Photo of the Day: Clinton Ends Deficit

Democrats should use this photo every time Republicans accuse Democrats of being tax and spend liberals. There hasn't been a Republican with a balanced budget since President Eisenhower.

Bill Clinton on the GOP Obsession With Obamacare

Via Addicting Info: Former President Bill Clinton appeared on This Week. Clinton remarked about the Republican Party's obsession with the Affordable Care Act.

“This bill [Obamacare] has already produced a lot of good results. Look, they are desperate for this bill to fail. Because, if it’s not a failure, everything they’ve been telling us since 1980, “big government’s bad,” is wrong. They so badly want it to fail. Can you remember a time in your lifetime when a major political party was sitting around just begging for America to fail? I don’t know what’s going to happen. I would be shocked if it fails. I just think when all these dire predictions don’t come out, if they don’t, I believe that pretty sooOn, within the next several years, this will belie Medicare and Medicaid. It will be a normal part of our lives ad people will be glad it’s there.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that enrollment on has been extended. Go to Healthcare.gov to find out is you qualify.

Bill Clinton Rally For Charlie Crist

Former President Bill Clinton will stump for Charlie Crist at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Time: Monday, November 3, 2014

Where: Memorial Mall at UCF

Glenn Reynolds Is An Idiot

I literally laughed my ass off when I read this post by Glenn Reynolds.

I generally favor a nip-it-in-the-bud strategy — just think how much better off we’d be if Bill Clinton had seized any of his several opportunities to kill or seize Osama bin Laden — but I have to say my confidence in Obama’s ability to carry out anything much bigger than pinpricks is severely limited.

The amount of direct attacks ordered by President George W. Bush is zero. President Bill Clinton ordered the missile strike of the al-Qaeda training site in Zhawar Kili, Afghanistan. One of the goals of the strike was to kill bin Laden. President Barack Obama ordered the Seal Team mission that resulted in the successful killing of bin Laden in Pakistan.

Reynolds is using bin Laden to make the argument that Clinton and Obama were weak on national security. That is hysterical. Perhaps Reynolds needs to be reminded of this quote by George W Bush.

Who knows if he’s hiding in some cave or not. We haven’t heard from him in a long time. The idea of focusing on one person really indicates to me people don’t understand the scope of the mission. Terror is bigger than one person. He’s just a person who’s been marginalized. … I don’t know where he is. I really just don’t spend that much time on him, to be honest with you.

No one should take Reynolds seriously.

Quote of the Day

“A great democracy does not make it harder to vote than to buy an assault weapon.”

Bill Clinton, at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

Bill Clinton Robocall For Elizabeth Warren

I'm glad to see former President Bill Clinton giving his support to Elizabeth Warren in a robocall. The TPM Poll Tracker has Warren at 50.1 percent to Scott Brown's 47.1 percent. TPM has a list of polls that show Warren leading Brown. You know Brown is in trouble when he is behind in the Rasmussen poll.

Bill Clinton's Latest Ad For Obama

The Obama campaign brings out the Big Dog for their latest ad. Clinton's approval rating was 69 percent before the Democratic National Convention. Why didn't President Obama listen to Rush Limbaugh's advice and not use Clinton on his campaign.

Bill Clinton & Bruce Springsteen Campaigning For Obama

Former President Bill Clinton and Bruce Springsteen appeared at an campaign rally in Parma, Ohio. Clinton and Springsteen came out to pump-up voters for President Obama and local Democratic candidates. That is all good and fine, but how can Springsteen and Clinton compete with the star power of Jeff Foxworthy and Kid Rock on Mitt Romney's side?

Live Blogging the DNC: Bill Clinton

10:34 Bill Clinton is in the house. The crowd loves him.

10:35 Bill Clinton could fart and the crowd would go crazy.

10:36 I almost expect Bill Clinton to nominate himself. The crowd would cheer if he did.

10:37 Clinton gives Michelle Obama a nice shoutout.

Clinton gets in a funny line about how every politician wants you to believe they grewup in a log cabin they built himself.

10:40 Someone mentioned on Twitter that unlike George W. Bush, Clinton shows up as a rock star to the convention. Bush didn't even show up.

10:43 Clinton takes Republicans to task for putting partisanship over solving problems.

10:45 Clinton says we should give Obama a second term because he will keep working with Republicans. Someone should inform Obama that Mitch McConnell was elected to the Senate on a racist anti-school busing campaign.

10:49 Mitch McConnell's statement of making Obama a one-term president comes back to haunt him. 10:52: Clinton delivers Reagan's classic, "There they go again." Awesome.

10:55 Clinton is ad-lipping huge chunks of his speech.

10:58 Clinton brings up good points of auto parts dealers being saved by the trickle effect of the auto bailout.

11:00 Clinton: "Renewable energy has doubled."

11:01 Clinton talks about low interest student loans.

11:03 Clinton goes into health care. The energy dies down somewhat.

11:05 Clinton brings up the Republicans misleading attacks on Medicare. What Obama got rid of was the wasteful Medicare Advantage.

11:08 Clinton gets a standing ovation.

11:10 Bill Clinton is tearing Romney's Medicare and Medicaid cuts apart by humanizing the costs.

11:14 Clinton is tearing Romney and Ryan a new asshole.

Clinton: "Double down on trickle down."

11:21 Clinton rightfully calls Republicans out for their horrible voting restrictions.

11:23 It will be hard for Obama to top this speech.

Bill Clinton: Invest in Women

President Bill Clinton: Why We Must Invest In Girls And Women from Clinton Global Initiative on Vimeo.

Former President Bill Clinton discusses the importance of what women contribute to the world. Clinton points out that there is a disparity between what women produce and what they get in return. In much of the world women are not earning or owning as much as their male counterparts.

Clinton Goes After Scott on Voting Rights

Former President Bill Clinton goes after Gov. Rick Scott for signing the highly restrictive voting bill. Clinton's remarks came during a speech to young progressive activists.

"There has never been in my lifetime, since we got rid of the poll tax and all the Jim Crow burdens of voting, the determined effort to limit the franchise that we see today," Clinton added.

Clinton mentioned Gov. Rick Scott's move in March to overturn past state precedent - including under former GOP governors - that allows convicted felons to vote once they've finished probation periods.

"Why should we disenfranchise people forever once they've paid their price?" Clinton said. "Because most of them in Florida were African Americans and Hispanics who tended to vote for Democrats. That's why."

There absolutely is a racial element in how Florida Republicans deal with felons. Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi rejected Cassandra Jenkins' nomination to the parole commission. Scott and Bondi recited concerns about "safety" that projected prepared talking points. Jenkins had already served on the commission. Neither Scott or Bondi cited one instance where public safety was jeopardized because of Jenkins. It is also worth noting that Jenkins was the only black member of the commission and didn't get reappointed.

State Sen. Mike Bennett said voting should be as tough as it is in Africa. It is impossible to read Bennett's bizarre rant and not think of racism.

BENNETT: Do you read stories about the people of Africa? The people in the desert, who literally walk two or three hundred miles so they can have the opportunity to do what we do what we do, and we want to make it more convenient? How much more convenient do you want to make it? Do we want to go to their house? Take the polling booth with us?

Actually, if the voter is handicapped we do want to go to their house to help provide transportation, so they can vote. Bennett would have a disabled person crawl to a voting precinct.

If you never read stories about Africans walking two or three hundreds miles to vote then don't worry. Neither has Bennett. Politifact rated Bennett's bullshit claim a pants on fire lie. Bennett's nonsense is better suited for the white supremist web site Stormfront.org than for an elected official.

Update: video of Clinton's speech.

Triangulation Man: the Government Shutdown

President Bill Clinton's showdown with Republicans over the government shutdown is viewed as one of the major political victories of his administration. Clinton directly attacked Republicans as ideologues in an address to the country.

Five months ago I proposed my balanced budget plan. It balances the budget in the right way. It cuts hundreds of wasteful and outdated programs, but it upholds our fundamental values -- to provide opportunity, to respect our obligations to our parents and our children, to strengthen families and to strengthen America -- because it preserves Medicare and Medicaid, it invests in education and technology, it protects the environment, and it gives the tax cuts to working families for child rearing and for education. Unfortunately, Republican leaders in Washington have put ideology ahead of common sense and shared values in their pursuit of a budget plan.

We can balance the budget without doing what they seek to do. We can balance the budget without the deep cuts in education, without the deep cuts in the environment, without letting Medicare wither on the vine, without imposing tax increases on the hardest-pressed working families in America. I am fighting for a balanced budget that is good for America and consistent with our values. If they'll give me the tools, I'll balance the budget.

I vetoed the spending bill sent to me by Congress last night because America can never accept under pressure what it would not accept in free and open debate. I strongly believe their budget plan is bad for America. I believe it will undermine opportunity, make it harder for families to do the work that they have to do, weaken our obligations to our parents and our children, and make our country more divided. So I will continue to fight for the right kind of balanced budget.

Remember, the Republicans are following a very explicit strategy announced last April by Speaker Gingrich, to use the threat of a government shutdown to force America to accept their cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, to accept their cuts in education and technology and the environment.

The Clinton administration charged Republicans with practicing a "form of terrorism", by shutting down the government. The strategy help helped Clinton win a second term.

What is the strategy of our fearless super hero Triangulation Man?

Read more »

Gallup Poll on Spending Cuts

Americans love government spending cuts in theory. That is until cuts are proposed to government programs they support. The latest Gallup Poll shows Republican and Democratic voters support spending for Social Security, anti-poverty programs, and Medicare. There is agreement on spending cuts for foreign aid (which Sec. of State Hillary Clinton won't let happen) and farm subsidies.



An unsurprising finding is only 16 percent of all voters support shutting down the government if President Obama and Congress can't come to adeficit reduction and raising the debt ceiling compromise. Sec. of Treasury Robert Rubin was worried that not raising the debt ceiling could unleash havoc on international finances. Rubin borrowed money from federal pension funds to keep government running.

Newt Gingrich's government shutdown was a political gift to President Bill Clinton. Contrary to popular believe: Clinton didn't magically shoot up in the polls. The American people did view Clinton more favorably than Gingrich. Short answer: if the newly elected Tea Party Republicans shut down government they will be helping Obama get a second term.

Louie Gohmert Channels Robert Byrd

Rep. Louie Gohmert claims repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" threatens the existence of America. Never mind that Israel allows gays to openly serve in the military. I doubt Gohmert would tell pro-Israeli conservatives that Israel's existence is about to end. The general consensus is Israel has a formidable military.

GOHMERT: To my friend who said that history would judge us poorly, I would submit if you would look thoroughly at history -- and I'm not saying it's cause and effect -- but when militaries throughout history of the greatest nations in the world have adopted the policy that "fine for homosexuality to be overt" -- you can keep it private and control your hormones fine, if you can't, that's fine too -- they're toward the end of their existence as a great nation.

Gohmert is making the same argument that the late Sen. Robert Byrd made to President Bill Clinton about ending the ban of gays in the military. Byrd gave a rambling spiel to Clinton about Tiberius and Caesar and the fall of the Roman empire. George (Stephanopoulos documented Byrd's exchange with Clinton in his book "All Too Human.") Byrd is also a well known bigot and former member of the Klu Klux Klan.

Gohmert might want to use a more orignail talking point.

Note to Obama: Clinton is Not President

I am reading tweets about Bill Clinton answering questions about Obama's tax cuts. Obama walked away from the podium. This is bizarre. Isn't Obama suppose to be president? Clinton is getting hammered and he isn't in office anymore. Disaster.

I better tune in to C-SPAN.

I respect Clinton taking one for the team, but don't do this to the guy. It is Obama's job to sell his agenda. I understand the politics of bringing a former president to stump for the tax cuts. Judging by the way the media is hammering Clinton it isn't working. If Obama wants this tax cut package he is going to have to do the heavy lifting. My contempt for the tax cuts aside, what happened to Obama's skills as an orator?

Update: I am not making this up. Obama left Clinton at the podium because he had holiday parties to attend. This is what Obama told the White House Press Corp. I'm speechless.

Update: Obama leaves Clinton's side near the end of the video.

The Case Against Neoliberalism

What do all these names have in common?

Dick Gephardt
Chuck Robb
Sam Nunn
Bill Clinton
John Breaux
Dave McCurdy
Joe Lieberman
Evan Bayh
Tom Vilsack
Harold Ford

The answer is all these men served as chair of the Democratic Leadership Council. Ask yourself if you want John Breaux, Harold Ford, Joe Lieberman, Evan Bayh or Dick Gephardt to be deciding the direction of the Democratic Party.

The DLC calls themselves New Democrats. They are too terrified to call themselves neoliberals. The DLC was extremely hawkish about the Iraq war. The DLC attack Howard Dean for being against the Iraq war.

So what does the Bull Moose think of the donkey? In the early primaries, I thought Karl Rove had induced a mass brainwashing of the Democrats as they flocked to Howard Dean. If the Deaniacs had seized the party, the Bush-Rovian dream of realignment might have been realized. Dean was their dream opponent -- a socially liberal, anti-war candidate from Vermont. However, the good centrist sense of the Democratic rank and file prevailed.

The DLC got their wish of John Kerry. How did that work out?

The DLC actively placed corporate interests ahead of unions. Rick MacArthur explained to Amy Goodman what happened in the 90s.

Well, this is the legacy of the Clinton administration, that the Clintons persuaded enough members of the Democratic Party that labor unions were finished. And they were, I think, largely right. Labor unions were finished as an important source of votes and power, or that they could be taken for granted. They were going to vote for the Democrats anyway, because they had no choice, and the place to raise money and to expand influence with the party was in corporate America. And Clinton says to these people, through Terry McAuliffe and all his friends, Gene Sperling, the corporate Democrats who came out of the Democratic Leadership Council, "Look, you can’t argue with results. I got elected president twice, and we almost had fundraising parity with the Republicans in the ’90s."

Current DLC chair Harold Ford has a history of being anti-abortion and against gay marriage. Ford voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment - barring gays from marrying. Ford supported an amendment that forbid gays from adopting in the District of Columbia.

Noted neoliberal economist Lawrence Summers has been a longtime advocate for deregulation. In the Clinton administration, Summers fought the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over financial derivatives. Summers was a champion of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act. The law barred derivatives from being regulated.

President Bill Clinton signed the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. The law abolished the Gless-Steagall Act. The latter separated commercial and investment banks. The neoliberal economics drive for less financial regulation helped create the climate for the Wall Street meltdown of 2008.

A person who as described himself as a New Democrat (code for neoliberal) is Barack Obama. This is why Obama promised to veto any bill that allows Medicare to negotiate prices with drug companies. Obama never backed universal health care or a ban on offshore drilling because he believes corporations should benefit from public policy. Nevermind that the health care bill is riddled with hole that won't lower the cost of health insurance. That was never the point of health care reform. Obama could have given a populist message on how no one who currently has health insurance should not be dropped after he or she gets sick. Obama instead mandated Americans to buy health insurance. If Republicans passed such a proposal progressives would be outraged.

Thought of the Day: Marco Rubio Edition

I wished I thought of this sooner. The best way to have kept Marco Rubio from winning a Senate seat is have Bill Clinton endorsed him. A Clinton endorsement in a Florida Senate race is the kiss of death. Clinton endorsed his brother-in-law Hugh Rodham for the 1994 Senate race. Rodman lost to Republican Connie Mack by 40 percent of the vote in general election.

We now come to Kendrick Meek's pathetic excuse for a Senate campaign. Meek is running in third in every major poll to Rubio and Charlie Crist. Clinton endorsed Meek back in February of 2009. Republicans were destined to keep the seat as soon as the field was cleared for Meek.

The only thing worse than a Clinton endorsement for a Democrat Senate candidate would be a endorsement for a Republican Senate candidate. The Republican base hates Clinton. If Clinton was to go around Florida proclaiming his undying love for Rubio the Tea Party shine would quickly wear off.

Dropout-Gate

CNN video of Bill Clinton, Kendrick Meek and Charlie Crist statements on Dropout-Gate. Clinton denies urging Meek to dropout. Clinton said Meek brought up the subject. Meek says he was always in the race. Crist denies trying to initiate any of the camps to force Meek to quit. My question is why should we believe anything said by any of the parties.

Clinton Confirms Talks With Meek

I have a lengthy post on Bill Clinton asking Kendrick Meek to dropout. Dave Hoffman of the Meek campaign originally confirmed the story.

Dave Hoffman said “that was discussed, yeah,” but Hoffman denied that Meek had ever agreed to drop out.

Hoffman said he could not characterize what Clinton said, but then said, “I think ’suggest’ is probably the best … not ’suggest’ … but that (getting out) was discussed yeah.”

Hoffman said the issue was raised as, “Hey, if you want to do this … That was more of the nature of the conversation.”

Hoffman said Meek “never agreed to drop out” and was committed to fighting through Election Day.

Meek and members of his campaign attempted to walk back their own confirmation.

"The president came down to do an event for me in Orlando and St. Petersburg. We talk politics all the time. He said I heard this thing about you getting out. I said, 'I'm not getting out.' I said Charlie Crist needs to get out of the race. And that was that," Meek said.

Clinton confirmed to CNN that he discussed with Meek ending the campaign.

“He was trying to determine what was the best thing for him to do,” Clinton said in an interview with CNN’s Susan Candiotti Thursday. “I knew it was being discussed, people had discussed it on and off… it was no secret.”

Clinton said Meek did not have enough money to break through in the polls.

Clinton confirms the Politico story that he talked with Meek twice about dropping out. The article is a teaser for a CNN interview airing tomorrow.

Clinton's aide Matt McKenna went on-the-record with Politico that Clinton was pressing Meek to dropout. An off-the-record White House official told the Miami Herald said the Obama administration was aware of what was going on.

A White House official said the administration did not initiate talks between Meek and Clinton but was "aware" and ``in the position to let it play out" out of concerns about Rubio winning.

Meek is going to have to deal with the most popular politician in America telling CNN that he is lying about conversations they had. The CNN interview that will air is not going to play well for Meek.

Meek would have never been a Senate candidate if Clinton had not endorsed him. Now Clinton is effectively ending his political career. Is anyone going to take Meek seriously after this atrocious campaign?

Kendrick Meek Zombie Watch: Clinton Asked Meek to Drop Out

Bill Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna confirmed to Politico that the former President asked Kendrick Meek to drop out and endorse Charlie Crist. Clinton asked Meek to drop out during October 19 and 20. Another source told Politico that Meek agreed to drop out.

“It was a completely done deal,” one source said.

The Crist, Meek and Clinton camps even set a date for an endorsement rally: the following Tuesday, October 26. Meek was to give Crist his blessing and explain to his disappointed supporters – many of whom deeply distrust the governor, who was elected as a Republican – that their votes could save the Senate for the Democrats and save America from the rise of Rubio, who is viewed both as a hard-line conservative and a potential national figure.

Doug Band served as the intermediary between Meek and Crist, and Clinton. It seems Stephen Moore's Wall Street Journal article may have been closer to the truth than expected by many. (Including myself.) The date of Moore's article is 11 days before Clinton first asked Meek to drop out.Team Meek would not respond to Politico's request for an interview. That is a clear sign they do not want to go on-the-record refuting a story that is true.

Obviously, Meek changed his mind. What is interesting is Clinton's endorsement cleared the path for Meek nomination and thereby killing any chance of Democratics picking up the Senate seat. Even Clinton came to the conclusion that Meek's campaign was hopeless. I wish Clinton realized this before endorsing Meek.

Update: Crist Crist campaign spokesman Danny Kanner confirmed to Joy-Ann Reid that the Politico story is true.

“While this story is accurate, the Governor’s focus is on uniting common-sense Democrats, independents, and Republicans behind his campaign because he is the one candidate who can defeat Tea Party extremist Marco Rubio and deliver bipartisan results for Florida in Washington.”

Update: Eric Jotkoff of the Florida Democratic Party released this statement.

“Kendrick Meek is the only candidate who has fought for middle class families, he is the only candidate who stood up to George W. Bush’s attempts to privatize Social Security, and is the only one who has always showed up to defend our Democratic values by standing up to the extremist Republicans. Because Kendrick Meek is the leader we need in the U.S. Senate to fight for us, the Florida Democratic Party is proud to continue fighting to elect Kendrick Meek to the U.S. Senate so he can continue working for everyday Floridians and to bring jobs to the Sunshine State,” said Eric Jotkoff, Florida Democratic Party spokesman.

The press release doesn't mention the Politico article. It is pointless to do push back against factual statements. It appears the D.C. establishment is torpedoing Meek in the hopes of holding onto the Senate majority. The internal polling numbers must be horrible for the Senate races.

Update: RNC chairman Michael Steele is suddenly a Kendrick Meek fan.

"One can only imagine the response if GOP leadership tried to force out...a qualified black candidate like Kendrick Meek”

Steele will find out when the Republican establishment won't let him have a second term at the RNC.

Update: Dave Hoffman from the Meek campaign confirmed part of the Politico story. Hoffman contends that Meek never agreed to drop out. Hoffman does confirm Clinton brought up the subject of Meek dropping out.

Dave Hoffman said “that was discussed, yeah,” but Hoffman denied that Meek had ever agreed to drop out.

Hoffman said he could not characterize what Clinton said, but then said, “I think ’suggest’ is probably the best … not ’suggest’ … but that (getting out) was discussed yeah.”

Hoffman said the issue was raised as, “Hey, if you want to do this … That was more of the nature of the conversation.”

Hoffman said Meek “never agreed to drop out” and was committed to fighting through Election Day.

Update: Peter Schorsch tweeted this.

Kendrick Meek to hold, um, emergency press conference tonight at 9:30.

I am not a Charlie Crist fan. That being said, the best chance to keep Marco Rubio from gaining a Senate seat is for Meek to drop out. I'm not counting on it. Meek seems content on burning his bridges with the Democratic establishment. I have said this repeatedly and said by it. Meek does not have the support of the Democratic establishment and voters. The Politico leak was designed to force Meek out of the race. Democrats don't love Crist. They are terrified of Rubio becoming a major political star.

Update: Joy-Ann Reid blogs that Meek is denying Hoffman's confirmation that Clinton discussed dropping with him. McKenna and the Crist campaign have gone on-the-record on this. So has Meek's own campaign. Meek is denying conversations with Clinton that his campaign confirmed. If you want proof that the entire Meek campaign has been amateur hour then look no further than this. This shitty campaign's confusing message during the entire cycle can be blamed on a man who has no business running in a statewide race.

Update: Meek statement to CNN.

"The president came down to do an event for me in Orlando and St. Petersburg. We talk politics all the time. He said I heard this thing about you getting out. I said, 'I'm not getting out.' I said Charlie Crist needs to get out of the race. And that was that," Meek said.

That doesn't sound like an actual conversation. That sounds like Meek's increasingly passive aggressive campaign rhetoric. Remember Meek yelling during a debate that he is 6'4 and Senators would have to go through him in order to change Social Security. Is Meek going to challenge Chuck Grassley to a fight? The guy has a temper as bad as John McCain's.

Update: Campaign manager Abe Dyk is now walking back Hoffman's confirmation. This is like watch a car crash in slow motion.

"The article is not true. Kendrick Meek was never dropping out of this race, is never dropping out of this race, and will never drop out of this race. Kendrick Meek will always stand up for the middle class and will not leave Floridians a choice between two lifelong conservative Republicans who only stand with the special interests. Kendrick is the Democratic nominee so if anyone should drop out, it's Charlie Crist,” said Meek campaign manager Abe Dyk.

The problem for Dyk and the Meek campaign is two sources confirmed to Jake Tapper of ABC News that Clinton asked Meek to drop out. It is hard for Team Meek to do push back when people within the Democratic Party are telling the media the story is true.

From Beth Reinhard of the Miami Herald.

"I am running. The press report was inaccurate at best."

And he's losing in the polls.

Meek is already a zombie candidate. I didn't think it could get worse. Boy, was I wrong.