Bill Back on Trail for Hill in West Virginia
Bill Clinton had tough words for those who say his wife should drop out of the Democratic presidential race for party unity.
“Let’s saddle up and have an argument,” he said as he campaigned for her in West Virginia. “What’s the matter with that?”
With Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona having essentially locked up the GOP nomination weeks ago, some Democrats have suggested that the continuing, and at times, negative primary fight between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama gives McCain a head start on the general election campaign.
Bill Clinton dismissed such qualms as attempts to disenfranchise voters in the remaining primary states.
“When Hillary’s gaining on him, they say, ‘Oh, let’s shut this down, let’s not be divided,”‘ he said. “Don’t you think your vote ought to count as much as the votes of people in Iowa?”
Obama holds a 1,621-to-1,499 lead in overall delegates for the nomination, which requires 2,024.
The race is so close that the party’s “superdelegates” — hundreds of high-ranking Democrats who can vote for any candidate at the national convention — could swing the nomination to either Clinton or Obama.
West Virginia holds its primary May 13, with 28 delegates up for grabs.
The former president played on the crowd’s blue-collar sympathies by calling Hillary Clinton’s critics in the party “glitterati” and “elites.”
During three appearances in West Virginia, Clinton stoked the fond memories audience members had of his eight years in office, like the man in Chesapeake who yelled out “Bring back the ’90s!”
“When people say the ’90s weren’t all that great, Hillary likes to say, ‘What didn’t you like? The peace or the prosperity?”‘ Clinton said.
He told crowds they shouldn’t vote for his wife based on his administration, but should take into account her plans for the country.
“It’s not just my record, it’s Hillary’s conviction,” Clinton said.
Bill,
I think you should be proud of your economic accomplishments and you need to work with Hillary now to develop a long term strategy and plan for getting the United States back at the top of the economic heap. We are losing our economic leadership in the world. The dollar is now Monopoly money and overseas investors are dumping it for the precious Euro.
Does Europe really have greater economic strength and power than the U.S.? If so, let’s turn that one around fast. When I was in Europe, everybody took two or three hour lunch breaks in the middle of the day and more vacation days in one year than I take in three. So we are doing something wrong. Maybe we should take long lunch breaks and drink beer and wine at every meal and cognac before work like the Provincial French and our economy will improve.
We need to work with Canada, yes with Canada, with Mexico, with South America, with Japan, with Australia, New Zealand and our Asian trading partners. The European Union is the European Union because it was the Common Market first and yes, you knew that and that’s why you wanted to create free-trading zones. So let’s not throw that out the window. Let’s make a bigger and better union and we need to learn from what Europe did and it was not easy.
Eschewing the dems’ glitterati,
And stokin’ the dems’ glimmerati;
“To hell with perdition,
It’s just her conviction,
‘Pledged delegates? Illiterati!’”
There was a time I might have considered voting for Senator Clinton. Now I won’t. I just can’t tell for sure whether she stands for her own values, attitudes and beliefs or whether she’s just following President Clinton’s advice and model. What ever it is, I can’t buy it. With out him involved, she would be a sure winner in August and November. Obama’s the only chance for the democrats. As for the Ex-Pres, he turned me a little farther away from Senator Clinton with his remarks made in West Virginia.
Bill says Hillary is “gaining on Obama”? Her approval rating is at an all time low! If she’s “gaining on him” why the idiotic call for him to step aside and becomer her number two? Obama himself is not the one calling for Hillary to drop out of the race, it’s the large number of Democrats who see the damage this primary is doing to their party and attribute that damage to the Clinton’s style of negative campaigning.
Just contrast the straightforward way Obama took on criticism of his pastors rhetoric with the way Hillary tried to dance around phony claims of being under sniper fire. That tells you all you need to know about the two candidates.
Give it a rest, Hillary.
Take back the Party!
The really, really liberal wing just doesn’t get it. Odrama will go the way of Mondale, Dukakis and Kerry, if he’s the nominee.
It was a beautiful day when Ted Kennedy endorsed Odrama, and as a result, confirmed Hillary as a more moderate (even conservative) candidate, relatively speaking. Apparently, Kennedy wants round 2 at the convention. Again, the liberals learned nothing from the history of American politics. Carter gave him (Kennedy) a black eye at the last convention fight. Clinton will “saddle up” and break his jaw (figuratively speaking of course –lest the Odrama folks read too much into such language…most sensitive candidate I’ve ever seen).
Bill Clinton: “as you’ve probably noticed, my family ain’t much on quitting.”
Neither is mine, Bill!
Saddle up and draw a hard line. Make the Party what it should be!!!
Dismissing the dems glitterati,
And stokin’ the dems glimmerati;
To hell with perdition,
It’s just her conviction,
Pledged delegates? Illiterati!
The concern over disenfranchising (Fla/Mich.) voters no longer rings true for Clintons since they want the SuperDelegates to ignore the desire of the people who have voted and who’s state votes have counted.
As a one time Bill Clinton supporter (notice I said one time?) my advice to him would be the reminder that sometimes it is best to be seen and not heard. Bill just can’t woe like he use to!
Leave a comment? Naw, it’s just too easy! I actually LIKE the Clinton supporters…they provide a great comedy relief!
Thanks Bill you are going to help Hillary make up her mind to withdraw from the race with your speeches that turn off the American Public.
You are going to turn those positives for her to negatives.
There is no way that you can help her win the nomination give up the effort.
“When people say the ’90s weren’t all that great, Hillary likes to say, ‘What didn’t you like?
I know what I didn’t like, the lies, scams, manipulations, affairs….oh that would be the CLINTONS! I don’t want to return to topics such as these occupying the daily news for the next 4-8 years. The peace and posperity wasn’t due to Bill Clinton. Remember, the ecomony was on an up-turn just before Bill took office. Also, we had a motivated Republicain Congress which certainly helped. The Clintons take credit too often for the good, but not the bad part of the 90’s, the down turn of morality and the abuse of the highest office in the world. There is a lot of scandal and under the table dealings connected with Bill and Hillary. For a great read on the Clintons, read the new Kathleen Willey book, “Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton”. Hopefully America hasn’t forgotten the real Clinton presidency.