Clinton says Republican extremists divided country

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/Clinton_says_Republican_extremists_divided_country.html?siteSect=143&sid=7165341&cKey=1160884374000

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Former President Bill Clinton told Iowa's Democratic Party faithful on Saturday that the actions of "an extreme sliver" of the Republican Party have backfired and "profoundly divided" the country.

"We've got a big responsibility. Forget about 2008. Forget about the politics. Just go out and find somebody and look them dead in the eye and say 'You know, this is not right'...This is America," Clinton said. "We can do better and this year, it's a job that Democrats have to do alone."

More than 3,500 Iowa Democrats paid $100 each to attend the fund-raising banquet that kicked off with Clinton's speech. About 50 people paid $10,000 per couple to attend a private reception with Clinton beforehand.

Republicans, who control the White House and Congress, Clinton charged "paint themselves as pure and the rest of us who don't agree with them as stained" in order to divide the country and stay in power.

[sampsonblk]

1. He's right on as usual

This is a good line of attack for Dem candidates to use in the next few weeks.

[blm]

2. Yet for 5 years Clinton told Dems to support BushInc policies like he did.

And he supported those policies in very PUBLIC ways throughout Bush's first term and beyond. NOW he wants to pretend otherwise when Bush's approval ratings have been steady under 40%?

[NNN0LHI]

3. He even gave Poppy his mattress the bastard

:hi:

[blm]

6. That should have been the NICEST thing he did - but staying quiet while

the GOP was necklacing the entire Dem party with the meme that "Clinton did nothing about Bin Laden for 8 years" and "Dems are weak on terror" and staying silent about it until the fall of 2006 is what helped BushInc more than anything else, politically.

It also didn't help that Clinton had Terry McAuliffe oversee the collapse of the Dem party infrastructure in so many crucial states where the election process went UNSECURED in 2002 and 2004.

[NNN0LHI]

17. Now you are making me really mad

No you aren't. I was kidding. I am just kicking this thread.

I am kind of fond of the big dummy though. But you knew that after all these years together here.

Didn't ya?

:P

Don

[blm]

21. Hey - I took a back seat to no one loving Big Dog - then I read his book.

.

[LTR]

4. Perhaps due to an unwritten rule

Former presidents, by tradition, seldom trash other presidents. This just seems to be a respect issue. I can understand this, though it may not make a lot of sense to others.

I guess former presidents are supposed to act with a certain amount of decorum.

[sandnsea]

7. Then he should have just SHUT UP n/t

[blm]

8. So - PUBLICALLY supporting Bush and his policies is "decorum" now?

After the way Bush2 administration trashed him as soon as he left office with the trashed WH lie and kept the investigations into Whitewater, pardons, and Cisneros alive and after Clinton did Poppy Bush the huge favor and refused to pursue the open issues that remained in IranContra, BCCI, Iraqgate, and CIA drugrunning?


Clinton showed incredibly poor judgement there. Worked out well for all those 9-11 families and Iraqi people, eh?

[sandnsea]

5. They impeached you 8 years ago dumbass

You just figuring out their strategy NOW??? Wow, way to be late to the party Bill. I'm not going to forget him blathering on about how much he liked George Bush, and that was AFTER they ran their sleazy swiftboat campaign. I am so sick of the Clintons. He personally screwed up every opportunity to bury Bush for 4 years, and now he wants to go on the attack?? Pssht. Go away.

[ProSense]

9. "You cannot blame the entire Republican party for this for this reason."

Republicans to blame:

Entire Bush family


President Bush's Cabinet

The Executive Office of the President


Rubber stamp Congress:

Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

Voters: A solid 30% of Republican voters

Too many others to list!

[Gabi Hayes]

12. per this quote, bill......

"You cannot blame the entire Republican party for this for this reason."

for which of your fellow republicans do you recommend we vote this time?

[blm]

14. Whoa....you nailed that one. Clinton would stand in the way of impeachment

himself.

[AtomicKitten]

20. whoa indeed

Which orifice did you pull that out of?

It's one thing to dislike and disrespect Bill Clinton - which a gaggle of you here at DU certainly do - and quite another thing to make baseless accusations to cackle over. For crissakes make an effort to be realistic in your criticism.

[KoKo]

10. That Silver Tongued Devil is still great to listen to and can bring in the

crowds....but he left us Dems holding the rot of NAFTA and Telecommunications Act of '956, plus Monica and some other bad stuff and we were totally left in the wilderness because of those policies.

It's good he's speaking out now...but his connection with the Bushies is just too suspect.

I would have liked to have seen him speak though. :D like the Snake Carville....when he's on...he's very good...the Best!

[Sadie5]

11. Gave them the rope they needed

Clinton allowed the GOP to run wild and get away with anything while he maintained his silence. Never even tried to defend himself. I didn't like the idea of Clinton and Bush's Daddy getting together much, but in the end I guess Clinton had enough of the GOP and did have plenty to say, and thank God he's saying it.

[blm]

13. After making sure the party infrastructure was collapsed for 2000, 2002,

and 2004 election cycles - now, he gets to jump in front of the parade and claim HE got Bush down to 40% - - sorry - but he PUBLICALLY supported Bush on TOO many crucial policies and protected him on Downing Street Memos and Katrina.

[KoKo]

16. The ONLY Cred's Clinton has left is his ability to BE...a "Silver-Tongued

Devil." So, he uses THAT ABILITY to the MAX. And, he's a great speaker...as I said in my post above. Clinton and Carville (the SNAKE)are really GOOD/GREAT at what they do!

We should send them on a road show to hawk for the DLC and rest of Dems who can't get their act together.

The only reason that Clinton/Carville are still sounding so GREAT to us out here is that NO ONE ELSE has ever STEPPED UP TO THE DEM PLATE...to HIT THE HOME RUN WITH "SPEAKS" that ANYONE WOULD TAKE SERIOUSLY!

[Marr]

15. And here we are, divided. And I for one am not ready to make up yet.

We're going to be hearing a whole lot of "let's be bipartisan and get along" crap if the Republicans lose big in November. I hope we don't allow our representatives to play that game until they've erased the GOP gains of the last couple of decades.

[porphyrian]

19. We must demand accountability.

Anything less and our laws are moot and our Constitution proved meaningless.

[Imagevision]

18. Bill is merely positioning for Hillary in associations with Bush Sr.