Clinton Tells Democrats-Stop Being Wimps

[MrsSpringsteen]

I'd love to read a transcript of this speech, if one exists

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/308675p-264126c.html


Bill Clinton wants Democrats to stop being wimps.

He reminded the power crowd at Time Warner's Conversations on the Circle, at the media giant's corporate headquarters Tuesday night, how Bush supporters, masterminded by Karl Rove, ran ads picturing Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein alongside former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland, a triple amputee, because he voted against the Homeland Security Act.

"The guy left half his body in Vietnam," he said. "They're in the business to beat us. When they come out after you, it is a contact sport.

"Get better tactics. Don't wuss around. And quit saying, 'They're so mean and vicious.' They only do it because it works. When they don't do it anymore, we can go back to a more civilized way of doing business."

When Time Inc. editor in chief Norman Pearlstine coyly asked, "Can a female senator from a large Northeastern state run as a Democrat and win in 2008?" Sen. Hillary Clinton's husband said, "I don't know. ... And I'm pretty sure she doesn't know whether she will run. ... But I believe someone from Maine to Alaska, a person of color could win ... a woman could win. ... It just depends on what you say and how you say it."

And no one is more deft at that. Clinton batted out statistics on everything from Cuba to AIDS, in response to questions pitched by audience members like Dick Parsons, Henry Louis Gates, Barry Diller, Walter Cronkite, Robert Morgenthau, Vernon Jordan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jon Bon Jovi, Sean (Puffy) Combs and Paula Zahn.

When Pearlstine asked the ex-President to size up his successor, he was all diplomacy: "He has a great ... emotional intelligence."

 

[verte76]

I think in some ways the 2008 campaign has already started. You see the early jockeying for position games. Perhaps nothing succeeds without failure?

 

[nbcrusader]

Clinton wants Democrats to get tougher? Maybe they should tap that great felon constituency.......

 

[melon]

Bill Clinton wants Democrats to stop being wimps.

Damn straight. Let's see if they'll listen.

Melon

 

[verte76]

Someone needs to knock some life into the Democrats. Perhaps Howard Dean is the man, and of course he's now the DNC chief. We'll need an aggressive candidate, not a passive by-stander. I dunno what will happen considering the present political climate, what with some conservatives pissed off at Rudy Giuliani's position on abortion and civil unions.

 

[melon]

I think that Democrats have become too complacent with their six-figure Congresssional incomes.

I'd love to force Congress to be paid whatever the average American income is, so if it goes up and down, their income goes up and down too. And they should get their cushy health care benefits cut off too, to be replaced with shitty third-party insurance where they have to pay out of their paycheck partially for it.
And stuff like "expense accounts" and "free travel expenses"? Sorry...kick that to the curb too. Maybe if Congress had to live like the average American for once, they wouldn't be so callous to our needs.

Melon

 

[Abomb-baby]

I think that Democrats have become too complacent with their six-figure Congresssional incomes.

I'd love to force Congress to be paid whatever the average American income is, so if it goes up and down, their income goes up and down too. And they should get their cushy health care benefits cut off too, to be replaced with shitty third-party insurance where they have to pay out of their paycheck partially for it.
And stuff like "expense accounts" and "free travel expenses"? Sorry...kick that to the curb too. Maybe if Congress had to live like the average American for once, they wouldn't be so callous to our needs.

Melon

Finally, something I agree with you on melon!

 

[verte76]

Yeah, how can we expect people with six-figure incomes to give a damn about us? This is a ridiculous situation.

 

[melon]

Well, the only flaw in my plan is that over 3/4 of the Senate are millionaires. Even if we cut off all of their benefits and salary, they'd still live like kings.

Melon

 

[nbcrusader]

I think that Democrats have become too complacent with their six-figure Congresssional incomes.

I'd love to force Congress to be paid whatever the average American income is, so if it goes up and down, their income goes up and down too. And they should get their cushy health care benefits cut off too, to be replaced with shitty third-party insurance where they have to pay out of their paycheck partially for it.
And stuff like "expense accounts" and "free travel expenses"? Sorry...kick that to the curb too. Maybe if Congress had to live like the average American for once, they wouldn't be so callous to our needs.

Melon

What?!? That would leave only one benefit to the job: interns

 

[pax]

Paging U2democrat, paging U2democrat...

 

[Bono's shades]

I agree. The Democrats just rolled over and played dead during the 2004 campaign. I don't want them to play dirty - I just want them to have some guts. Is that too much to ask?

Anyway, I feel a lot more optimistic with Howard Dean as head of the DNC. Maybe his primal screaming thing will fire some people up!

 

[madroseka]

I dunno I think the democrats attack more than you give them credit for. Look at all the stuff moveon does. All that is is attack campaign stategies. republicans do the exact same thing. I think both parties are equally as nasty.

 

[najeena]

If we can get a gustsy candidate that will lay him/herself on the line for what the Democrats believe in, the current administration's disastrous record will speak for itself.

 

[ImOuttaControl]

I dunno I think the democrats attack more than you give them credit for. Look at all the stuff moveon does. All that is is attack campaign stategies. republicans do the exact same thing. I think both parties are equally as nasty.

Yep, the left attacks just as much as the right. The problem with the Democratic party lately is that it's been hijacked by the ultra left, which has pushed moderates and independents away. A moderate Democrat such as Bill Clinton was would easily win. If the dems are dumb enough to pick one of the far left democrats like Kerry(look at his voting record, not what he said on the campaign trail) they will lose again in '08.

 

[learn2kneel]

Yep, the left attacks just as much as the right. The problem with the Democratic party lately is that it's been hijacked by the ultra left, which has pushed moderates and independents away. A moderate Democrat such as Bill Clinton was would easily win. If the dems are dumb enough to pick one of the far left democrats like Kerry(look at his voting record, not what he said on the campaign trail) they will lose again in '08.

Great Insight!

 

[gossamerLL]

I think that Democrats have become too complacent with their six-figure Congresssional incomes.

Ummm. Right now there are more Republicans with 6 figure congressional incomes than Democrats. But boy those Republicans would make you think those Democrats are the rich ones, right?

When the Democrats were in control they didn't consider doing some of the crap the Republicans are now pulling (nuclear option to change senate rules that have been in place for 200 years just so they can get their judges in place to push the highly religous, moral standard on the entire country--now why didn't the Democrats do this when they were the majority?). Not to mention, trampling all over State rights with the Schivo case?? Isn't one of the Republican platforms State's rights? I guess that is only when the religous right is not in conflict with the party platform.

Seems like when we have a Republican in office that the governement gets bigger and deeper in debt than with the Democrats. Hey why not tackle something that really matters right now, like the rising cost of healthcare? No that is too hard, we need to work on Social Security because it might go broke in 40 years.... What a flipping joke!!

Oh and Ron Regan said something I found very interesting: That back when his dad was president he said it wasn't as mean. At the end of the day the republicans and democrats would still go out at the end of the day together and have a drink - You won't see that any more. He called the current Republican party vicous, and I have to agree.