Bill Clinton: Of course I support my wife's candidacy, but the entire Dem field is excellent!!!

[RoveRage]

Yes, what could have been. Had he simply taken the high ground from the beginning this would be an entirely different campaign at this point.

I always told my staff of salesmen to never fall for the trap of trashing our competitors in front of a client. When a customer tried to get them to do so, they were instructed to make a positive comment about some of the things that the other guys did right, but then to move on quickly and talk about the strengths of our services and products, how we would ultimately do the best job for the money spent.

That strategy served us well.

IMHO, the Clinton campaign strategy for these primaries of letting Bill Clinton bash Obama could cost us this election. IMHO, he's pissing away the "statesman" image that he had going into this thing and will probably leave so much bad blood in the water that we'll see another 4 - 8 years of control of the White House by the Repukes.

Sad, sad indeed. Greed is about the only thing that explains it all.

[robbedvoter]

1. Great statement - spin worthy of your handle

[rodeodance]

11. Great comment by Big Dawd--could have omitted the editorial

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. Ego! Huge ego.

[MonkeyFunk]

3. Bullshit

All the spouses are campaigning for their husbands/wives. Bill Clinton gets more attention because of who he is, but he's got every right to campaign hard for his wife.

He has no obligation to treat all candidates equally, and neither does Elizabeth Edwards or Michelle Obama.


Is it fair to the others that hey weren't married to Presidents? No. Too bad. Sucks to be them.

[zanne]

4. Even Daddy Bush didn't campaign for Junior...

They were afraid it would seem like HE was trying to run for another term instead of his son. I think Bill should step away from the microphones until after the general election.

[MonkeyFunk]

8. George H. W. Bush

wasn't a very popular two-term ex-president.

[MoonRiver]

10. "Daddy Bush" was a daddy, not a spouse.

Or did you forget what you just typed? :eyes:

[sallyseven]

15. He did. He campaigned on the sneak

just like his son. Remember how he cried about poor widdle georgie

[mondo joe]

20. Daddy wasn't the candidate's spouse. And I don't give a shit what the Bush's did.

This is OUR race.

[TwilightZone]

24. So, you think our role model should be George H. W. Bush?

Curious.

[MediaBabe]

26. Two points

One - George Jr didn't want his father campaigning for him. Georgie himself did not have a good feeling about his father's administration and he didn't want to be associated with being a rerun of it.

Two - I like Bill. So do a lot of folks. We have good memories of the previous Clinton Administration and are not unhappy that he may have significant input in a future Clinton Administration.

[zanne]

27. ANYTHING for a Hillary win, huh?

Anything at all. Any excuse for boorish behavior will do, as long as Hillary wins. Any reason to attack her opponents. Anything.

[jefferson_dem]

5. Right! Bill is just another spouse...just like Michelle and Elizabeth.

Sure. :eyes:

[MonkeyFunk]

6. Did I say he was?

no, I said exactly the opposite.

Try to keep up.

[RoveRage]

7. Of course they're all campaigning for their spouses, and they should be....

.....but are they slinging crap like Bill? Answer that honestly.

[MonkeyFunk]

9. I don't think he's slinging much crap at all

I think the complaints are ridiculously overblown.

But I remember Elizabeth Edwards having some unkind words for Hillary Clinton awhile back.

[babylonsister]

19. No they aren't. Bill is the pro at that. I'm just glad

people are witnessing it. He is no longer an elder statesman in my eyes, and I'm not alone.

[Windy]

21. He is not just campaigning for his wife. He is a political operative using distortion to trash

the competition.

the growing closeness in the polls is due to his emergence as a dirty politician for Hillary, not due to his emergence as a supporter of his wife's campaign.

The mere fact that they are trying to spin any Obama win as a black win is evidence of that. Obama won Iowa, came in a very close second in NH and achieved the most delegates in Nevada. This was not accomplished on the black vote alone.


This election has degenerated into something that is very UNDEMOCRATIC!!!!

If Hillary gets the nomination, I may sit things out. You can scream and holler and whine at me all you want, but there isn't much difference between what you get with Hillary and what you get with McCain if he is the nominee... Judges, yes, maybe and that is the ONLY thing that will cause me to come out, firmly hold my noise and blacken in that dot. Frankly, McCain is as moderate as Hillary is to the right in "real life". Romney may be too for that matter given his track record in Massachusetts.

I have to be honest and say that I will have a very hard time casting a vote for someone who intimidated others and used dirty political tactics to regain power. And I have a real problem with a co-presidency. Flame away as I know you will. Cherry pick what I'm saying all you want as I know you will. Hillary and Bill are wrong for this country. they are dirty power hungry narcissists. The type of personality they exude has been evident in many past leaders, monarchies, dictatorships throughout the world in the past and the outcome overall has never been good when this kind of powergrab has occurred. When you're in it for yourself, your priorities are misplaced.

[RoveRage]

23. dirty power hungry narcissists?

Yes, I actually agree. BTW, well-written observations.

[Windy]

25. Thank you. I've had it this election cycle. I've been an activist for the last 8 years of bush

and to see what certain members of the democratic party and their supporters are doing after the hijacking of our country and our constitution that has taken place over the bush term is just making me heartsick.

[BeyondGeography]

28. Massive MonkeyFunk blind spot revealed

Ex-Presidents carry the same weight as candidate's wives.

Sucks to be that dumb.

[RoveRage]

29. Tee hee.

[mondo joe]

30. He doesn't carry the same weight, but has the same right to support his spouse.

It's not his fault or Hillary's that he is a greater asset than the other spouses.

[BeyondGeography]

31. He is not bound by the same code of behavior

To whom much is given, much is expected. He commands far greater crowds and far greater media coverage. As an ex-President and best known Democrat in the country, his words carry more weight. He should not be handing oppo strategies and negative quotes about his wife's competition to the opposition; this is ruinous. If Obama is the nominee, the Republicans can run any number of ads rasing fears and concerns about his presidency with Bill Clinton's name on them. Happy now?

Beyond which, the over-the-top attack dog style of his involvement in the campaign makes it clear that this campaign is just as much about him and his legacy as it is about his wife. This will be used against Hillary in the general in ways that you are probably not even beginning to contemplate. What has been barely a net asset in the primaries will be a huge negative in the general.

[mondo joe]

32. You might as well hold it against one football team that its players are faster and stronger.

They're within the ground rules.

Play on!

[BeyondGeography]

33. As a matter of fact, I'm happy to see him make an ass of himself out there

Because that is what he has become. An ass.

[mondo joe]

35. Okay - well enjoy the rest of the season.

:hi:

[RoveRage]

36. Thank you for such a cogent post.

[renate]

37. all excellent points

In fact, I have nothing to add except that I do also sympathize with the position of those who think he should be just as entitled to stick up for his spouse as the other candidates' spouses are. It's just kind of too bad for him that his situation is unique and carries with it responsibilities towards the Democratic party as well as to Hillary. And I guess he feels that getting Hillary elected is more important than Democratic unity at a time when we finally have a chance to cleanse DC of the muck and filth of the last seven years. His choice, although I disagree with him, and he has a right to make it.

I like what Hillary herself said the other day, that the most important thing is to get a Democrat into the White House. I wish Bill would take a few steps back and see that, too.

[RoveRage]

12. Case in point......

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4209083&mesg_id=4209083

[paulk]

13. Greed is about the only thing that explains it all?

Maybe you should explain that statement, because I don't see that as making any sense at all.

That's just the usual bullshit smear that comes from the anti Bill police.

Coupled with the usual "if you don't do what I say, the Republicans will win".

Sounds like bullshit to me.

[RoveRage]

14. "Greed", as in, "win at any cost". Power-lust. n/t

[paulk]

16. alright, Rove rage

you've said your piece.

and it's the usual empty garbage.

you're just another in the endless stream of haters that this board attracts - spouting the usual RW talking points, trashing Bill Clinton like he's been trashed for the last 16 years.

I don't have the time or patience any more to deal with your kind.


it's "ignore" for you.

[RoveRage]

18. Roverage spins and falls to the mat with the sting of paulk's well-aimed strike....

.....but then, he gets to his feet, dusts himself off, and realizes that his flak jacket of indifference has protected him yet again.

[babylonsister]

17. What a champ that Bill is. I kid. nt

[cooolandrew]

22. In one respect if we lose this we may avoid blame for the depression ahead, so positive to everythin

[AtomicKitten]

34. His meds haven't kicked in yet.