I've been watching Bill Clinton give speeches for quite a while, and I think I have a fairly good sense of when he's having a good time on the stump.
And I'm reasonably confident that yesterday in Las Vegas, the former president was having a good time.
For those who can't watch clips online, here's what Clinton said:
"I had a different reaction to that first debate than a lot of people did. I mean I thought, 'Wow, here's old Moderate Mitt. Where have you been, boy, I missed you all these last few years!'
"But I was paying attention in the last two years, and it was like one of these Bain Capital deals -- you know where he's the closer. So he shows up, doesn't really know much about the deals and says, 'Tell me what I'm supposed to say to close.'
"Now, the problem with this deal is the deal was made by 'Severe Conservative' Mitt. That was how he described himself for two whole years. Until three or four days before the debate, they all got together and said, 'Hey, Mitt, this ship is sinking faster than the Titanic, but people are still frustrated about the economy, they want it fixed yesterday. So just show up with a sunny face and say, 'I didn't say all that stuff I said the last two years. I don't have that tax plan I had for the last two years. You gonna believe me or your lying eyes here? Come on! What are you doing?' And if I'd been the president I might have said, 'Well I hate to get in the way of this. I miss you.'"
I should note that this is one of those clips in which the transcript really doesn't do the comments justice. To appreciate the mocking tone, one really must watch this one.
Clinton's event drew 2,000 people, and was held in support of President Obama and other Democratic candidates.
Leave a Comment:
Agree the transcript does not do Clinton justice.
WATCH.
Does anyone else wonder where all the Teapublican outrage about ' skewed polls ' is now that Romney is doing better ?
And . . .exqueeze me Mrs. Romney . . . but who are the bad sports ? The Radical, Right-Wing, Homophobic, Racist, Women-Hating Teapublicans that you support have been whining for months about ' skewed polls ' and you never called them bad sports . . . but because Democrats and right-thinking Americans are calling a liar a liar somehow they are bad sports ?
And by the way, your closeted husband is a serial liar so he deserves to be called a liar. If you had the balls to watch the video tapes about him day after day, month after month, year after year saying one thing and then antoher . . . you would see the PROOF about him being a liar.
And you want him to be President ? Oh, that's right . . . you and your party don't care about facts or honesty. Got it.
While I'm sure the transcript isn't nearly as good as the video, I greatly appreciate having a transcript, because sometimes videos just don't work (as on phones in weak-signal areas) and sometimes watching videos is a bad idea (at work or while someone is sleeping nearby).
Thanks, Rachel, for the transcript.
An Open Letter to the American Middle Class
(Sooknarine, Teekuck, AddictingInfo.org, October 9, 2012) “One thing that is overlooked in this Presidential race is the lack of Mitt’s character and honesty… a telling sign of what a person is really made of. It is no secret that Mitt Romney has been caught telling lies about everything under the sun: he is called out on his changing opinions and ‘flip flops’ from sun up to sun down.”
The stakes in this election are very high for the American Middle Class, even higher for those in need, the poor, disabled and disenfranchised. But for the American Middle Class in particular, we have been under siege for the last 30 years. Incomes have been stagnant, our jobs outsourced overseas, higher education becoming out of reach for our children and the high cost of healthcare bankrupting our financial status.
The very fabric of the social compact is in jeopardy and yet we have a close election. This seems to make no common sense to me. The Republican Party has not done “ONE” thing to help the American Middle Class, they have removed and want to remove regulation in the banking and financial industry that has already sent us into the Great Recession. They promise to impose a so-called “Christian” Theocracy on all Americans, void of science and fact; increasingly interested in our reproductive rights and our personal freedoms and privacy. The GOP has exhibited a lack of “COMPASSION” for the poor and the sick that is clearly anything by Christ-like.
Under our current tax system, a parent can leave up to five million dollars to their children, but Romney wants to do away with that limit, obviously to leave his hundreds of millions to his children without paying any taxes at all. This may seem fair in a first glance, but originally the five million limits were set so that the family home could be passed on within the family. Mitt Romney also wants to cut taxes by another 20% on the wealthiest 1% of this Country. All of this has to be paid for, and how do the Republicans want to pay for this? With the social compact, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Benefits, VA Hospitals, Food Stamps, Affordable Care Act, Education Grants and Loans, with the entire social safety net.
But in the debate Mitt Romney lied to us, softened his words like the serpent to Jesus he promised us the world for our Middle Class souls. Whispering to us, I am a good guy, I have “ALL” of your interests at heart; despite the fact that in a secret video he had disdain for 47% of Americans, our seniors, our veterans and our fighting warriors in harm way. He tells you with such concern and empathy as if he were “SELLING” funeral insurance that his healthcare plan will “ALSO” cover pre-existing conditions, we want to believe his Pepsodent smile and sympathetic head tilt. But the serpent is a liar, as his staff comes behind him to uncover his lies, no Mitt Romney has NO PLAN to cover those with pre-existing conditions. The serpent tells us to our face, with shock and hurt in his eyes, “I have no plans to give the wealthiest among you a tax cut, where did you hear such a thing” without missing a beat, the lies go on and we want to believe. But what is at risk in those beliefs are Medicaid for those in convalescent homes, the Mortgage Interest Exemption for those of us in the suburbs that own homes and the Charitable Deduction which will decimate the Red Cross, Easter Seals, March of Dimes and Catholic Charities. Cuts aimed directly at the America Middle Class….yet we want to believe…
America “WE” must be ever vigilant this election, it CANNOT BE ABOUT STYLE, the serpent is all about style. The serpent has told us the truth, but we must read between the lines. They have told you they want to convert Medicare in to a voucher system; they have told you that they want to shred the Safety Net, and they want to remove regulations so that they can use every last resource in this Country, pollute our air, water and coastlines. If you listen they are telling you what they are going to do. They are going to outlaw a woman’s freedom over her body, they are going to impose their beliefs on gay Americans, and they are going to impose “THEIR” form of Christianity of all Christians and non-Christians alike.
Remember the serpent looks for your prejudices the weaknesses in your humanity and that is where he weaves his web of deceit. Mitt Romney is not TRUSTWORTHY he will betray the American Middle Class; he will make it harder for you and your family to live free, to pursuit happiness. Some in the Press have great intentions, “WE” as American must be vigilant, and character and honesty do matter.
A warning to all, if the Republican Party is able to win this election by cheating (voter suppression) and lying….Democracy is dead, because both Parties will take that as a signal that the TRUTH is dead and that “WE” would prefer corruption and lies to civility and trust. The Press has a responsibility to CHAMPION the TRUTH; they are already on the precipice of irrelevance. So goes the Truth, so goes the Press and so goes DEMOCRACY…
Terrific, terrific stuff from the Big Dog.
Wish Obama had a bit of that folksy charm. But the tide is a-turnin'. Mitt had his moment, and the press got the "horse race" they wanted. Now BHO brings it home.
"But I was paying attention in the last two years, and it was like one of these Bain Capital deals -- you know where he's the closer. So he shows up, doesn't really know much about the deals and says, 'Tell me what I'm supposed to say to close."
That part is really, really good.
Yes it was.
Maybe this is it. That Obama is good with retelling jokes, and enjoys doing so, but he has not connected up with the joy that a politician like FDR had when he mocked the same sort of pitch Romney is making, or the joy that Clinton experiences when he goes after GOP perfidy.
These kind of guys almost do it not so much for the cause but for the sport.
It is not that the President does not have that bite- recall his handling of Trump during the WH correspondents dinner.
He just needs to connect up so that he is comfortable have fun with Mittens face to face. Sure- these are deadly serious issues. But irony is an excellent way to unlock the electorate's perception that there is a double reality that is being fed them. It can be much more effective that pummeling the voter with a litany of facts that demonstrates beyond any doubt that the opponent is lying.
To me, it's second nature. Republicans are so easy to make fun of. I never understand the pablum that gets put out on Democratic ads. There's just so much wingnuttery to satire, it's unbelievable. Maybe it doesn't work on the irresponsibly inattentive.
It's been said since Clinton first showed up on the national scene that what he loves best is campaigning, and the only downside is that winning means having to serve in office.
And then, someone yelled "Let slip the Big Dog!"
Disgusted- though from a humor or intellectual standpoint it is fair game, from a political perspective all you are doing is shooting yourself in the foot- you just can't succumb to the tremendous temptation to indulge in that. The Clinton and FDR approach is not so much to mock the republican views but the republican politicians. After skewering the politicians- they indirectly skewer the views.
For example many conservatives honestly still buy all the job creator trickle down voodoo economics crap. Heck they have been buying it since Reagan. So what Clinton does is go after Romney, tie him to Bush, then tie that to the trickle down and deregulation policies that got is in all this trouble. "And Romney wants to go back to that". So yes, if they thought about it, Clinton is telling them that what they believe about deregulation and job creators is mistaken. But Clinton instead gets them to join with him in the crowd pleasing fun of putting Romney up in the stocks next to Bush and inviting everyone to vent their ire by throwing tomatoes both at Bush, and at Romney.
It is not an appeal to rationality, but Clinton is perfectly able to present his intellectual case in a compelling manner, so his approach of stating both simultaneously is both effective and legitimate.
That merging of rational, intellectual integrity with theater is where Obama has room for growth.
I don't disagree with any of that. When someone refuses to engage in an honest discussion based on facts, evidence, and reason, there is only recourse: mockery, satire, humiliation.
However, I don't think that in order to dispel all people who have a wrong-headed belief in something like supply-side economics or are anti-climate science, one must go through the indirection of ridiculing some political actor or actors. Some of those folks are just woefully uninformed and carry around with them only the gut instinct intellectualism of a 13 year old, but could be convinced. Others are completely faith-based ideologues and are either reachable through social ostracization or are simply hopeless and not reachable.
Yeah, because poor people create jobs. We should have a "trickle up" jobs creation policy. If we can just get a bunch of poor people together to form a corporation, come up with a product or service that people with money will buy, then we can get this economy going. Yeah, that ought to work.
Go pee on the fire hydrants over at Red State, troll, or we'll have to call Animal Control and send you to the pound.
WTF are you talking about, you ignorant wingnut? State your dumba$$ premises explicitly and let's see what a ridiculous mess of nonsense you actually believe.
....no employer has ever or will ever become wealthy of his own fruition. That's why he has employees. He needs their intellect, craft, and expertise in order to make him profit. As an employer myself I have to say I find it absolutely disgusting that people think that I need people to poor me some wine, dim the lights just so, and put on Barry Mannalow before I'll be willing to hire them. I am nobody's god and nobody is my servant. I provide a service that other people pay me to provide; I hire employees who are competent enough to fulfill the order. In exchange I provide them a liveable salary and benefits to gain their productivity. Without them I have no wealth and without me they have no job. Why the Republican Party wants to ignore the employee and only coddle the employer is beyond me and quite frankly I find it offensive. I don't need you to lick my boots to get by, thank you very much. And my employees don't need policies that are going to coddle my ego and leave them hanging. We need both. And this liberal thinks that it's unfair to pretend like he has to choose between one or the other. Nope- liberals always want more and what do we want? We want both an economy that values it's workers and it's employers.
I don't want to hear about the Big Dog being seen outside of a swing state between now and Election Day.
This is so perfect. There is a good YouTube out that shows the Romney campaign trying to tell us what his tax plan is but failing. It is sarcastic but very good.
I wonder, could Big Dog just show up at the next debate in Black Face? You think Mitt would notice?
This reminds me of the Franklin Roosevelt speech.
If Obama was smart he would edit about 10 seconds out of that speech, insert I am Barack Obama and I approve this message, and run it as an ad in swing states. That FDR speech sounds like it was written for the Obama campaign. I guess the more things change the more they stay the same.
Some words that Obama needs to say during the next debate: Republican, "Severely conservative," Bush-Cheney, war in Iraq, military contractors, Osama bin Laden, General Motors, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt," Planned Parenthood, Blount Amendment, etc.
Great job, Bill! Now's it's time for Obama to be assertive. When I saw Obama's speech in Denver and Ohio after the debate, I wondered (and still do) whether Obama has it in him to be that assertive with his opponent in front of him. Yes Barack, please be less "polite," ... a lot less polite. We need to see your fire and to let Mitt have it because that's what he deserves so that's what we need to see.
I would say this, Obama is uncomfortable placing himself out front, because he is used to others doing it for him. His style is more collegial than executive because I imagine that he got a lot of deference in those type settings for who he was. That’s why he doesn’t know how to sell the things he's accomplished like Bin Laden or the ACA because he is without the natural politician’s gift for taking credit while appearing to give credit to others.
I keep thinking about Michelle Obama's assertion that, "Being President doesn't change who you are - it reveals who you are."
During this first debate I felt that Mitt Romney revealed himself as the future consummate Presidential liar.
A few things that wer demonstrated in the Republican primary debates:
(1) You can knock Mitt Romney around a bit, knock him out of his comfort zone and push him onto subjects he doesn't want to talk about.
(2) When you do it, he changes his tone and becomes sort of high-pitched and weasely, and he starts committing errors.
Dang, I wish my Doctor would give me what ever Clinton is taking. That is one happy man
He's doing what he lives for. You don't need a doctor for that medicine.
It's what happens when you stop the double cheeseburgers for lunch and go vegan. :-)
There is no politician better at getting to the heart of the matter than Clinton!
Former President Clinton nailed it.
Why doesn't Obama do photo ops with all the nobel laureates to take shameless credit for the US' ascendance in literature, science, and technology. The implication is that the US is not in decline as republicans are portraying it.
Charles Pierce got it exactly right in today's Esquire blog:
WAKE THE F*CK UP, MR. PRESIDENT!!
By: Charles Pierce
All due respect, Mr. President, but, holy mother of god, just shut up with this, will you?
I defer to nobody in my belief that Willard Romney is the single most politically maladroit national candidate in my lifetime. But, boy howdy, the current president of the United States is giving him a run for his offshore money these days:
"Well, two things. I mean, you know, the debate, I think it's fair to say I was just too polite, because, you know, it's hard to sometimes just keep on saying and what you're saying isn't true," Obama said on the Tom Joyner Morning Show on Wednesday. "It gets repetitive. But, you know, the good news is, is that's just the first one. Governor Romney put forward a whole bunch of stuff that either involved him running away from positions that he had taken, or doubling down on things like Medicare vouchers that are going to hurt him long term.... And, you know, I think it's fair to say that we will see a little more activity at the next one."
All due respect, Mr. President, but everybody in the country knows that you shanked the first debate last week. (No, really, they do. Ask around.) The situation does not require that you personally reinforce that feeling, especially nearly a week after the fact. And I'm terribly sorry that you find it wearying to point out that obvious lies are, well, obvious lies, but, Jesus H. Christ with his own baby walrus, that's your job. This may not be the campaign in which you'd like to participate, what with all that nasty partisan politics and all, but it's the campaign you're in.
Has it dawned on you yet that you're holding down two jobs at the moment? You are president of the United States and you are a political candidate for re-election. Each job has different requirements and different emotional imperatives. In your capacity as a political candidate, nobody cares whether or not you find pointing out that Willard Romney was lying about his tax plan, lying about his health-care plan, and lying about virtually everything you've done as president repetitive — and, as long as we're being frank here, what a prissy academic word that is to describe what should be a full-throated defense of your own record against a truthless and dangerous mountebank. Calling a liar out on all his lies should be energizing. It should get your blood up. It is one of the most important things you can do in your job as a political candidate.
In your job as a political candidate, you are not allowed to find things like Willard Romney's lying — and its unsightly offspring, his evolving positions on virtually every important issue of the day — too boring to be worthy of your time and effort. It is your job to turn this most ridiculous man and his ridiculous positions into the fuel for your campaign, the grist for your mill, the garbage for your flux capacitor. One thing you don't need right now is the lofty disdain of a man who's already president. Leave that stuff back in the Oval. You don't work there right now.
Nothing more to be said; except kick Romney's lying ass!
"Calling a liar out on all his lies should be energizing. It should get your blood up. It is one of the most important things you can do in your job as a political candidate."
This is the part about Obama that I don't understand. I just wish he'd call Romney a god damned fu king liar to his face. Or, you know, it really doesn't have to be those exact words. People want passion in the face of villainy, and Romney-Ryan is just flat out danger staring the country (and world) right in the face.
The Prez is still hedging his words way too much there for me to feel comfortable about the next debate. Get some sleep, Prez, and get fired up and ready to go! Where's that lady with the red hat when you need her!
If any one remembers it was President Ronald Reagan that first introduced the idea that when it comes to the economy "government isn't the solution, government is the problem". He, I believe, incorrectly believed that cutting taxes will force the government to cut spending rather that ask congress to cut spending so we can cut taxes. I disagree. As much as I distrust the government you have to admit the government of the United States has kept the now 50 states in the government. What does that mean? We could have ended up as Europe with 50 different nations struggling individually to grow and prosper or as it happened we all joined together to form the most successful country in the history of mankind. It was and is the federal government that managed to hold everyone together for the betterment of our country as a whole. So why "Starve the Beast"? The 1% realize that without a central clearing house, the government, that money could instead be funneled through people, not the government. If the money were to go to individuals they would take a percentage making themselves rich but if the money flows directly to the government then nobody makes a profit except, of course, the government. The government is made up of people working for a central organization for the benefit of all. Why weaken that? Who builds and maintains the bridges, roads, fixes the potholes, and hires the school teacher, fire fighter, or police person? Individuals will, if it benefits them, but the government does it because it benefits all. Ideally the government will dispense the money evenly where it will do the most good. But if individuals have the money it will benefit themselves. So, as much as I hate to say it, we need a strong federal government to hold our country into one and not fifty different ones.
The government doesn't spend wisely. That is why you don't funnel it through the government. And if people work hard, take risk, put their neck on the line starting a business and furnish jobs, they deserve not to have to share half of it with others. Those that are not interested in risk taking ventures and don't want to put in the time and money that a business takes shouldn't begrudge the profits that those that do deserve to make. And already those business people are paying more taxes than their counterparts. If peope don't want the risk, then they should be happy with their cozy, secure job where nothing risked nothing gained takes place. People who make a significant amount of money in business already pay close to 50% or more in taxes unless they make it through investment profits only. That tax rate is a little lower. Take away the incentive to work hard, take financial risks and you make everyone the same and no on wants to do anymore than the next guy. Productivity will die. The risk takers will decide that it's not worth it to end up with the same amount as everyone else. They'll just put in their 40 hr week and go home too. Government is obviouslyclose to squandering more money than the citizens of America can make if you look at debt to GDP which keeps getting worse. I put my money on the resourceful American people over the government any day. Do we need government and taxes, yes. We can't do without it. But things in Washington desperately need to change. They need to earn the right to take our money. They need to prove that they can spend it wisely. The Obama administration has yet to prove that and giving him another 4 years to try to get it right is insane. Romney has done more good with the millions that he gives to charities than the government could ever do with the same amount.
If, as you assert, the government is incapable of properly managing the economy and that task should be left to "private enterprise", then how do you explain the complete and total inability of "private enterprise" when left to its' own devices to produce an economy that rewards those who actually do the work?
Wages have remained flat, or even declined, since 1980 for the vast majority of working people in this country while those in the top 1-5% have taken a greater and greater share of the wealth that was produced through the labor of those people you disdain as "only putting their forty hours in". Tax rates haven't been this low since 1950, so obviously these workers aren't being screwed by the government. Productivity continues to climb and those workers who are responsible for that increase still haven't been paid for their efforts.
The CEOs, COOs, "1%", "job creators", whatever one wishes to call them have failed to produce an economic model that properly rewards those who provide the wealth these people claim as their own. All they seem capable of is massaging their egos with unearned recompense at the expense of the general economic well-being of this country and it's non-millionaire majority.
As far as I'm concerned the best thing that could happen for the economic well-being of this country would be for us to return to the tax rates in effect under the last Republican President just about any Democrat could support: Dwight David Eisenhower.
And Mitt Romney is light-years from being an Eisenhower...
oh I miss Clinton. Too bad he was such a nitwit when it came to sex.
Clinton?! You dems want to criticize people for lying. He is one of the greatest liars of all times. He does it by looking directly into the camera and out at the American people and tells whoppers. And there was some question about him lying under oath. What a stand up guy!
Uh, huh. You mad? Even if Clinton told a "whopper" about getting a blow job, you think that hurt anybody? You think Mitt Romney's lies about his tax plans, his Medicare plans, ..., might affect anybody.
Now get yourself on back to Fox and load up on more ignorant wingnut nonsense.
Show me a man that doesn't lie under oath about any fling he has had because I'm gonna flip his skirt to see what he has under there. He was investigated for six years about Whitewater and all they could get him for was a bj in the WH and some members of Congress were doing the same thing in their congressional offices. I'm willing to bet all those congresscritters would have sworn under oath they weren't doing any such thing, too.
Do you know if you stop listening to Rush Limpbrains and stop watching Faux Fake and BS Gnewz your IQ will go up by 10 in just 24 hours?
He was lying in an investigation. Legal stuff. He is the pot calling the kettle black. And yeah it hurt his family, Monica and the reputation and respect of the office of the president. I don't think Romney is lying about his tax plans etc. He has a different view of how America should roll. By not borrowing from foreign countries. Pay as you go. He stands for fiscal responsibility. Show me one instance where Obama has tried to lessen the debt. I haven't seen one. He is the biggest tax and spend president in my long lifetime.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure he was lying. Well, I don't really buy that. But you can if you want. I will agree his family was hurt. As for the Presidency, nonsense. Here's what hurt the Presidency: Richard Nixon, W, Reagan. And non-stop wingnut blabber about hating government. There's your damage, jackass.
And Mitt Romney is the biggest fu king liar ever in Presidential campaign history. And he lies about things that affects EVERYBODY's life. Now go play in traffic, and try to catch one of those fast-moving, heavy metal things.
Go Big Dog. Kick some Republican ass.
The investigating was about Whitewater. What did his having a fling have to do with Whitewater?
Take Disgusted's advice and go play in traffic. Make sure you sink your teeth in those round rubber donuts attached to those big heavy metal things.
@Jess33
Romney stands for "pay as you go" and "responsibility"??? That's a pretty good joke, there bub! :D Romney's proposed budget blows out the budget, gives further raises to the upper 1% income bracket, and cuts services to middle and lower income groups. It's like a perfect storm of irresponsible money shenanigans.
But then again, Republican are on record as not believing in the "reality-based community." Say hello to My Little Pony for me while you are skipping through fantasy land!
Mitt Romney is a good car salesman who after he hid the defects, cleaned the engine and washed the car so it looks more like the Obama model, all that’s left is to aggressively lie through his smiling teeth. Unfortunately it looks like a lot of Americans fell for it. So we need to aggressively remind them, we have the video of this car salesman out with the wealthy car company CEOs telling the truth about what sort of car we are actually buying, while at the same time slamming 47% of car customers. If Mitt Romney has to make his car look like the Obama model to reach the majority of customers, we should buy the original so we actually get what we are paying for. Don't panic about the debate, get serious, by quickly dismantling the Romney-Republican model but spending most of our time speaking with conviction about the facts of what the Obama-Democratic model has done, is doing and will do for each and every one of us.
edit it down properly and make it a commercial and run it constantly in the battleground states.