CLINTON Kicks Some Heckler's Ass

[liberalpragmatist]

From NY Daily News

Clinton repels park snark

Bill Clinton fought back when he ran into a verbal mugging in Central Park.

The former President is said to have been strolling through the park with his Secret Service team recently when a man pushing a stroller taunted, "You were an embarrassment to the office of commander-in-chief."

Lakshmi Kumar, writing in Citizen Culture magazine, says she saw Clinton stop and deftly tell his heckler, "Oh, really? I think I did a helluva job.... I'll admit I misled people about my personal life. And I have even apologized for it, but I never misled the people about policy and I certainly never misled the people about going to war."

Clinton is said to have spent 45 minutes taking questions from a mostly adoring crowd, then told his detractor: "I hope your children turn out to be as perfect as you are, sir."

The group applauded and Bill walked to a nearby SUV, where, Kumar says, Sen. Hillary Clinton looked impatient.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/262079p-224420c.html

[AllegroRondo]

1. Bush would have had that guy shipped to Gitmo

[proud patriot]

4. yep , had it been bush the heckler would of been arrested

No doubt about it .

I love the way Dems take Hecklers head on instead
of disappearing them

[underpants]

8. "Who cares what you think?" -remember that one?

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/03/19/bush_encounter/index_np.html

It was July 4, 2001, and we were both at one of those things that the late historian Daniel Boorstin would have labeled a "pseudo-event:" A church picnic in Philadelphia, designed to help George W. Bush promote his faith-based policies. I was working at the time for a local nonprofit that had helped set it up, but I had some serious misgivings about the president's performance up to that point, and being a part of the whole operation had left me feeling a bit like a pseudo-person. So when I had the chance to shake Bush's hand, I said, "Mr. President, I'm very disappointed in your work so far. I hope you only serve four years."

His smiling response was swift: "Who cares what you think?"

[BrklynLiberal]

13. self deleted

[XemaSab]

35. "Who cares what you think?"

I've heard a few reports of that kind of response from him. The other variation is:

"Nobody cares about you."

Whispered ominously.

[maxsolomon]

9. bush will never encounter a heckler

any conceit that he's a "man of the people" will be dispelled once he's left office (believe: it will happen, sooner or later) as he will never encounter "the people". he will never stroll in central park, he will never get a latte in a blue city. he will never have to answer to a single soul for his crimes.

its going to be all limos, lear jets, and gated compounds, just like now.

[BrklynLiberal]

11. Just like his Dad!!!

[BlueEyedSon]

5. Nah... shot on the spot.

[Cocoa]

2. maybe Clinton changed that heckler

gave him something to think about, especially the part about his children...

[fertilizeonarbusto]

3. Still miss you, Big Dog!

n/t

[SharonRB]

21. You and me both n/t

[bunny planet]

31. Me too!!!

[Pachamama]

6. Great Line-"I hope your children turn out to be as perfect as you are,sir"

I'll have to remember that one....perfect comeback...I'm sure that idiot who challenged Clinton will have to think about that one....

Can you imagine? Whenever his kids screw up, he'll always ask himself "Are they being like me?" or "I'm I failing as a parent?"

[BrklynLiberal]

7. Read this and had to laugh..The Repugs run from hecklers and the Dems take

them on and win!!!!! What a telling difference!!!! Intelligence and facts vs bullies and cowards

[Wickerman]

10. News can't resist their dig, though can they?

The group applauded and Bill walked to a nearby SUV, where, Kumar says, Sen. Hillary Clinton looked impatient.

Get a fucking life, media.

[liberalpragmatist]

12. Oh, I dunno - it sounds pretty innocuous to me

It just adds to the humor of the piece. I didn't read it as a dig at Hillary. If anything it just sort of reinforces the (true) image of Bill as someone who's perpetually tardy.

[Iris]

18. It's the seemingliy innocuous bits that are so insidious. n/t

[Bethany Rockafella]

14. Heh, I was goanna post on that comment too.

>>Sen. Hillary Clinton looked impatient.

Imo, that is only the writer's opinion. But she probably did look impatient because we all know how Sweet William Jefferson Clinton loves to talk!

[President Jesus]

19. First, the News was reporting on a stroy from another pub...

Second, wouldn't anyone be impatient if they had to wait 45 minutes in a car. Mountain, meet molehill.

[Wickerman]

26. Oh yeah, strong point - the media was entirely fair to B. Clinton

but has been really harsh on Bush. :eyes:

The same crap is starting (or continuing) with Hillary as the media would love her to be the nominee in 2008. The comment was opinion and is the kind of insidious crap that subtley informs the public perception of a pol. What perception were we shaping here? Long-suffering wife? Bill getting all the attention? Hillary the powerful b-----?

Whether the News was merely servicing the piece or not, thats irrelevant -the comment had no place in respectable journalism.

[President Jesus]

27. respectable journalism???? Jesus, man, this is a gossip column!

Again: mountain, meet molehill.

[Wickerman]

28. Precisely, what, is your point?

edit tpyo

[President Jesus]

29. the point is you're idicting 'the media' because of a tabloid puff piece

it just smacks of crying wolf.

[Wickerman]

30. Unusual battles you choose to fight

and, no matter how many cliches we want to toss about, I don't see the issue as a "Mountain out of a Molehill" or "Crying Wolf".

I offered commentary that the piece got its dig in. Yep, it did, tabloid or not. A simple and reasonable response would be yep, they did, but it really doesn't make much difference, its only a tabloid. One could interpret such comments as represented by the previously mentioned cliches as needlessly caustic.

Of course, I will also take exception to the actual statements. Crying Wolf? Uh, been around media in general for the last, say 12 years? See any subtle character assasination of Dem pols? I think perception of attacks, no matter how subtle on the Clinton family can hardly be called crying wolf. Mountain out of a molehill? Harldy - it was a comment on the continued stream of crap media or "tabloids" (slight difference these days) has dumped on us since Clinton smacked BushI in '92.

And, of course, this is a message board. A message board for progressives. We are allowed to bitch about the media and other things seen Right Wing. If I were to write into their letters column and bitch, then, yeah, I'd say you have a point.

[President Jesus]

33. whatever. crying about 'the media' is always a chump's game

The second anyone blames 'the media' from either the right or left, you automatically know they're on the losing side of a struggle.

In case you didn't read the gossip piece in question, it's actually quite positive toward the Clintons.

peace.

[Wickerman]

34. I read it

I commented on one piece, most agree - chumps game indeed.

[Piperay]

32. Yeah, that irked me too

how the hell do they know whether Hillary was impatient or not and if she was who was she impatient with and why...they don't know shit! x(

[Ron Green]

15. Notice how RWer always use the term "commander-in-chief?"

To them, that's the most important function of the president of the US. It's part of the non-stop fearmongering and war-awareness. It's become their language.

[President Jesus]

20. consistent with the term "right winger," isn't it?

[VolcanoJen]

16. Is it just me?

Those words don't sound like anything that would come out of Bill Clinton's mouth. He just doesn't talk like that.

"Helluva?" "I misled people about my personal life?" "I hope your children..."!!!

I also don't think Bill would admit to believing Bush misled the country into war.

Maybe it's just me, but the story sounds embellished, up to and including the "Hillary looked impatient" part.

[Pacifist Patriot]

17. Nope, not just you.

I've spoken with Bill Clinton and while he can come across as extremely folksy that just doesn't sound like him. Granted, I had access to him when he was Governor and that was awhile ago. Maybe he's changed.

[ArkDem]

22. Had access?

[Pacifist Patriot]

23. Able to speak to him.

Presidential status changed all that. Nothing nefarious or scandalous implied. :D

[robbedvoter]

24. Arkansas project here only pops in Clinton/Clark threads.

Always making everything sound...nefarious. It's his job :shrug:
Loves peddling Whitewater.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

37. Yes, I've noticed that too...wonder why he's still hanging out here? nt

MKJ

[Scout1071]

36. I dunno

I saw him speak this summer and he just told Peter Jennings off as well. I actually think it does sound like something he would say.

[lojasmo]

25. He's sounding a lot like that lately

I believe it happened just that way. He has nothing to lose now, he can be himself.

[LibDemAlways]

38. The best response Clinton could possibly have given

would have been, "Sir, You seem to be confusing me with George Bush."
No further comment necessary.

[Peggy Day]

39. Clinton for head of DNC nt