Keep Bashing Bill to Retain a Republican Presidency (Huffpo)

[kpete]

Keep Bashing Bill to Retain a Republican Presidency
Posted January 28, 2008 | 02:38 PM (EST)

The Democratic Presidential race is pure politics between consenting adults and the barbs traded on all sides have been well within the norm of contemporary politicking and positively tea-party genteel compared to past elections in our nation's history. As James Carville put it, they're not campaigning for commencement speaker at Williams College. Bill Clinton plays hardball because winning politics is hardball.

I mean, have Democrats forgotten how absolutely tepid and passive we have been on a national stage ever since Bill left office? Have Democrats forgotten that since him we have always lost and if the war in Iraq hadn't capsized the Bush presidency Democrats would be about as relevant to modern day governing as the Whigs?

Folks who called his aggressive boosterism for his wife "Rovian" do so because they genuinely love Obama and take it personally when he's criticized. That type of adoration is wonderful and admirable and inspiring, but it can also smack of a cult of personality that can easily cloud the hardboiled rational judgment one needs to defeat the Republicans.

Obama himself is better and smarter than that and no cry-baby.

more at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/trey-ellis/keep-bashing-bill-to-reta_b_83639.html

[tularetom]

1. Maybe Obama is better at "hardball" than Clinton is

He seems to be able to keep the Clintons on the defensive without getting his hands dirty. Maybe Bill Clinton has met his match is the "slick" department.

I think they misunderestimated Obama's ability to play the political game that they thought they owned.

And at the moment he seems to be outplaying them.

[robbedvoter]

8. When the entire MSM is playing your tune, doesn't take much genius to get

your side of the story out while covering the opposition.
Same as Karl Rove is not a genius for having the government, treasury, media at his disposal to do dirty tricks.

[Lerkfish]

2. I dunno. I'm not that impressed with Bill's contribution to Hillary's campaign

I think beltway folks should start paying attention to what people do and don't like about the why they run their campaigns.

[robbedvoter]

3. Official Obama strategy: Play victim of the Clintons to gain sympathy

MSM helps of course with selective covering.
here it is - spelled out:
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/01/obama_and_clinton_to_clintons.php

Advisers believe that the more the Clintons poke at Obama, the more sympathetic he becomes, and the more she plays into his contention that she's a divisive, polarizing figure"

[Tulkas]

4. It isn't bashing to point out someone acting inappropriately

If you don't belive me ask Ted Kennedy

[robbedvoter]

6. It's only bashing if it comes from Hillary - we get it. And Ted is far from King Solomon.

[sandnsea]

5. The Clintons only fight for the Clintons

When are some of these people going to figure it out. The reason The Democrats have been "tepid and passive" is because Hillary has been yammering "stay the course" and Bill has been giving Bush a pass on things like the yellowcake lies and saying how much he liked him the rest of the time.

[NashVegas]

7. I Have One Issue With Bill

He needs to get less TV coverage when he stumps for Hillary, OR remain completely positive in his speeches.

All the candidates have their lieutenants who go negative, but Bill really can't, as a former POTUS.

And I hate to say it, but Hillary needs to not call her hubby in to answer against attacks against her. Have Terry do it, have Jimmy Carville do it, but don't have Bill do it.