arse and they put corporate responsibility for retirement away for good. It was also Uncle Braindead who GAVE ILLEGAL FOREIGN NATIONALS by the MILLIONS citizenship in the USA so the FREELOADING PARASITES could take YOUR JOBS, and DRAIN EVERY states' coffers in social services and law enforcement costs. You add Desert SCAM II to the mix under Ol' Gutless's watch at the cost of a HALF TRILLION DOLLARS! A HALF TRILLION DOLLARS people for the world's BIGGEST JACK JOB about some toothless tiger gonna invade America. GTF outa here with that BS! Then you also have Ol' Gutless the Corp Whore ENCOURAGING what was left of the US manufacturing system to RUN to BF China with their plants and manufacturing, and JOBS! MILLIONS OF JOBS LEFT the US under Ol' Gutless!. And the last nail in the Repube coffin the WALL STREET AND BANK THEIVES conveniently ALSO under Ol' Gutless's watch, BUT for some reason you Repubes just can't seem to REMEMBER all the FACTS about WHO got us here. So you JerkOffs who can't even spell economics (let alone understand it) need to quit puking up the Repube BS that they keep spewing to "feed" you, and FACE THE FACTS about WHO and WHAT party got us into this Shole we still call the USA. AMF!
So RushandSeanKisser of asses.......
According to you Defined Benefit Pensions are the answer. Yep, just tell that to all the cities that are filing Chapter 9 because they are broke and they have firemen retiring with 300K+ a year pensions and that is just from one County, then they move to another County and start over again.
When you try to talk logic and a budget with a Democrat Politicians and Union Bosses you get ASS Kissers!
I love how the left only gives half of the story always the half that makes them look good. Reagan biggest mistake was believing the LYING DEMOCRAT THAT WAS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE TIP O' NEIL who promised Reagan a COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION PROGRAM IF HE GRANT AMNESTY FOR THE ILLEGALS. Regean being a man of his word believe a lying democratic hack from MA would keep his word. Amnesty will never be passed in this country again without the borders being closed first.
Ever wonder why all the worst recessions in history were during Democrat administrations except when there's a Republican Congress holding a Democrat's feet to the fire?
Sorry fool, This recession STARTED with Bush, and are to a degree the result of his actions in taking us to War that should not have been waged. That bankrupted us. Now I will also admit that the actions under Clinton in repealling banking regulations had a major impact, but the result came DURING the Republican managed presidency.
Don't try to hang this on the Democrats.
Hey Double Fool, you need to polish up on your history. Just about every president end their administration with a recession, about once every eight years. Whether the incoming president turn it around in his first term determines if he deserves a second term. Saying Obama inherited Bush's recession is saying history is repeating itself. Democrats tend to take a recession and turn it into a depression.
Exactly Mr president. And we could have done so much better had the current Republicans had one lick of care for our America. They only America the current GOP cares for is the one in their pocketbook.
And by the way: I AM better off than I was the day President Obama was sworn in.
If you are better off Mark then you are probably on Food Stamps or in a Union or possibly both?
Everyone else is much worse off and the future is bleak under Obama
You mean the 47 Bills, 17 in 2011 and 30 in 2012 that were passed in the House and sent to the Senate where Harry Reid Pocket Vetoed them means you don't care?
You mean the Budgets the Republican Controlled house has passed for the Last three years which is their Legal Duty to means you don't care?
I guess were supposed to believe that Not doing your job, not passing budgets for four years, Spending 2.2 trillion a year more than the fed takes in for four years, 40 cents of every dollar you spend is borrowed, were 16 trillion dollars in dept, Pocket vetoing every bill sent to you by the house without passing any of your own, means you care?
If the future is bleak, that's your fault. Me, I'm a well employed programmer making a fair bit of money and my future looks great.
Mark- typical "What's in it for me attitude" really what the Liberal (hypocrites) are all about
What's in it for me. "I'm a programmer and doing fine" so anyone else in other industries tough S h t!???
...unhappily, mr obama promised to turn the economy around, to create jobs, and he spent $5 TRILLION trying to do it. to say that he deserves an 'incomplete' is to be disingenuous.
unhappily, republicans have cared more about keeping Obama from a second term than people that have lost their jobs. True story.
Obama lied to get into office. He claimed he could fix the economy during his first term and failed. Not only did he fail, he made it worse. Now he and his cronies have to start deflecting and making excuses. Anyone who believes them are fools.
Words of wisdom from the man who signed NAFTA & cost this country millions of jobs !