President Clinton Sees Post-Iowa 'Tidal Wave,' Faults Press for Obama 'Fairy Tale'

[WillyT]

<snip>

Just hours after his wife got choked up on the campaign trail, President Clinton showed anger and frustration as he complained that the press has given a free pass to the nascent front-runner in the Democratic presidential contest, Senator Obama of Illinois.

"It is wrong that Senator Obama got to go through 15 debates trumpeting his superior judgment and how he had been against the war in every year, enumerating the years, and never got asked one time--not once, 'Well, how could you say that when you said in 2004 you didn't know how you would have voted on the resolution? You said in 2004 there was no difference between you and George Bush on the war. And you took that speech you're now running on off your Web site in 2004. And there's no difference in your voting record and Hillary's ever since.'" Mr. Clinton said at a town-hall style meeting Monday afternoon at Dartmouth College. "Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen."

Mr. Clinton's answer came in response to a questioner who challenged Senator Clinton's pollster and chief strategist, Mark Penn, for being unduly negative in a memo he sent out Saturday claiming Mr. Obama got no bounce out of Iowa. He has since picked up about 10% in several polls.

"The bounce always occurs on the second day not the first day," Mr. Clinton said, conceding the mistake before turning the table on the questioner and the Obama camp. "What did you think about the Obama thing calling Hillary the senator from Punjab? Did you like that? Or what about the Obama handout that was covered up, the press never reported on, implying that I was a crook. Scouring me—scathing criticism over my financial reports. Ken Starr spent $70 million to find out that I wouldn't take a nickel to see the cow jump over the moon."

"So you can take a shot at Mark Penn if you want. It wasn't his best day. He was hurt. He felt badly we didn't do better in Iowa," Mr. Clinton explained during the forum. "But the idea that one of these campaigns is positive and the other is negative when I know the reverse is true and I have seen it and I have been blistered by it for months is a little tough to take. Just because of the sanitizing coverage that's in the media doesn't mean the facts aren't out there."

At that point, Mr. Clinton seemed to realize he had launched into a bit of a finger-wagging tirade. "Otherwise, I don't have any strong feelings about that subject," he joked, before turning to another question.

<snip>

Link: http://www.latestpolitics.com/blog/2008/01/president-clinton-sees-post-iowa.html

Watch out Bill, you might become the first ex-Black ex-President of the United States.

:shrug:

[Purveyor]

1. I watched a Hillary speech last night that had Bill and Chelsea standing behind her.

More interesting than her words was the bizarre facial/body expressions that Bill displayed throughout the address.

Keep him off your stage Hil. He is a distraction.

[anamandujano]

2. If the corporate media & the Repukes

like Obama, we should all wonder why.

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. We should indeed wonder why?

[tabasco]

5. LMAO!!! They did their level BEST to prop up Queen Hillary.

But there comes a time when votes are actually cast and they have to report the truth.

[cooolandrew]

3. Very intresting post.

[Didereaux]

6. I think maybe that the fire they are showing now is the fire they should have been showing all along

The biggest negative on Clinton all along has been the assumption of title before the fact. The public is angry, angry with Dem Congress for not stopping the war and prosecuting criminals in office, they are angry at the administration for lying to them about the war, for lying about many other things, for high oil, for billions wasted at home and abroad that seemingly went directly from US treasury into crimial corps pockets, angy at themselves fro being duped in the first place and on and on and on. You do not get electected or supported by making yourself appear aloof and above such petty feelings. You get yourself elected by being angry(or at least appearing to be so) at the same things, and adamantly stating your intentions to do something about these things.

The Clintons and their advisers uncharacteristically opted for the statesman approach...it may be to late to recover. Then again the American electorate has the memory and attention span of a hog, and if Clinton goes full bore on the attack, not against the other candidates, but against those the people are mad at, the people may just conclude that she would have more clout and would be more apt to 'kill' the bad guys than would the other candidates.

that strategy could also work just as well for Edwards...get off the narrow anti-bigbidness soapbax and onto a larger stage that would allow all the other 'anger items' to be hammered at. The voters don't really give a crap about 'feel good' Oprahesque new-age yuppy clap-trap...not when layed side by side with Bush & Co. They will go back to ohmani kas, and kumbaya AFTER the bloddletting and burnings are over.

[anamandujano]

9. I couldn't agree more about the anger.

I haven't really been following the campaigns until very recently. At this point I'm not supporting anyone (only caring that they be a democrat), mostly defending when I think something is unfair.

So perhaps I missed some early on attitude of entitlement, however, I have watched Hillary endure years upon years of abuse since she first hit the scene. I tend to doubt that she has been treated halfway decently this time around. I'm guessing this mainly because I have a good friend in NY who is very intelligent but stuck watching the mainstream corporate media, including the cable staples, and she has been bashing Hillary relentlessly using, of course, the information she gets from the people whose large checks get written by Repuke owners of the media.

I was very blue about the two stolen elections and totally checked out. I'm still not sure if it's worth voting anymore since we will no doubt get more of same. I'm back here trying to get a sense of things mainly because of the Hillary bashing of my friend. I defended her just for sport. It was fairly easy though because I watched her speak many times when Bill was pres and know that she is brilliant, hard working and no nonsense--what I seek in a president.

[mdmc]

7. I hope he is wrong

[XemaSab]

8. Mark Penn has FEELINGS?

Who knew? :shrug: