Despite his failings, the Democrats have a former President they can be proud of.

The Republicans have a sitting President and Vice President who are radioactive. And the more the voters associate McCain with them, the more his popularity drops.

As one of our dumber trolls likes to say, I love it!

But...but...he didn't love Barack enough!

Hopefully this will put to rest the asinine specualtion that HRC and WJC were trying to sabotage Obama's campaign so HRC could run in '12.

God, I hate Bill Clinton. Every freakin time I've been mad at him, he pulls something like this. I can't stay mad at him. Jerk.

I understand they had to change venues in Florida (or seating capacity) as Bubba is bringing in such huge crowds. Let's hope this translates into a Florida victory for Obama!

Good for him--he's finally making good on his promise that he would do "Whatever he (Obama) asks".

McCain won Florida with the Governor's help--no doubt he'll call upon him again, but he's no match for Bill Clinton's influence with Florida and other key swing states.

What an amazing speech (I understand it was not even scripted, really) he gave today!

Agree 100%. Keep him out there. Even a few gaffes won't matter. It's all about his visibility in supporting the Democratic ticket over McCain/Palin.

I was waiting for this...

All that flak Big Dog caught for the McCain invite to the CGI was a bit of an overbite. Bottom line: CGI is a non-partisan effort. That Clinton played a statesman in that setting ought not to draw teeth. But it did.

This is brilliant stuff.
Are you listening Ohio?

Where's Oprah?

If I were Obama, I'd make it a challenge to Bill's manhood to deliver Ohio and Florida.

BTW, I can't help but notice the nice suits Obama is wearing recently--adding the tie and jacket DOES make a difference, IMO. It adds a sense of solidity and seriousness to his image--hope that doesn't sound silly, but so much of this campaign is about the feeling conveyed--I can certainly hear through the clothes, but I don't know about others who are more visual.

given that kerry lost the election because 80K voters in ohio went the wrong way, i've long mused whether bill clinton could have made a difference in 2004, and i suspect that he can in 2008....

Transcripts Steve?

But Andrew Sullivan said that Bill and Hillary will do anything to help McCain win!

Gosh - and not even one gratuitous shot at Bill Clinton in the whole post. Steve, are we Democrats all coming together at just the right time!

See, conspiracy theorists, the Clintons acted just like the true progressive working-class champion Democrats they are - and just like the rest of us, the Hillbots as it were, told you they would.

I'm so happy with Steve not setting up a strawman that I won't even ask the rest of you for an apology.

(To self) I don't believe it. Must reread post.

Is Joe Biden stupid enough for the unwashed masses to relate to? Broder says people don't want someone running the country who knows more than they do.

And where's TraitorJoe? I have not seen him anywhere since the Repug Convention. Did somebody hurt his widdle feelings?

I swear, if I lived in CT, I'd sue him for breach of promise.

The Clenis will also probably meet some attractive women while campaigning.

It is SUCH an advantage to have a campaigner who is smart.

Obama and Bill and Hillary can give five speeches a day til November and get the Dems back into the WH.

The party has enough depth and breadth of experience to be able to govern effectively.

I hope he did that thing where he points with his fist, thumb on top. I've always been curious about that. Does anyone know anyone else who does that?

Repeat after me, all ye skeptics: "Thank you, Bill!"

On the Republican side, there is George H. W. Bush, who was never a great campaigner but is held in high regard, at least by some.

He's a bit frail now, certainly showing his age, and that would serve a useful reminder of what McCain will be by the end of his presidency -- a man in his 80s.

If he's lucky to serve two terms and live that long.

And where's TraitorJoe? I have not seen him anywhere since the Repug Convention. Did somebody hurt his widdle feelings?

I swear, if I lived in CT, I'd sue him for breach of promise.
Posted by: bcinaz on October 1,

**************************

he was taken to the emergency room because of severe damage to his asshole after making himself available to 'all cumers' at the repiglican convention ...

doubtful - I think that's his "you can sit on this and rotate if you don't believe me" gesture.

tried to go to the rally today but I got there a bit too late and couldnt find parking so I watched a stream on our local news web site.

All in all, not a bad speech but the most powerful moments coming at the end. He had a gaffe, a moment when he mentioned Hillary's response (or plan) for the economy, but almost forgot to mention Barack's response. I can't remember the exact context of what was said but it was obvious he screwed up but recovered quite nicely.

He also suggested he would still like his wife to be President someday (OK, he said man, or woman, with a slight nod and wink, when talking about future presidents). Kind of annoying since he is supposed to be rallying the troops behind Obama.

Steve,

Normally, I agree with your historical footnotes. Regarding Bill Clinton in 2004, however, you're only telling half the story. Yes, Bill Clinton had heart trouble and surgery. What everyone forgets is that at almost exactly the same time that the Democratic convention was taking place in Boston, Bill Clinton was so doggone sick from his operation that he had to go on a cross-country book tour touting his all-about-me biography!

Yes, that's right: Bill "Johh Kerry Dragged Me Out Of My Hospital Bed Because He Desperately Needed Me" Clinton somehow got healthy in time to inject not only himself but his sordid, drippy Monica debacle into the national consciousness once again.

Don't give Bill Clinton more credit than he deserves. This is a man who won the White House twice with assits from Ross Perot in both years. And he killed his wife's campaign.

For more, here's a piece that lays it all out:

http://liberalcowgirl.blogspot.com/2008/06/burden-of-bill-clinton.html

Doubtful:

That gesture was created, defined and patented by John F. Kennedy. Bill Clinton, like most other modern-day politicians, 'borrowed it' from JFK.

Howard:

Regarding this --

"given that kerry lost the election because 80K voters in ohio went the wrong way, i've long mused whether bill clinton could have made a difference in 2004, and i suspect that he can in 2008...."

-- can we get over the idea that Bill Clinton wanted to help John Kerry? Bill Clinton didn't want John Kerry to win because he wanted his wife to run in 2008, as she did. Hillary Clinton herself knifed Kerry in the back in 2006 after the trumped-up 'botched joke' charge, driving Kerry from a second run at the White House.

The Clintons are not loving, caring Democrats, they're self-absorbed politicians. I don't mind if people want to forgive and forget, but the idea that Bill Clinton was champing at the bit to help Kerry, and Kerry was too dumb to take the assist, is wrong. As was Steve's historical context about 2004.

Who can McCain dispatch to key areas like this? Bush? Of course not.

Bush Sr? "Not gonna do it" /Dana Carvey

If nothing else, having Clinton out on the trail helps reminds people that the last time we had a Democrat as president, it was a time of prosperity and stability. Under the GOP? Eh, not so much.

The Phantom

I talked too soon about apologies and no gratuitous swipes at the Clintons for a change. Thanks for keeping up the good fight - it's so becoming.

BTW - Bill Clinton was having health issues at that time, schmuck!

Phantom: You seem to suggest that Clinton's bypass operation was prior to the Democratic convention. This is incorrect. Clinton's heart bypass operation was in September 2004. The Democratic convention was in July 2004.

Bill Clinton's hope is that voters will forget the role he and his Treasury Secretary, Robert Rubin, had in all this. Clinton and Rubin's refusal to fire Alan Greenspan, who'd done such fine work for Reagan and Bush, and their cleaving to the ideas of Milton Friedman, insured there would be no reversal of the policies of the '80s, making it all too easy for Bush Jr. to extend them. Everybody from Jimmy Carter on is to blame for this mess.

I hope to heaven Clinton's ideas don't prevail in the new administration. Obama needs to hire a Keynesian. I nominate Robert Reich, who was Clinton's Secretary of Labor, and whom he ignored in favor of Rubin and Greenspan. In the meantime, we get Clintonian smoke and mirrors. I'd like to see both Clintons go back to Hope. We could use a little right now.

And where's TraitorJoe? I have not seen him anywhere since the Repug Convention.

I keep seeing in the background at McCain and McCain/Palin appearances. Now that he has tethered his political future to that campaign, that's pretty understandable.

On the Republican side, there is George H. W. Bush, who was never a great campaigner but is held in high regard, at least by some.

The rehabilitation of HW Bush's rep in the last, oh, decade or so has been phenomenal. I know Republicans who hated him so much in 1992 that they voted for Ross Perot - despite Perot's public breakdown. Yet those very same Republicans in 1999 were eager for a W victory because HW Bush had been a "much better President" than Clinton ever was. Nowadays those same folks are sad that W didn't pull HW into his presidency more because the elder Bush was "did a great job and his son should have taken notes". Crazy. You never know what you have until it's gone, I suppose.

It's nice and all for Bill to campaign for Obama, but this is a guy who never, ever managed to get 50% of the American people to vote for him.

That's not to say Bill isn't popular with lots of folks and doesn't have great political skills, but this image of the Big Dog as some sort of electoral demigod is at odds with established evidence.

Mike

what's the matter with Obama - doesn't he take advice from Preening Boys Andrew Sullivan and Matt Yglesias?

Sullivan -

"There is, alas, no ethnic community as homophobic in America as African-Americans."

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/young-evangelic.html

and to think so many Dems thought he was on their side - all because he mounted his mysogenist campaing against Hillary.

RK:

You're quite right and I stand corrected. Clinton's surgery was in late September, well after the convention.

It was Clinton's self-serving book tour that landed on top of the 2004 convention, putting Kerry in the same box that Gore had been in: do I ask this moral degenerate to campaign for me, or not?

The headline of this NYTimes piece is laughable (and completely backwards), but it details the frustration the Kerry camp felt at having Clinton both 'bigfoot' Kerry's convention as well as remind everyone what a screw-up he had been. Hardly the kind of thing that made it easy for Kerry to 'use him'.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B00E2DB1030F937A25755C0A9629C8B63

But again, thanks for the clarification.

As long as President Clinton WHOLEHEARTEDLY UNAMBIGUOUSLY supports Senator Obama, and makes that plain, I'm happy to see him out on the trail. He needs to do a lot more work for me to not see him as sour grapes after Senator Clinton's loss in the primary.

It's not a perfect Union, but in order to get there you've gotta work hard.

Go Bill go!

MBunge said that Clinton never managed to pull 50% of Americans to vote for him.

Where did you pull that one out of? Your Bunge-Hole?

Check on the Googles for the 1996 Presidental Election and report to Sarah's debate coach for re-grooving.

That gesture was created, defined and patented by John F. Kennedy. -The Phantom

Thanks! I'm too young to remember JFK.

I've always thought that hand gesture was completely intentional because it's so unusual it gives his gesticulation more power.

The Clenis will also probably meet some attractive women while campaigning.

Well, I certainly hope so! I once told our company's past CEO that the reason the GOP had their knickers in a twist about Bill Clinton was because he got laid more often they do. It was worth it to see his face turn so many shades of red.

Several poll compilers are already showing Obama garnering more than 300 electoral college votes. And now Bill and Hillary are out there on the stump for him. Soon Al Gore will be making selective appearances (I hope), and surely it won't be long before Colin Powell endorses Obama.

Meanwhile, the most well-organized campaign in the history of this country continues to register new voters, and work to get out the vote.

Obama continues his steady, respectful but aggressive campaigning. Meanwhile John McCain's demeanor and campaign continue to deteriorate.

Barring some terrible misadventure, Obama is poised to obliterate McCain, and bring into office with him a Democratic majority that may well change the face of America.

Check on the Googles for the 1996 Presidental Election and report to Sarah's debate coach for re-grooving.

Um, colonpowwow, check out this site (and wikipedia confirms) -- Clinton got 49.23% of the popular vote in 1996.

http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?f=0&year=1996

I've always thought that hand gesture was completely intentional because it's so unusual it gives his gesticulation more power.

And doubtful, I've always thought it was something he'd trained himself to do instead of finger-wagging, which looks too fierce. I have seen other politicians do it. I believe I saw Pelosi do it. I think Hillary does too.

So.......we're not mad at Bubba anymore?

Mmmmmmm.

Should I invite him to our sleepover or is it too soon?

Not that I'm cynical or anything, but I'd have felt better about Bill's praise for Obama had it come at a time when Barack wasn't up by 6 points and as many as 134 electoral votes in the polls. That said, it's a lot more comforting having him inside the tent pissing out than it was having him outside pissing in.

What happened to Clinton's evil twin who's been stumping for McCain for the past few weeks? What if the two Bills meet up on the campaign trail? Will they duke it out, good Bill and bad Bill?

What happened to Clinton's evil twin who's been stumping for McCain for the past few weeks? What if the two Bills meet up on the campaign trail? Will they duke it out, good Bill and bad Bill?

"God, I hate Bill Clinton. Every freakin time I've been mad at him, he pulls something like this. I can't stay mad at him. Jerk."

I don't know why so many are of the opinion that Clinton is not trying hard enough, or is sabotaging Obama or think he has ulterior motives for 2012. I said in another thread that he's consistently been advocating Obama for President on every talk show he was scheduled when promoting the CGI, as well as, everything necessary of him for the Democratic party during this election. In fact, he's been promoting the Democratic party his entire political career. Someone responded back asking me the rhetorical question:

"WHAT PLANET DO YOU LIVE ON".

I reiterate that Clinton has been a big proponent for Obama during this campaign, and a bigger asset than the past two presidential election - since Gore distanced himself and Kerry was a dud.

I think the problem is that when Obama dips in polls, such as post RNC, or when the attack ads came out from the McCain last summer, pro-Obama folks go into a frenzy and lash out at everything and anyone. I've been guilty of it too, there's simply too much at stake and the left is a lot more emotionally charged and passionate than it has been in years this election. But when lashing out, make sure you know who the right target is. I still stand by my original point that Clinton is an ally and not to go off on him when poll numbers go down. I don't think that's the case anymore, the polls will probably stay level or go up for Obama this late in the game. So I guess everybody will love Slick Willie for the time being.

points with his fist, thumb on top

In the novel The Godfather, the crooner based on Frank Sinatra touched the women he was about to seduce in a special place with his hand shaped like this. Clinton is making a signal to the women in the audience, like Black Oak Arkansas used to do.

Mick:

This is why the Clintons are crap:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/08/hillarys-brothe.html

Can you imagine any leading political figure allowing this kind of thing? THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN HAS TAKEN OVER SARAH PALIN'S LIFE, HER JOB AND HER FREAKING STATE! BUT HILLARY CLINTON CAN'T KEEP HER FAMILY FROM TALKING TO THE TERRORISTS?!?!

The Clintons will never stop being the Clintons. White House trash.