Dear Bill, the President's job is not to blow sunshine up Americans' asses.

[Writer]

Love,

~Writer the Candid~

[Why Syzygy]

1. Can you dig it?

What a moof.

[Writer]

2. This is a MAJOR generational difference between Bill and Barack.

Bill: Don't worry, all I need to do add a little sugar, and eeeeverything will be better.

Barack: You know, what's going on is bad. Very, very bad. It might not work, but here's a thoughtful, well-honed plan we can try. Shoot, I have a date with Michelle. Later...

[EraOfResponsibility]

3. LOL!!

Shoot, I have a date with Michelle. Later...

:rofl:

[Cha]

55. I've always heard Obama

say at the end of his speeches that America has overcome every adversity in the past and we will persevere..paraphrasing here.

[babylonsister]

4. Writer has that right. Rec'd! nt

[FrenchieCat]

5. Hell, the shit is even worse then they are letting on as it is.......

Dear Bill,
I don't need the shit I'm being served to be disguised by the sugar on top.
I don't want to be treated like a fool.

[Enrique]

6. Bill already knows that

"I like trying to educate the American people about the dimensions and scope of this economic crisis. . . . I like the fact that he didn't come in and give us a bunch of happy talk," Clinton said in an interview aired on ABC's "Good Morning America."

[AyanRand Is Dead]

7. Actually the leader of nations sometimes needs to be a cheerleader.

FDR, Kennedy, Churchill, etc...

[Captain Hilts]

9. Don't cite history. You'll just confuse Obama groupies. Bubba gave him an A. nt

[ClarkUSA]

11. Clinton "groupies" are confused about the difference between praise and unwarranted/unwanted advice.

[LaydeeBug]

18. OH? You can prove it was unwarranted and unwanted? LOL

I highly doubt that. :shrug:

[ClarkUSA]

23. Yeah, I can. Bill needs to put on his bifocals and read 44's speeches better.

President Obama always ends his speeches with the promise of better days to come because of "his faith in the American people"
so Bill's smarmy advice is unwarranted. More than one reporter has said the same thing on MSM (just one example was the WaPo's
senior political reporter, Jonathan Capehart on MSNBC yesterday afternoon).

As for being unwanted, it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. :eyes:

[ecstatic]

35. Clinton could have easily picked up the phone and called to offer his "advice"

but instead he chose to criticize President Obama on CNN.

[karynnj]

29. Also inaccurate

The fact is that Obama did project that he could lead the country through these troubled times. That is why he won the nomination and the general election. Different people lead in different ways.

As to the historical references - FDR did not tell people that everything was going to work out quickly or easily - nor did Winston Churchill. They both spoke of the dark issues they faced and called on people to have the faith to follow them and stand up to the problems. Obama is more in line with both of those men that Clinton ever was in tone and emotion. (On many troubled issues - the Clinton years were, in Churchill's phrase, "the years the locusts ate". The 1990s were a great time, easy living while ignoring some fundamental problems - like global warming. The idea that any shared sacrifice was needed was totally not there - it was the time of SUVs and megamansions.

[ClarkUSA]

32. Well-said.

:thumbsup:

[karynnj]

38. thanks

I don't think Clinton meant to do warm and I don't think he did - I do think that he may have difficulty seeing that his own way is not always the right way. It also is important to mention that he was asked how Obama did - it was not volunteered out of the blue.

I actually think it says more about Bill Clinton than about either Obama or the current times. (I also don't mean it as negative to Clinton, who did often do what he recommended here. I simply prefer what Obama's approach.)

[JTFrog]

12. Hope you wipe after you post.

:eyes:

[LaydeeBug]

19. "Hope you wipe after you post"? How nice. nt

[JTFrog]

21. It was a fitting reply for dropping a turd in the middle of the thread.

Obama groupies? :eyes:

A typical republican or puma spewing phrase.

[AtomicKitten]

37. The Clinton First crowd is barking again. n/t

[JTFrog]

41. Last desperate attempt to save the legacy. Bill's been on a roll and has em all pumped. n/t

[AtomicKitten]

45. DU has become a flotation device for the Clintons who lost all credibility during the election.

I remember when DU used to be a discussion board. Now it's a cheerleading squad flank by the Clinton First enforcers.

[AyanRand Is Dead]

25. You mean Presidents and Commander in Chiefs

Don't have to be a positive influence for the people? They're not inspirational figures? Running a campaign with a slogan of hope and change is merely rhetoric and not substantive? You're kidding right? *sigh*

Really mature response there buddy, it made a lot of sense... :eyes:

[JTFrog]

30. You read all that into my post?

You're my hero.

[AyanRand Is Dead]

34. Quips! your responses exude...

No substance.

[JTFrog]

40. Look, when someone comes and drops a turd in the middle of a thread

in hopes that it will get stirred around a little, yea I'm gonna ask them if they fucking wiped when they were done.

The groupie, cult, worshiping spewers get their talking points from the nastiest of the nasty republican and puma shit factories.

And your shitty telepathy skills don't deserve any substantiation.

[Name removed]

43. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JTFrog]

48. Do you even get that my reply wasn't to you?

Or did you just try on a different pair of socks?

[ClarkUSA]

14. Bill's talking out of the side of his ass. Barack's always been about HOPE.

But he also promised to be honest and he is being honest unlike some presidents. President Obama always ends his
speeches with the promise of better days ahead... maybe Bill needs to get his bifocals and check content. Americans are
tired of cockeyed cheerleading... President Obama's sky-high approval ratings reflect voters' appreciation for his honest
yet HOPEful approach to the worst economic crisis since the Depression.

[Top Cat]

22. kick

[last_texas_dem]

8. Yeah, but look how far it got Ronald Reagan...

[ClarkUSA]

10. Bush did enough of that crap. Americans have had enough of that BS.

Barack has always been about HOPE about the future, but he promised to be honest, too... unlike some past presidents.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

20. The truth hurts sometimes. Bill needs a reality check . . .

Obama's in charge now, so stay the fuck out of the way and let an adult handle this.

[ClarkUSA]

24. You got that right.

[William769]

13. Dear Writer,

After the past 8 years if only for a brief moment it's kind of nice to have a little sushine blown up my ass as compared to...

[JTFrog]

15. Americans treated like adults instead of being told to fuggitaboudit and go shopping?

Who would have thought that was possible? :shrug:

[Clio the Leo]

16. Bill is being taken out of context.....

It was superfun to watch the Politico headline go from "Clinton gives Obama an A" to "Clinton says Obama should be more hopeful!" after they realized they were not spinning the story properly. :)

This is not another soft-handed slam like we've seen from him before. The MSM is picking up on only part of what Bill said (shocker!) The reporter got the "fight" started (again, shocker!) by ASKING Pres. Clinton "do you think Obama should be more hopeful?" To which the Big Dawg responded, "the last thing you want to do is give the people a lot of inane, happy talk."

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6920046
(at about the 2 min mark)

Now, where Bill was incorrect was when he said "I'd like him to end saying that he's hopeful." Well, Pres. Clinton either misspoke or doesn't watch ALL of Barack's speeches as anyone who does can tell you that is EXACTLY what he does. For example, this is how his speech before he signed the Stimulus Bill ended....

None of this will be easy. The road to recovery will not be straight and true. It will demand courage and discipline, and a new sense of responsibility that has been missing – from Wall Street to Washington. There will be hazards and reverses along the way. But I have every confidence that if we are willing to continue doing the difficult work that must be done – by each of us and by all of us – then we will leave this struggling economy behind us, and come out on the other side, more prosperous as a people.

For our American story is not – and has never been – about things coming easy. It’s about rising to the moment when the moment is hard, converting crisis into opportunity, and seeing to it that we emerge from whatever trials we face stronger than we were before. It’s about rejecting the notion that our fate is somehow written for us, and instead laying claim to a destiny of our own making. That is what earlier generations of Americans have done, and that is what we are doing today.

Bill's mistake is that he's listening to spin and not investigating the whole story.

But he's not the only one. ;)

[wyldwolf]

17. I'm surprised the OP fell for this - but I'm not surprised other DUers did... or maybe they didn't..

... and are just using it to denigrate Bill Clinton. Kind of a shame (and a sham)... this type of thing is not too unlike the "e-mail forwards" which intentionally lie or exaggerate.

Sad thing is months from now the spin DU is giving it will become DU "fact."

[QC]

27. People will believe anything that confirms their prejudices. n/t

[ClarkUSA]

33. 'Bill was incorrect was when he said "I'd like him to end saying that he's hopeful."'

That's what I'm saying and what others in the MSM and the blogosphere are also saying. You agree, apparently.
No one is taking this OP "out of context" at all.

[glowing]

26. No, but he can try and inspire regular communities to come together and

help one another out. Me, Me, Me cannot continue. He needs to inspire people to come together to work with one another to help out their neighbors like they have never been asked before.

[question everything]

28. The President's job is to offer hope, even in the most dire circusmtances

this is why FDR, JFK, Reagan, Bill himself and Obama were elected. "All we have to fear is fear itself," "Morning in America." These are classic phrases that convinced voters that the President is confident in America and its people.

Obama is saying something like that but most of us are still scared. Everyday when I hear that another local company is laying off people, I shudder when I know at least one neighbor who works there.

[Aloha Spirit]

31. Careful optimism vs. "completely convinced we'll be fine"

The way Bill Clinton phrased it was bad. I mean, in general his point applies, but he said it carelessly and without contextual or any support to make his statement rise above every other bit of unsolicited advice.
Obama would have to lie if he said what Bill Clinton recommended.
I also think that Obama is aware that the empty assurance became cliche under Bush's presidency.
Obama phrases it more delicately
"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."

"That's why I'm calling on all Americans, Democrats and Republicans and independents, to put -- to put good ideas ahead of the old ideological battles, a sense of common purpose above the same narrow partisanship, and insist that the first question each of us asks isn't "What's good for me?" but "What's good for the country my children will inherit? More than any program or policy, it is this spirit that will enable us to confront these challenges with the same spirit that has led previous generations to face down war and depression and fear itself.
And if we do, if we are able to summon that spirit again, if we are able to look out for one another and listen to one another, and do our part for our nation and for posterity, then I have no doubt that, years from now, we will look back on 2009 as one of those years that marked another new and hopeful beginning for the United States of America."

"But I have every confidence that if we are willing to continue doing the difficult work that must be done -- by each of us and by all of us -- then we will leave this struggling economy behind us, and come out on the other side, more prosperous as a people."

So, he does not give us a flat assurance of success. It is qualified. If we face the challenges with a little ingenuity and courage, Then we will recover....

I'm good with that!

Edit--that's sad about layoffs in your area.
My state has a recovery office businesses and residents can contact to see if the recovery act can help.
I hope businesses figure out quickly their role in making the stimulus plan effective.

[Writer]

54. That's a good summary. n/t

[suston96]

36. A little perspective here.....

President Obama would do well to pay attention to what former President Clinton has to say.

Bill Clinton left office with the highest approval rating in recent presidential history.

He left with two or three balanced budgets, made two payments on the national debt, and left a projected surplus of 6 trillion dollars for the next 10 years.

Uh, maybe our new young President should pay attention to that kind of a presidential success story.

[BeyondGeography]

47. More like no perspective at all

China was a start-up during the Clinton years, India was still wet behind the ears as was Russia. Oil was cheap for the duration of his presidency. Personal debt levels were roughly half of what they are today, and Poppy Bush's tax hike gave Clinton a much better set of government finances to play with. International security threats/inherited wars? None. The recession? Pretty much over by the time Bill got there.

You'd think he and his fan base would be a little more humble about the blessed set of circumstances he had to play with, but humility never was a feature of the whole Clinton experience.

[suston96]

49. Humility? Great stuff if you are pursuing sainthood.......

Paying attention to goals and purposes is far more important when pursuing economic stability and economic growth.

Add to the above mentioned balanced budgets and projected surpluses, the creation of 22 million jobs by Clinton-Gore and President Obama can, with all humility of course, try to equal Clinton's accomplishments.

Or he can just listen to what he has to say and do whatever he believes he needs to do.

I repeat, with humility. That humility is a key feature of presidential success. Yeah, it is.

[BeyondGeography]

50. Nothing could be less relevant than the economic circumstances of the Clinton years right now

Try to move on, or we'll have to start talking about all the footsie he played with Wall Street during his presidency that we're now paying for.

[suston96]

53. Move on? The thread is about Bill Clinton talking to Barack Obama.....

Economics are cyclical. To understand today's economics one must look at preceding cycles.

Clinton's relevance? Uh, creating 22 million jobs? Creating just half that many jobs would be very relevant.

[damonm]

56. I must respectfully disagree.

As another poster pointed out, the circumstances of Mr. Clinton's presidency were RADICALLY different than the situation in which President Obama now finds himself. Further, President Obama comes into office on the heels of the most secretive and pathologically dishonest administrations in all history - honesty is MORE than called for, and is refreshing, given that Mr. Clinton also had some well-documented difficulties in that area.
Moreover, President Obama achieved what Mr. Clinton never did - election to office by an unmistakable majority of the American public.
Given these considerations, plus the fact that Obama defeated his wife in the primaries (which SHOULD NOT have happened, given Mrs. Clinton's FAR superior name recognition), it might be fairly said that President Obama's political instincts may be somewhat sharper than Mr. Clinton's at this point.

[AtomicKitten]

39. Bill Clinton is basking in his image on the TV monitor, nothing more, nothing less. n/t

[progressoid]

42. I'm not Bill's biggest fan, but he's right.

Sometimes the rank and file need some encouragement.

Kind of hard to build confidence in the economy (and your stimulus package) when you're a Debbie Downer.

[mod mom]

44. Bill and the GOP think it's better to treat the public like children than to expose the mess they

created.

[Captain Hilts]

52. So, do you think FDR did so with his speeches? Just curious. The only thing we have to fear...

is more scary speeches!

Seriously, I think Prez Obama is doing a good job and I appreciate his caution and gravity.

But folks need to chill out about Bubba. We really eat our own.

[Yavin4]

46. Give People The Truth

So that they may make the best decisions for themselves.

[bluestateguy]

51. Obama should save the happy talk for 2011 and 2012

Clinton did not start the happy talk himself until 1995. His consultant Dick Morris told him that it was time to stop talking about the country's problems all the time. After you have been in office awhile, people will start to ask "well yes, just what have you done about all these problems?" But Obama is not at that point yet. He is cleaning up a major mess made by Bush and Cheney.

[Writer]

57. By the way: Did you all know that I like Bill Clinton and read his entire comment on this issue?

I still say he misses the point, however, and must permit the new generation to handle this crisis with the sober realism that it warrants.

~Writer the Nonplussed~