Posted on 09/22/2011 6:58:01 AM PDT by Kaslin
If anyone ever believed that the more conservative Bill Clinton really thought the more liberal Barack Obama was prepared to be president in 2008, let them wonder no longer.
Clinton might seem to be in a tight spot, given that his wife works for Obama. But in an interview conducted by Newsmax's CEO, Christopher Ruddy, the former president made it clear that now is neither the time to be increasing taxes nor to be imposing more regulations on businesses and consumers.
Thinking like that from the man who once plummeted to low approval ratings after his first two years of being president is not surprising. Recall that Clinton then turned his political fortunes around in large part by pragmatically embracing some rightward-leaning proposals from a majority-Republican House.
From the open class warfare he's now engaged in, it's plain that President Obama has no intention of following Clinton's example. And after reading the recent interview of him, it's just as plain that Clinton has more knowledge in his little finger than the inexperienced Obama does in his whole body.
This Newsmax interview can be looked upon as a gentle settling of many scores by Clinton with his fellow Democrats, who have led his party into the land of left-wing loons. Clinton also took a strong, if indirect, swipe at his former vice president, Al Gore, when the subject of global warming came up. In short, Clinton said that he himself has decided to dodge the debate over the effort to curb global warming. Why? Because it matters little what the United States does when China still refuses to sign any future agreement on reducing greenhouse gasses.
Now that's obvious enough to most businesspeople, and for that matter to those who closely follow the climate debate. But when Bill Clinton delivers that news in a smack-down, it's the equivalent of him looking at his old "pal" Al and pointing out that he travels in private jets and SUVs -- two items with large "carbon footprints" of their own. (Recall that Gore "dissed" Clinton when Gore ran for president in 2000.)
Let's face it. Bill Clinton thinks that Hillary got a raw deal from both the media and the Democratic National Committee when she ran for president against Obama in '08. And a recent PollPosition survey shows that more Americans say they now would prefer Ms. Clinton to Obama as president. (That is, if they had to have a Democrat in office.)
The Democratic establishment did everything it could to keep Hillary Clinton from winning. For starters, it punished her for the decision by Florida's Republican legislature to move up the date of the '08 Florida presidential primary. Had the DNC allowed the results of the Florida Democratic primary to stand, Ms. Clinton would have surged to a lead in total delegates and Obama likely would have lost momentum.
Also in the Newsmax interview, Bill Clinton gently unloaded on the newest round of Obamanomics. He said Obama's approach to the deficit "is a little bit confusing." Translation: The president has no clue what he is doing.
As for tax increases -- even on millionaires -- Clinton took a swipe at Obama's rather blatant play to stir up class envy. Said Clinton: "We don't have (in the United States) a lot of resentment against people who are successful. We kind of like it, Americans do. It's one of our best characteristics. If we think someone earned their money, we do not resent their success. That's why there's been very little class conflict in American history." In other words, pitting the rest of America against the so called "wealthy" is a dumb idea that could lead to damaging class conflict.
More evidence for my interpretation of Clinton's remarks: He blew off Obama's obsession with tax increases by saying, "I personally don't believe we ought to be raising taxes or cutting spending until we get this economy off the ground." Translation: I don't favor his tax increases, but I'll oppose cuts also, just to appear even-handed.
This amazing interview just kept yielding goodies. There was Clinton suggesting that Obama should pull back from the implementation of new government regulations. "A business can't do five things at once."
And there was his suggestion that the president and Congress should ask corporate America and the banks what it would take to free up the trillions of dollars they are sitting on.
To Clinton critics, yes, he was a Democrat, and a flawed one at that. And yes, he likely will have to water down his remarks or kiss Obama's tail in the next few days because of what he was quoted as saying about the president. But make no mistake. Bill Clinton got his revenge in this interview.
My take on Clinton’s remarks? There’s an implicit conclusion: “But Barack Obama isn’t really an American.”
And on that I’m obliged to agree with the old devil.
Yep.
She's all set with her parodies.
And a parodose.
And a paradem.
Like honor among thieves, is affection among con artists.
Did anyone see the pic on Drudge of Obama and Michelle "kissing"? The body language is all too eloquent. Pure creepy.
Watch out for Bill Clinton’s real reason for spanking Obama.
He and Hillary don’t do anything that doesn’t benefit them.
The country isn’t their highest priority.
Did Obama ask for a second date?
There is as much danger in overestimating the enemy as there is in underestimating it. The GOP -- and a lot of folks here one FR -- in a blind panic made the mistake of overestimating Hillary in 2007. At the time, some of us were trying to get folks to keep their cool, step away from the heat of the moment, chill a bit, and remember that Hillary's popularity was and has always been manufactured by the MSM (as was Obama's), and that it was a mistake to choose the GOP candidate based on "the one who can beat Hillary."
Hillary's popularity is STILL manufactured; it's an illusion -- the majority are repulsed by her. There'd be only two ways she could win: vote fraud, or plurality from a third-party split. Either way, the majority of Americans would be downright furious at her being there, and Congress would swing hard right.
Fear is a good thing when it serves to alarm folks into recognizing a threat. Once fear has accomplished that, however, it should be shoved aside so that measured thinking can step up. Decisions should be made OUTSIDE of fear. Decisions made from a place of fear are almost always bad decisions. Decisons made from a place of courage are almost always going to be smarter decisions.
I hope conservatives have learned from history and avoid indulging the same "fear of Hillary" that they did in 2007.
“He’s only one year older than I am but looks more like 15 to me.”
He’s married to Hillary - give him a break.
Seriously, I have a much easier time listening to Clinton than I do to Obama.
Hillary Clinton enjoys higher marks than President Obama: poll
Poll: Hillary Clinton most liked
News services
CHICAGO – The most popular national political figure in America today was rejected by her own party three years ago: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans hold a favorable view of her and one-third suffer a form of buyer’s remorse, saying the United States would be better off now if she had become president in 2008 instead of Barack Obama.
The finding in the latest Bloomberg National Poll shows a higher level of wishful thinking about a Hillary Clinton presidency than when the question was asked in July 2010. Then, a quarter of Americans held such a view.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110917/NEWS/309179939/-1/NEWS09
Poll: Americans optimistic about Hillary Clinton presidency
She lost the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, but over a third of Americans said the U.S. would be better off now if Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were president, according to a new poll.
The Bloomberg survey released Friday showed 34 percent of those questioned said America would be superior under a Hillary Clinton administration, while 47 percent said it would be about the same and 13 percent said it would be worse.
I would rather have Hillary than Obama. I would rather have Fidel Castro than Obama. I hate Obama like I have never hated anyone.
Long term cocaine use can do that.
Long term cocaine use can do that.
I do not think Hillary will “save” anything. She will be as bad for the country (albeit with slightly different slants) as Obama. But the Democrats are going to start scrambling pretty soon...and Bill is testing the waters IMHO. That’s all.
Please be on your guard -- if that isn't coming from a place of fear, I don't know what is.
Fear is a blessed alert mechanism, but a very BAD guide for action.
And polls are almost as bad a guide as fear. Polls are manipulated and used for manipulation. My observation of politics has taught me that every poll -- even when it tells you what you want to hear -- should be taken with very, very large grains of salt.
I only pay attention to the polls that agree with what I think.
That is such a queer title.
“He’s looking more like a bobblehead every time he speaks.”
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/09/obamas_math_more_fuzz_than_a_peach.html
This is getting weird; first Chris Ruddy announces maybe Soros is not so bad. Now he interviews Bill Clinton, and he’s not so bad either.
I’m getting more than a little worried.
He’ll get no break from me. He and Hilly deserve each other. Not only that, he’s been one of the luckiest sumbeeyotches I know of.
I’ve had cancer and I still look better than he does. His nose is a perfect match for W. C. Fields’.
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