"Americans don't want Bill Clinton roaming the halls of the White House with nothing to do."

[Nitrogenica]

This is an attack we're going to face from Republicans over and over and over again if Hillary is our nominee.

As the disgusting witch Mary Matalin said on Meet the Press, "The crossovers do not want Bill, as Mitt Romney said, "roaming around in the White House with nothing to do." And it's evidenced by everything he said that he cannot do nothing. He's always the man in motion."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22976998/page/3/


Will Hillary Clinton be able to effectively counter this smear?

If you answer yes, I'd like to know your thoughts on the reason(s) why, as I do not believe she will effectively defend the smear.

I think she will run away from it, or try to distract from it.

Will Hillary Clinton effectively defend Bill Clinton's return to the Whitehouse?

[GarbagemanLB]

1. You can't run on 'changing the status quo' and have the last name Clinton.

[nichomachus]

2. First of all, it's not a smear

Bill can't keep his nose out of things. In fact, if I were Hillary, I'd worry about him working on his own agenda behind the scenes -- can you say Colombia trade agreement?

If his performance on the campaign trail is any indication of his performance as first husband, we're in for another four years of a Clinton Three Ring Circus.

And Hillary would be well advised to make sure that all White House aides were elderly women or men. Put Bill in a building full of 20- and 30-something women and it's gonna be mayhem.

[MADem]

3. It's easy to defend, because it is what is called a "cheap shot."

Clinton is separated from his Monica mess by over a decade and major heart surgery. He's an older man, now. A big dog, but a slower one, too.

Run away? Distract? Hell no. Just say, in slightly more 'politic' tones, "What kind of pathetic, lame asshole flings shit like that?"

And McCain has a "ladies" problem himself--one that's quite recent and could be dragged up, if "they" want to play it that way.

[msongs]

4. 8 years of peace and prosperity - give bill an important job and send him out nt

[cali]

5. he'a a serial philanderer

and there are new rumors of bill affairs. of course his history and his new rumored affairs will be front and center if she's the nominee. It's delusional to think otherwise.

[MADem]

10. Sure, whatever you say. Rumors spread by rightwing sources are always so reliable. NT

[cali]

15. it has nothing to do with whether it's reliable

and who do you think we'll be fighting in the general, genius? The right wing, duh.

[MADem]

20. Sure, whatever you say "genius." Guess you haven't noticed who the GOP has running, eh? NT

[Nitrogenica]

21. So you don't think the righties will play this card over and over and over again?

[MADem]

28. Absolutely not. Because what goes around, comes around. NT

[Nitrogenica]

31. I disagree. Let's touch base again in September and see who's right then.

"Because what goes around comes around" suggests the righties are afraid to attack us.

You think the Republican party is too afraid of Clinton to attack her?

[MADem]

35. You misapprehend what I was saying. I wasn't suggesting fear as a demotivator at all.

I was suggesting CERTAIN retribution.

They're not stupid.

Monica has been done to death. McCain with a hottie who looks freakishly like his wife, only a bit YOUNGER, is an interesting story. If we want to bring it up, that is...and just give us a reason.

[Nitrogenica]

36. Well we're going to run the story on McCain weather they go after Bill or not.

I think the Republicans know that.

[MADem]

37. I don't think so. Not unless provoked. We'll see. nt

[BzaDem]

YAY FOR RIGHT WING ATTACKS!

I'm really wondering if you were saying the same thing in 1998.

[roseBudd]

11. I disagree McCain has no semen stained dress, or tape recorded phone calls, McCain can deny

Bill cannot.

If Bill had testicular cancer his health might quash those thoughts, heart surgery does not make him impotent

[MADem]

14. McCain had a lobbyist pal that was "waved off" by staff. The NYT did a poor job of sourcing

their story, and overplayed it as a consequence. If those sources go public, McCain could have trouble.

Like I said, over a decade and major heart surgery separate Clinton from that unfortunate episode. Any attempt to go after him now would look like recycling, even if it isn't.

And Spitzer/Paterson/Mrs. Paterson, and McGreavey et. al., have rather taken the shock value out of that sort of reportage, anyway.

It's why no one is dogging McCain overmuch.

[gateley]

6. I'd rather have him roaming around with nothing to do

than to have any hand in the next administration.

He lost my trust a LONG time ago.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

8. would he leave the grounds to get his next hummers, or would

hillary have to go to Bosnia and other foreign countries while he did that.

[gateley]

9. His hummers have nothing to do with my distrust of him. nt

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

12. its the chaos, the craziness, and I'd hate for Hillary to face more sniper fire

in Bosnia or other places too dangerous to send Bill.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

7. its not a smear - Bill's "job" tends to run against Hillary's claimed policies

we don't need him making money pushing more free trade deals or helping
Chinese internet companies round up Tibetan activists.

we don't need him trying to be president while she tries to fight the vast
right wing conspiracy again.

we don't need more of the chaos and madness and divisiveness that the
two of them bring to our govt.

she's part of the corporatists who will keep our wages down, export more jobs
to India (like she's doing for NY) and keep us from ever getting health care.

It would be like an insane asyllum to have both of them in the White House,
with Bill thinking he is running things, once Hillary would be "inaugurated".

[undeterred]

13. He wouldn't be doing nothing.

He'd be making trouble.

[galaxy21]

16. Bill probably still has affairs even now

Him and Hillary are rumoured to only spend a few nights together a month, I find it hard to believe he's saint.

Of course it's a cheap shot, but there is a point there: if Hillary's the nominee, how will another bimbo erruption look? The republicans supposedly have 5 or 6 of bill's girlfreinds waiting in the wings to use against her.

[QC]

17. Democratic Underground has lately become Free Republic II.

Are you proud of the role you are playing in that?

[Nitrogenica]

18. I think it is a legitimate question that we will all be talking about

if she's our nominee.

The righties will use this, and as I've shown with my post, they have already.

Deal with the reality of that, or pretend they won't, it's your choice.

This has not been, as they say, "vetted".

[galaxy21]

23. Poor Bill...Gerald Ford thought he had a sex addiction and needed treatment

Let's face it, if this was Michelle Obama who was rumoured to have had various affairs, the Hillary supporters would be arguing its another issue for Barack's unelectability, but since it's Bill well 'that's bill, what can you do?'

[MADem]

38. It depresses my regard for the forum, that's for sure. NT

[Nitrogenica]

40. Sometimes reality sucks. I just know these attacks are coming, as will

the attacks on Obama.

Who has a better chance of surviving it all?

It's an important discussion for us to have, rather than the smaller picture "he-said she-said" attacks against our own, we should be preparing for what the republicans have in store for us after we decide our nominee.

The Republicans think Hillary is easier to beat than Obama. Have you ever wondered why?

Why has my brother, long time Republican, told me he voted for Hillary so he can vote against her in the fall?

Why did Rush push for the same thing?

Are we supposed to just ignore that?

[MADem]

41. I've heard the same anecdotal logic about Obama. Vote for him to vote against him...

Many of Obama's victories were at caucuses, where organizing can trump popular support, especially when your support comes from old people who DO vote but don't caucus. And many of his victories were in historically red states.

I happen to think HRC is the stronger candidate. YMV.

[Nitrogenica]

45. Wow, at caucuses. Say I've never heard that before.

Holy Cow!!

[Frank Booth]

19. It's ridiculous how people claim Hillary is electable. She's not. That's why she lost already.

How are you going to win when half the country is dead set against you from the very beginning?

The thought of Bill and his philandering ways roaming loose in the White House turns off Republicans, Independents and Democrats. The man is a master politician, but he's also a complete sleazeball.

Thank God enough of this country has decided to move on. Bill wore out his welcome quite a while ago, and Hillary's become even more vile.

[aquarius dawning]

26. Democrats have been more succesful at assassinating his character than the Republicans ever were.

His popularity rose despite Lewinsky and despite Gingritch and co.

[Frank Booth]

27. People, Democrats included, still think he was a good president. But he's not running.

He'll be wandering the halls of the White House with nothing to do. If the Presidency couldn't keep him busy last time, why do you think his pet projects will this time?

These two need to take their codependent freak show somewhere far away. It's a burden on the party and the country.

[aquarius dawning]

30. You're a burden on the party and the country.

You need to take your show somewhere far away.

[Frank Booth]

33. That's not all that nice. First, I don't have a show to take anywhere.

Second, I'm not running for President. And I'm not intentionally trying to destroy the Democratic nominee like Ms. "I'm owed this goddammit!" is.

[Nitrogenica]

34. I agree with you Walter. If we don't discuss this, we're gonna get blindsided

by it if Hillary's our nominee.

The big smears from the Republicans havn't even started yet.

[Frank Booth]

39. She won't be our nominee, so there's really no need to discuss it.

I just feel like discussing it because I'm sick of all the bullshit attacks on Obama from inside our own party.

I think Hillary's lost it. I'm not being facetious. I really think she cracked. I don't blame her for that, because she's had a tough, pressure-filled life living with Bill all these years. I just don't want to to see her play out her neurosis in front of the whole country.

[aquarius dawning]

42. Not good with subtlety I see.

"And I'm not intentionally trying to destroy the Democratic nominee like Ms. "I'm owed this goddammit!" is."
Lots of nomination fights go to the convention. It's not unusual. You and your fellow Obama supporters need to quit crying about it because it's obvious to everyone that you're just trying to suppress votes for Obama. If he can't take the heat, he needs to get out of the kitchen. period. And I think if Hillary thought something was owed to her, she wouldn't be fighting as hard as she's fighting and; furthermore, she's not fighting him nearly as hard as McCain and Co. will fight him should he win...in August.

edit: and what's more, if it's OK for ya'll to try to destroy Bill Clinton, it's within our right to try to destroy barack obama.

[Frank Booth]

43. Yeah, but it's over for your candidate, and it has been for quite a while.

The Clintons' revolution is over, aquarius dawning. Condolences. The Clintons lost. My advice to them is to do what their parents did -- get a real job! The Clintons will always lose!

[aquarius dawning]

44. Did Obama finally break 2024 deleagtes? last I saw he only had 1,631.

Last I knew, he had a small lead handed to him by Red state caucus goers. Last I knew, he hadn't really won shit. I think we'll have to wait until August to know for sure who won what.

[aquarius dawning]

22. Bill was and remains enormously popular. Lots of Americans would love to have him back in the WH

and I'm sure Hillary will find things for him to do that don't involve pulling his pants down.

[OzarkDem]

24. She doesn't need to defend it for three reasons

1. He was a good president whose administration did a great deal of good for the country. As she says, which part of the 90's didn't you like, the peace or the prosperity?


2. She is running her own show and she's shown that already. If she needs his advice, she'll take it.

3. Bill has his own projects he works on, has been all along.

[galaxy21]

25. So, no Hillary supporter will say they don't expect a bimbo erpuption if Hillary's the nominee?

[Cha]

29. Hell NO..I don't want bil clinton

roamin' the halls.

[BlooInBloo]

32. I'd happily have him heading up the UN delegation or something similar.

[Penndems]

46. "The crossovers do not want Bill, as Mitt Romney said, "roaming around in the White House with

nothing to do."

Now I know why I stopped watching "Meet The Press".

Matlin, you are one stupid hussy.

[lumberjack_jeff]

47. Of course she can. Give him a job.

I can't think of a better qualified UN ambassador (for instance).

[aquarius dawning]

48. Personally, I'd be real fuckin' happy to have him roaming those halls again.

These so called DemocRATS who are portraying him as some kind of a sexual predator by using the language of Mitt Romney really ought to consider how Republican they really sound. As if Having Bill Clinton back in the white house would be bad thing for the Democratic party. Give me a break. This is just pathetic and disgusting and completely out of line.