Bill Clinton: Obama Should Sound More Hopeful

[RamboLiberal]

Source: ABC News

Former President Bill Clinton gives President Barack Obama an "A" grade for his first month in office, but tells ABC News that Obama needs to put on a more positive face when speaking to the American people about the economy and must keep pressure on Republicans who try to obstruct his plans.

"Look, the American people, I think, know the president has tried to reach out to Republicans," Clinton told ABC News' Chris Cuomo. "And it takes two to tango. I think there are some of them who really believe that just-say-no politics is good politics.

"It was -- briefly, only briefly -- in the '90s. It isn't anymore," he added. "So, sooner or later, I think if he just keeps chugging along, just keeps the door open, invite 'em to every economic conference, invite 'em to every meeting, eventually, he'll start getting some votes" in Congress.

Clinton gives former President George W. Bush a harsh review on the economy, however, blaming the Republican for the current fiscal crisis by not moving sooner to help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure.

"I personally believe, based on my experience over the years with the economy, that if we moved aggressively on this home problem a year and a half ago, even a year ago, as much as 90 percent of the current crisis could have been avoided," he said.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/President44/story?id=6916695&page=1

[Justitia]

1. Oy. Ok, which one of you jokers let Bill out of the coat closet? -eom

[crikkett]

2. I don't care what Bill Clinton thinks. He sold me out twice in his Admin.

[Cant trust em]

3. I like Bill Clinton, but I hope that he isn't around giving tidbits too frequently

I think that he can have a tremendous role to play in advancing our agenda, but I think that if he's around too much then he can be seen as stealing spotlight or being intrusive. I don't think he's crossed that line yet, so I hope it doesn't happen.

[calico1]

4. It's not bad advice but he should have told

Obama in private not on the news!

Good grief.

[hugo_from_TN]

5. Consumer confidence is critical in getting the economy going.

It's a chicken and egg situation, but the economy cannot recover until people have confidence to purchase, which spurs job growth.

[ffr]

7. From the man who knows

I don't fault either man. Clinton is certainly one of the top ten Presidents ever and Obama will be up there too. I just think he's keeping his playing his hand close. Lest we have a quick recovery and Rush says "see, we were on the rebound." There's time for rosey words and fluff talk in the months ahead.

[Donnachaidh]

22. you can have all the confidence in the world ---

but if you've been out of work for months you STILL will not be able to buy shit.

Even the people WITH jobs aren't going to *go out and shop* because they may be the next ones losing their jobs.

"Go Out and Shop" left the White House on January 19th, 2009.

[Mojorabbit]

6. Obama is setting the right tone

Everything I am reading says this will not be a quick recovery by any means. Making people think it will would be a disaster.

[Cant trust em]

37. Seriously. You don't get out of the biggest economic crisis in 80 years in 6 months.

Obama will be fine in 4 years if we're seen as making progress.

[onehandle]

8. I agree. He doesn't need to downplay the seriousness, but he needs to deliver a better "pep talk."

The bully pulpit can be powerful to propel people forward.

He needs to say, "things suck, but we can turn it around," more often.

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. It is a double-edged sword

If Obama is too optimistic and things do not turn around quickly enough, voters will blame him.

[marshall]

34. Who cares?

The interest of the country are far more important than any one man's repuation.

That being said, I agree that Bill's lips are a little too loose here. Hillary needs to get home soon.

[Cha]

14. Obama always says it..you and Bill

aren't listening.

And, Bill can butt the fuck out.

[progressivebydesign]

26. yikes... quite the nastygram on a reasonable poster. n/t

[progressivebydesign]

25. absolutely. Americans are getting enough shit from the media and random economists.

Our leadership needs to take the lead and soothe the Nation right now. When there is fear and hopelessness, the last thing you want to do is keep saying "it's going to get worse", which is what keeps coming out of D.C. People are waiting for a good word....

[wickerwoman]

32. But if it is going to get worse,

you don't want to be the guy on tape saying "everything is going to get better."

See John "the fundamentals of our economy our strong" McCain.

I firmly believe that the final nail in his electoral coffin was that quote.

[Vinca]

10. I think Obama is trying to be as honest as he can without causing

people to start jumping off bridges. We've had 8 years of being treated like mushrooms (kept in the dark and fed manure) and I, for one, don't feel the need for sugar coating. It is what it is.

[Cleita]

11. Why? I would rather hear the truth than hopeful lies. n/t

[harun]

20. Obama will keep it a "reality based" administration. Knows people have had

enough fluff for 10 lifetimes.

[progressivebydesign]

28. because our economy is psychology-based.

All of it.. the consumer confidence index, the Stock Market, commodities, housing market, and even the hiring market. It's all people-based, and when the messages from the media and the leaders are continually negative, people respond negatively. You don't have to lie, but there are good things going on... and we're getting into a psychological depression because of the media right now. I welcome some damn happy news for once... because all the negative stories just contract the economy further.

[wickerwoman]

33. I'm getting into a psychological depression

because I don't have a job, have no prospects for a job, have less than $2000 in savings and I had to move back in with my crazy-making parents. And I have no health insurance and can't afford treatment.

I don't need Obama or the media to bullshit me with "the economy will get better"... I need Obama to give the states money to hire more teachers and I need him to level with me about how bad the next year is going to be so I don't blow my last tiny wad of savings on something that won't help. I need him to support low-income housing and public transportation and sustainable infrastructure and stop the war in Iraq. I'd actually be pretty pissed if "making wickerwoman feel better so she goes out and buys useless shit" is anywhere in the top twenty things on his to-do list.

[eridani]

40. And here I thought it was based on selling goods and services

What is psychology-based is bullshit financial products and bubbles that have nothing to do with the basics.

[No Elephants]

12. Geez, what happened to the tradition that former Presidents do not criticize the

incumbent publicly? Carter and Ford did it about the Iraq War, but a pre-emptive war based on a pack of lies was pretty strong provocation.

Doesn't Bill have any way of expressing himself to Obama other than via the media? If he has expressed himself privately, what is his agenda in using the media?

Something tells me Big Dawg is smarting over Obama's primary victory, strong win and current popularity.

[pjt7]

13. Installing a WE CAN FACE anything & might have to

attitude is fine.

But Bill's fake demeanor is thankfully history.

[Beavker]

19. He's like Brett Favre

He can't stay out of it regardless of the multitudes of reasons to do so.

[MannyGoldstein]

15. Like Clinton Sounded Hopeful When He Deregulated Wall Street?

Like when he sold millions of US jobs to China?

I'll pass.

[Median Democrat]

16. ABC Not Totally Accurate - Bill Clinton Praised Obama For Not Spreading False "Happy Talk"

ABC may be trying to create a nontroversy. Bill Clinton also creditted Obama for being frank and honest with the American people, and not spreading "happy talk" about the challenges we face.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29298261/

[progressivebydesign]

29. yah, but that allows people here to say things like "fuck you bill!", if it's misreported. n/t

[Beavker]

17. It's useless anyway

Depending on your news outlet, you get different takes on everything anyway. You watch CNBC and quite frankly there is absolutely NOTHING he could say, other than, "I resign, and am letting John McCain take over the Presidency".

The financial industry is run by Republicans, because they prize making money for themselves over anything else. They will never approve of anything he does, and will continue to spout negativity regardless of what he says. And if you know the Market, if the right people say the right things, the market goes up or down. Not off of facts, but off of a few people stating an opinion. Not a true market in my opinion. It's based off whims of the people speculating on the stock, or their rich clients.

[Beavker]

18. Let put it this way

The views of the Iraq War would be less favorable, even among Republicans, if we had Camera's and Talking Heads sitting there showing all the carnage almost 24 hours a day. The occasional blips in the new media that is trickled down and filtered out as the Military and the Media see fit, is usually enough to make people uneasy. You show them this all day long, everyday, and there would have been riots.

[Donnachaidh]

21. F*CK YOU BILL.

We've had messages sugar coated for FAR TOO LONG.

Take your sweet talk and go play with your contributors in the Middle East. They like that brand of bullshit. :grr:

[progressivebydesign]

27. wow.. I never realize how many republicans are on DU now. Limbaugh would be proud. n/t

[EFerrari]

23. I believe Clinton should sound more positive about Obama. n/t

[progressivebydesign]

24. I could not agree more! Consumer Confidence is a HUGE engine in our economy.

And much of what we're experiencing is psychological. The media harps on every bad piece of news and uses it to sell air time. I know people who are absolutely NOT affected in the least by "this economy", and have pulled back and are acting frightened -- even though they are doing better than ever, and are in positions where they will not be affected. Consumer confidence is psychological, the STOCK MARKET is psychological, so is oil trading, and so many other things... INCLUDING the housing market.

I cringe ever time I hear an official, or the Fed Reserve, or some random economist, proclaim that things will get much much worse, etc. etc. etc. It's as if they've never grasped the whole "consumer confidence" thing.

[snooper2]

30. Oh Jesus Fucking Christ...

Go to Dubai and ski or something....

[riverdeep]

31. Nope, Obama's got the right tone, more or less.

Sure, throw in a bit more "Americans are made of tough stuff" and the like. It won't hurt. But the reality is, it WILL get much much worse before it gets better. I still remember this 60 minutes story from December, I started a thread about it then:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=4652313

and here is the story:

As correspondent Scott Pelley reports, it turns out the abyss is deeper than most people think because there is a second mortgage shock heading for the economy. In the executive suites of Wall Street and Washington, you're beginning to hear alarm about a new wave of mortgages with strange names that are about to become all too familiar. If you thought sub-primes were insanely reckless wait until you hear what's coming.

("A Second Mortgage Disaster On The Horizon?")
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/12/60minutes/main4666112.shtml

It would be quite ridiculous for him to say good times are just around the corner, and things actually get worse. The expectation game is very very important.

And a large part of the reason Obama is getting hammered everyday is because of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, so Wild Bill can fade into the background now.

[Zhade]

35. He should lie to us like you did? Fuck off, Bill.

NT!

[SoCalDem]

36. Bill needs to shut up.. I knew the press would run to him every chance they got

and He does love to talk.. He needs to have a sitdown with Obama, and needs to be told that private advice is welcome, but public is NOT..

[BrightKnight]

38. I agree with him. - n/t

[unkachuck]

39. "Obama Should Sound More Hopeful"

....why?....I don't recall anyone twisting your republican-lite arm when you signed the graham bill in '99 that killed-off Glass-Seagal....your fingerprints are all over the origin of this depression and Obama shouldn't sugar-coat the crisis or the history....

"...if we moved aggressively on this home problem a year and a half ago, even a year ago, as much as 90 percent of the current crisis could have been avoided,"

....nope, wasn't going to happen, bill, you know that....how much were you worth when you left office?....how much are you worth today?....I know you realize that your fascist friends, the ones that made you rich, wanted it this way....fool me once, can't fool me again!

....go write a book and spin all about it, see if anyone cares....

[Zavulon]

41. Hey, Bill? Shut the fuck up.

Even as a former president who served two terms and did some great things, you have no right to condescendingly dish our a grade to a guy who has only had a month on office to reverse eight years of fuckups. You want to give him a grade and treat him like a child in front of the world? At least give him a fucking year. If you have any goddamned decency, give him a full four-year term, and then ask him to evaluate everything YOU did.

Seriously, shut the fuck up. President Obama is quite capable of managing without you chastising him as you're putting gold stars on his monthly charts. YOU'RE NOT FUCKING HELPING.

[Blandocyte]

42. Always

look on the bright side of life.

[Elidor]

43. Why am I not surprised?

It's going to be like a bad movie with this guy: What About Bill?