Bill Clinton: GOP 'at it again' in health care debate

From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby
August 3rd, 2009



WASHINGTON (CNN) – It's apparently deja vu all over again for former President Bill Clinton.

In a fundraising e-mail on behalf of congressional Democrats, Clinton is blasting Republicans for opposing President Obama's health care push, and reminding people of his administration's ultimately unsuccessful efforts to reform the industry 16 years ago.

"It seems like the 1993 health care debate all over again," Clinton writes in the e-mail, noting that Americans "urgently" needed health care reform as much then as they do now.

"But, just as I did in 1993, President Obama has run into a buzz saw of special interest opposition to his top domestic policy priority — health care reform," he says in the message. "He is facing off against some of the most powerful special interests in Washington who've launched a furious campaign to preserve the status quo."

"…Simply put, they're at it again."

Clinton accuses GOP congressmen of making a "political calculation" to misrepresent Obama's health care plan and to "attack Congressional Democrats with sound bites" instead of making quality health care affordable and accessible."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/03/bill-clinton-gop-at-it-again-in-health-care-debate/#more-62997

:applause:

we could sure use Big Bad Bill in the month of August, on Public Option Health Care, as the republicans and insurance companies are throwing tens of millions of dollars this month alone, democratic town hall meetings idiot-republican disruptor, Lots of TV & radio ads by the insurance industry, as well as the republicans ugly faces on every political news show lying their asses off supporting the insurance companies status quo with all the usual republican lies to kill public option for ALL by the end of August...

We can certainly use all the help we can get and Big-Dog would be a huge help & could really help, getting people to listen over the non stop lying screams of the frantic republican assholes.

If he asks for his help, I'm sure Bill would comply. As a former pres. he has to be careful not to step on the new president's toes.

;-)

As in the lying disgusting evil Dick Cheney!

What do you expect of Darth Vader?

x(

words or actions that Dick would have any concept of.

;-)

I'm not sure that Bill Clinton can be as successfully used to win over non Democrats, though.

(They really were pretty unkind in using that photo - it is easily one of the worst I've seen of him - really aging him.

But then again, that's the media for you. They always try to find the worse pics of people.

:eyes:

although his rosacea is acting up on this pic and his nose is very red.

:(

President Obama is in that picture. But doesn't HE look great? :)

Bill looks wonderful.

Recall that in '92 and '96 he brought along many suburban voters who'd gone for Bush in '88, and had long been loyal to the GOP. Definitely one of the Dems strongest at reaching out beyond "the base."

But both, in addition to Obama, Gore and Kerry did better among suburban voters. This was true even compared to 1996 when he had the advantage of being a sitting President in a time of peace and prosperity.

It would seem that because Clinton was so much a centrist, he should have the ability to reach many not far from him to right ideologically, but there really is an intense polarization of opinion on Clinton. Even as President, there are few examples of him winning Republicans to be the needed votes on his issues and many where he twisted Democratic arms to get votes they would not have made had the President been a Republican.

The one who has been able to get Republican votes in the Senate is Kennedy. Yes, I know for years the party leadership has minimized his role in general elections - but that in the Senate, Kennedy has often found coalitions no one else could. It was Kennedy who succeeded in passing healthcare legislation in the 1990s. Kennedy obviously is ill, but a message from him to his peers likely would have more impact that all the speeches, emails and events of anyone else.

Oh well. It's just a fundraising letter so it doesn't do any harm, I guess. Plus, it keeps him busy.

Focus on the disrupting republicans and the blue dogs will be shamed into better behavior so that they can't be lumped with the evil side.

:applause: :applause:

Sic 'em Bill.

And I'm sure there will be a few behind-the-scenes phone calls to some Blue Dogs. He can "wonk them" into submission...

That way we would've already had health care with a strong public option, we would've created at least 10 million jobs, and we'd be out of Iraq and Afghanistan (and we wouldn't have to deal with the phony elitist now in the White House!) :rofl:

Best snark ever! :rofl:

Thanks! I just felt like it was the right thing to say. :D :hi:

:evilgrin:

O8) :D

:crazy:

Good post Bea, don't let the conversation go to hell.

:shrug:

Except that the poor things are so busy with their childish behavior that they don't even realize that this is a positive post about Bill and Obama.

:7

Nobody can fight back against right-wing demagogues and media types better than him. Obama gives a more eloquent literary speech, but Bill's stronger extemporaneously and faster on his feet. I looked back at his Sept. 2006 interview with Fox's Chris Wallace where the weasel tried to blame him for 9/11, and the Big Dog just devoured him. No-one fights back quite like Bill.

I thought Chris Wallace was going to wet his pants.:rofl:

Yeah, Wallace was pitiful and whiny. He wouldn't even own responsibility for trying to smear Bill -- oh no, it was Fox viewers who wrote e-mails demanding it -- and tried to escape to the more congenial topic of the Clinton Global Initiative before Bill was ready to move on, but the Big Dog dragged him back to the 9/11 issue to finish picking his bones clean.

he would need Bill down the road, I believe right after he accepted the Dem nomination, and I don't doubt Bill will be a valuable resource, since he can advise the President on his own lessons learned in a losing Healthcare battle.

BUT as was said upthread, the real problem this time around is the Blue Dogs. If he's willing to go after them, he'll be really effective.

Bill was great and went after him with guns blazing. Wallace didn't know what him him. I also remember when he interviewed Hillary during the primaries and he asked her to say hello to Bill, she laughed in his face.

:7

But among her many laughs, I have heard Hillary's "You're feeding me a load of phony crap" laugh. Like it! :hi:

I think the video can still be found on Youtube.

:D

repeating itself. :banghead:

:hi:

they're as apt as not to give the money to a Blue Dog.

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