The Atlantic - Latest Comments in Clinton does it again

Re: Clinton does it again

Doctor Jay — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:21:41 -0000

I'd like to put another possibility on the table.

Perhaps Bill is playing up the conflict as a way of generating drama and driving media coverage to Hillary's speech and his. So more people will be watching and they will be all the more impressed when Hillary (and he) does what would ordinarily be considered ho-hum, endorsing Obama.

I don't know why it would be ho-hum, given what Jerry Brown, Ted Kennedy and Jesse Jackson did as second-place finishers, but in the minds of the media and the public, those performances are long forgotten.

I'm not saying that's what he's doing, but he IS Slick Willie.

Re: Clinton does it again

Nathan — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:16:06 -0000

This comment by Bill Clinton was taken totally out of context and the article's writer turned another completely benign statement into 'Bill Clinton dissing Obama' - pretty much what's been happening this entire campaign. Bill Clinton is NOT the problem; HRC is NOT the problem. The problem is McCain loving "journalists" looking to invent a rivalry thats not there and the douche-nozzle leftists calling this another part of Bill's neurosis or Oedepal complex or whatever poor man's psychological crap they've read somewhere on Andrew Sullivan's blog. Bill and Hillary Clinton will be Obama's best friends in the long run - both to get elected and to help him when he's in office. Put this crap behind us for good. Trashing the Clinton's will destroy Obama's candidacy - and the Republicans know it, so they're encouraging it. And on a related subject, for everyone who voted for Nader in 2000 and carries a hatchet for the Clintons to this day, go blow somebody.

Re: Clinton does it again

Asher — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:04:57 -0000

Not disgusting at all. Besides that he'd obviously love to see McCain get elected so they can run again in 2012, maybe he honestly thinks McCain would make a better President. Clinton isn't so liberal that he has a great deal to disagree with in the McCain programme.

Re: Clinton does it again

JC — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:49:25 -0000

Well, my own thought is that this is part and parcel of Bill Clinton. As completely talented as Bill Clinton is (perhaps was), there was always that drama aspect around his administrations - his documented rages against, say, for example, Stephanopoulus, I've read about, the leak central nature of various people in his administration. (In this way, "no drama Obama" will run a much more calm administration - and will probably be a better one for it, or at least, that's my hope).

My own take would be, Clinton's PASSIONS were never really that regulated (as we know). He never had great control of those (and this might show up in an offhand comment, as part of a speech, and then get distorted out of context by reporters looking for a story).

I'm only saying that - performance, both in speaking, (and also as an executive) - I would bet on Bill Clinton.

Take any high performing athlete, who have trouble controlling their emotions, and doing stupid things, as a template. The skills can't be denied.

Re: Clinton does it again

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:39:21 -0000

Yeah, maybe I'm just peeved about this and the Rendell thing. I can go with you and say I'm overdoing it. But WTF happened to this dude as "the greatest politician of his generation?" The first lesson is message discipline. How can he not have that down? How did he think that would get reported?

Re: Clinton does it again

socctty — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:35:18 -0000

Dude's like an embarrassing old uncle, sticks his dick in the potatoes at Thanksgiving.

Re: Clinton does it again

JC — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:35:14 -0000

Looks like Darius and I were thinking alike.

In any event - I have yet to see Bill Clinton not nail all the expectations and objectives that were required in a speech. He's older now, and of course, hasn't been practicing being a disciplined politician, but until I see him fail in a speech, from age or lack of practice, or a combination of both, I'm going to place my bet that Bill Clinton will rock the house, take it right to McCain/Bush, AND, in the process, offer a glowing endorsement of Barack Obama.

Re: Clinton does it again

JC — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:23:03 -0000

And most likely, taken out of context.

Note, long, talk, given by him - "The former president devoted much of his sometimes-rambling remarks to solving the global energy crisis and the need to address climate change."

Note - he specifically says ""This has nothing to do with what's going on now."

You've GOT to read this Media Matters article on Hillary Clinton, and previous elections - http://mediamatters.org/columns/200808260005

(I've tried href tags before, didn't seem to work).

TNC - don't believe the hype. You keep falling for these stories, when, as the Boehlert article points out, NO contest has been as close, and yet Clinton is the ONLY democratic rival in a close content, to come out so strongly for the eventual winner.

Re: Clinton does it again

Darius — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:21:36 -0000

In all fairness to Bill, the article doesn't provide any context; we really have no idea what he was actually talking about.

In any case, we'll see what happens tomorrow.