Bill Clinton's tirade stunned some delegates

[CreekDog]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

The Bill Clinton who met privately with California's superdelegates at last weekend's state convention was a far cry from the congenial former president who afterward publicly urged fellow Democrats to "chill out" over the race between his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Barack Obama.

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"It was one of the worst political meetings I have ever attended," one superdelegate said.

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But as the group moved together for the perfunctory photo, Rachel Binah, a former Richardson delegate who now supports Hillary Clinton, told Bill how "sorry" she was to have heard former Clinton campaign manager James Carville call Richardson a "Judas" for backing Obama.

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"Five times to my face (Richardson) said that he would never do that," a red-faced, finger-pointing Clinton erupted.

The former president then went on a tirade that ran from the media's unfair treatment of Hillary to questions about the fairness of the votes in state caucuses that voted for Obama. It ended with him asking delegates to imagine what the reaction would be if Obama was trailing by just 1 percent and people were telling him to drop out.

"It was very, very intense," said one attendee. "Not at all like the Bill of earlier campaigns."

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When delegate Binah - still stunned from her encounter with Clinton - got home to Little River (Mendocino County) later in the day - there was a phone message waiting for her from State Party Chairman Art Torres, telling her the former president wanted him to apologize to her on his behalf for what happened.

Still, word of Clinton's blast shot all the way back to the New Mexico state Capitol, where Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley reiterated Tuesday that his boss had never "promised or guaranteed" Bill and Hillary his endorsement.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/02/BAVNVU2PJ.DTL&tsp=1

[C_U_L8R]

1. FOB BFD

No one wants the silly self-serving politics of The Clintons anymore.
They're dinosaurs.

[screembloodymurder]

2. Anger is a very common after effect of heart surgery.

His condition may, in fact, be medical.

[cali]

3. Yep. I was just going to post that.

[olkaz]

5. He's got to ease up, take his own advice.

Jesus, red-faced, screaming, pointing fingers?

Was Chris Wallace in the room or something? Why is he losing his cool like this?

[karynnj]

32. It's become his hobby

He always had the reputation of getting this angry out of the public eye - which I never believed as it never showed. But, this is the first time since 1992 where he is as out in public as he is. He obviously is less able or sees less need to controlling this side of him.

[arewenotdemo]

60. that sounds right

Dick Morris has shed a bit of light on the Big Dog's temper. And I believe Morris.

[havocmom]

8. Then he should be resting

outside of the public arena

My fear, from watching BOTH of the Clintons, is that they are worse than dinosaurs. They are appearing DINOS more concerned with protecting and maintaining the status quo that with protecting America and advancing the ideals of the Democratic party.

It is looking too much like Bill's travels with 41 has allowed the BFEE to find and meet Bill's price.

[invictus]

21. I heard it's a common after effect of surviving sniper fire too.Call it Traumatic Stress Disorder nt

[lisa58]

28. Is that true?

I would like to know more about that because Bill's temper has really pissed me off and if it can be explained by a medical condition I would be more patient with him.

[yardwork]

30. Bill Clinton has been famous for his temper tantrums for decades.

Long before his heart surgery.

[polpilot]

39. Clue #1 for lack of intelligence. His identity with Arkansas has always been evident.

[yardwork]

43. I don't agree with your premise or your slam against Arkansas.

Many highly intelligent people have quick tempers. The two are not correlated, as far as I can tell.

And slamming entire states is not conducive to winning elections. Shame on you.

[polpilot]

52. 'Many highly intelligent people have quick tempers' Book & Page?

I'm not running for office or concerned about 'slamming entire states' but pulling the statistics on Arkansas will give you an overview of the political/social/economics and not one that one would like replicated on a national scale. But to the point: Bill & Hill's political talents were germinated in Arkansas and politicking in Arkansas is quite different from the national scene. Example: The 'sniper episode' would be debated in Arkansas up to and past the general without resolution or effect. Nationally, it's quite different. Bill & Hill have never understood that the 'camera is always on'.

[Independent-Voter]

34. Occam's Razor suggests that he was simply being an asshole

No need to make excuses for Bill.

[TwilightGardener]

49. Yeah, RIGHT after. Not YEARS after. Please.

[Apollo11]

4. It's nice to see a man who puts his wife first.

But that Carville dude and his wife are just creepy.

[Quixote1818]

53. I think Bill will take his wifes loss as a reflection of how people see him

and his presidency.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

56. I think Bill is becoming a bit desperate...

He gained a lot of power and money while he was in the White House. A second chance is within reach, it must be frustrating.

[Beacool]

6. Not to justify Bill's outburst,

but this part is true:

"Five times to my face (Richardson) said that he would never do that," a red-faced, finger-pointing Clinton erupted.

Richardson said the same thing to a handful of people who prefer not to go on record. That's why Carville was so furious at what they perceive as Richardson's betrayal. It's not cool to tell someone to their face that you won't endorse their opponent and then turn around and talk to that opponent and tell him that you will endorse him after you return from vacation.

A person's word is his bond and Richardson lied to Bill, Hillary and these other people to their face.

Believe it, don't believe it, but Richardson knows that it's the truth.

[cali]

9. You provide NO evidence whatsoever so of course only fools or

hillbots would take YOUR word for it.

[Beacool]

14. Well, I did say that these people didn't want to go on the record,

didn't I? Not everyone who posts here is an outsider. There are some of us who know enough of the players to be able to find the truth. Of course there's no link to this because it's not in the media. Carville did allude to it when he said that there was more to it and that's why he wasn't retracting his statement. Please note that he also said that this was the first time that he had come down on anyone who had decided to endorse Obama. Why do you think he said that? It was because Richardson's betrayal was personal. He was entitled to endorse anyone he chose, but he shouldn't have lied to friends to their face.

[EmilyAnne]

16. Thanks for posting what you know. I can imagine it was hurtful to the Clintons for Richardson to

endorse Obama, especially if what you say is true. It doesn't make Richardson a bad person. People change their minds. I think the decision was really tough for Richardson, but I really believe he did what he thought was right. I also believe that, for a long time, he really believed that he should and would endorse Hillary. Something changed. It sucks, of course, because either way, someone was going to be hurt.

I understand Bill's frustration about this. He's talking about his wife, after all. He has the right to get red faced and upset. He's a human being.

[Beacool]

50. Richardson has a right to endorse whomever he pleases,

what is not cool is to lie to people to their face saying that you are not going to endorse someone when you already had made up your mind to do so. He should have told them the truth and left it at that. Instead, he said one thing to the Clintons, another to Obama and all in the same time frame. He then went on vacation. That's why they are so angry at him.

[CTyankee]

57. But why would he do that? I can't understand why he would say something

that he knew was not the truth to Bill Clinton. Surely, Richardson is smart enough to know that sooner or later he would suffer for it. The honest and upright thing to do would be for Richardson to have come clean privately with Bill and Hillary, face it directly, tell them the reasons and also be prepared for them to react badly. He intensified the effect himself by not being forthright. As the saying goes "You can pay me now or you canpay me later." Only later was worse, in this instance.

[Beacool]

59. Who knows why he did it that way?

My personal opinion is that he didn't have the cojones to look at them in the eye and tell them that he would be endorsing her opponent. I think that he chickened out and sought the easy way out: a phone call from a safe distance. It was a cowardly thing to do and he earned the derision of a group of people (not just the Clintons) who had considered him up to that point a friend.

[snooper2]

66. I would trust Richardson before either Clinton..

Both Hillary and Bill C. have a DOCUMENTED history of lies....

[redqueen]

15. "A person's word is his bond... "

unless it's about NAFTA, sniper fire, income, earmarks, etc?

[my3boyz]

42. Or about signing a pledge agreeing that Florida/Michigan delegates don't count..nt

[redqueen]

44. And even saying herself that those states didn't matter.

And then turning around and saying she'd always fought for their votes to count.

Spin, spin, spin...

[Catherina]

19. "A person's word is his bond" That's how I feel about Snipergate

not to mention a whole host of other lies Hillary's told.

[americanstranger]

24. That makes me wonder why Richardson switched.

If he intended to endorse Hillary then switched, he must have seen something that really bothered him.

Must have been bad.

- as

[CTyankee]

64. I don't think so (altho of course I don't know!). But just my sense about human nature

tells me to suspect that he saw the handwriting on the wall for Clinton and decided to jump on Obama's bandwagon, so he could get a good spot in his administration. OR, he had a personal grudge that we know nothing about. People can get ugly over minor stuff that just offends their egos. I've seen it happen a lot, and often to people who should really just rise above it...

[lisa58]

25. Richardson also said that Hillary's endorsement of McCain...

...as well as the negative Clinton campaign strategy was what caused him to change his mind - he didn't let down the Clintons, the Clintons let him down.

[karynnj]

37. handful of people who prefer not to go on record.???

Even if true, by all accounts he called the Clintons before he made the endorsement. It may be that some of the praising McCain at the expense of the likely nominee made him change his mind on whether he would endorse. Had he said he wouldn't when his arm was being twisted and then NOT called the Clintons, you would have a point - but he did call and tell them he was changing his mind.

[merh]

7. So, Bill can't make his own apology calls

that is just rude and egotistical - they are imploding.

[havocmom]

10. Team Clinton doin 'the Fonz'. Can't admit mistakes & say 'I'm sorry'

Jumped shark while tryin to look cool.

[merh]

17. It's sad really

but I've figured this would happen - the buddy status with Poppy has always made my skin crawl.

He is looking like a jealous rock star or film idol, one that isn't on top any longer and will do what he can to trash the guy who is selling more albums or tickets.

[Demeter]

11. Payback is a Bitch, Bill

Don't try to deny that you didn't tick Bill Richardson off several times during your reign of power. And he wasn't the only one. And then Hillary always trying to go one better on you...

Those that live by betrayal are so surprised by it.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. Expect more if this crap if Clinton was ever on the ticket. n/t

[progressoid]

13. Ooh, repeatedly losing your temper is a bad sign

sounds a bit desperate.

[L0oniX]

18. I think Bill needs to get laid.

:evilgrin:

[JimGinPA]

22. LOL

[invictus]

20. The Clintons are probably the biggest a-holes in politics right now. Even John McCain who is probabl

mentally unstable, manages to control his temper in public long enough to get what he wants.

[havocmom]

23. DO NOT suggest that McCain might be better at something

EVER.

Take a close look at the Supreme Court as it is now and think about how it could look soon if McCain were to become the PNACer puppet for the next four years.

[GarbagemanLB]

26. He is a douchebag but at least he was classy enough to defend Obama on the Wright issue. Hillary

used it as an opportunity to throw a 8,000 member church under the bus. Disgusting.

[invictus]

27. Tell Hillary that. n/t

[havocmom]

54. Hey, I've tried.

No fan of HRC here, but I would vote for a real live ass (donkey)this year if it was running against McCain!

The Supreme Court is the Prize. NEVER take your eyes off the prize. We either save America or lose it to the criminals by the whims of who gets named to that court in the next few years.

[DerekJ]

29. You mean like, the "CIC threshold", or "life time of experience".

:grr:

[yardwork]

33. No, McCain does not control his temper in public. He melts down regularly.

[tammywammy]

62. I can't wait for the debates

:)

[yardwork]

68. Me too!

:-)

[book_worm]

31. Bill is the kind of guy who asks others to apologize for his behavior?

Charming.

[CountAllVotes]

46. BC lost it with his welfare reform

I've seen that red faced finger pointing awhole before. It was when he was pushing through his "welfare reform". :mad:

I have not forgotten it needless to say. Ever since that time, I have had ZERO respect for Bill Clinton. Needless to say, his wife Shillary doesn't impress me one tiny little bit.

Keep on pointing your finger and getting red faced Bill. Let the entire world see the REAL YOU!

:dem:

[MagickMuffin]

58. Bill was also responsible for shipping inmates across state lines

making it harder for their families to visit their loved ones. It was an unnecessary hardship.

[VolcanoJen]

35. Red-faced, pointy-finger Bill sucks.

I miss the former President. I really do.

[beachmom]

36. Hmmm ... this actually makes me sad. nt

[hisownpetard]

38. Before this year's campaign, Bill Clinton loomed large as a Democratic figurehead. The longer

it goes on, the smaller he seems, diminished by his own petty behavior.

This kind of exposure only reminds people of the things we didn't like, the political chicanery that went on surrounding
anything Clintonian. Makes me yearn even more for the kind of change Obama would bring.

It's also hard to draw a line, when discussing Bill's behavior, between how much of what he's doing is to defend his wife
and how much of it is his humungous ego, getting in the way.

[Arugula Latte]

40. Gee, I personally just love it when the Clintons scold us and shake their fingers at us

and tell us to chill out and get real. So charming. :eyes:

[Buzz Clik]

41. That's a shame. Clinton's legacy is slowly swirling in the commode.

Bill Clinton had every opportunity to be the Democrats answer to Ronald Reagan in terms of the most beloved President.

Damn.

[mmonk]

45. I don't think Richardson was planning to endorse when he did.

He saw the negative effects of the primary beginning to take its toll on the party. If you know Richardson, he was the main one that didn't want democrats going negative on each other.

[zulchzulu]

47. Bill can go fuck himself and if I ever meet him, I'll say it right to his face

He is a scumbag who is not to be trusted.

I can't wait until the Clintons release their tax records in a couple weeks. We can then firmly stomp on them and show them the fucking door.

[TomBall Democrat]

51. ditto

I've spent nearly 20 years defending those bums.

Over it.

Moving on

Anyone but a Clinton or a Bush.

[bridgit]

48. The so-called 'super-delegate' system should be abolished, set both HRC & BO's...

super-delegates free to do whatever they so choose. It seems some ultimate ego position to hold; and smacks of a micro Electoral College which I'd also like to se go away.

[Justitia]

55. Why on earth would anyone want this crap in the White House again? What an entitlement attitude and

shitty way to treat your own supporters.

For as much as they bellow about "loyalty", they think nothing of scalping their own.

You reap what you sow Bill.

This bullshit is like the last thing we need among Democrats at the moment.

[Jed Dilligan]

61. You know what?

I'd rather have politicians lying to each other than to me.

[kwenu]

63. Cut him a break. He knows Hillary is losing bad and out of cash. Plus he has to release his taxes.

[invictus]

65. I don't think Richardson ever said that. It's yet another Clinton lie. n/t

[BooScout]

67. He has every right to be angry....

I'm angry as hell at a lot of back stabbing Democrats that have ridden the Clinton's coat tails for years and now stabbed them in the back too.