Jerry Brown apologizes for jab at Bill Clinton's character

[alp227]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Jerry Brown has spent much of his race for governor assaulting the character of his Republican rival, Meg Whitman. But with a jaw-dropping bit of rhetoric, he has extended his criticism to a former Democratic president, Bill Clinton. And he has done so in the least delicate of ways, by referring to Clinton's dalliance with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

"Meg Whitman. She stops at nothing. She's even got Clinton lying about me. That's right. No, did you see that? Where he said I raised taxes. It's a lie," the Democratic nominee said Sunday, referring to a television ad the GOP candidate is airing that contains video of Clinton criticizing Brown during the 1992 presidential primaries.

"I mean Clinton's a nice guy, but who ever said he always told the truth?" Brown told a crowd at the opening of a Democratic Party office in East Los Angeles. "You remember, right? There's that whole story there about did he or didn't he. OK, I did — I did not have taxes with this state."

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0914-brown-clinton-20100914,0,1341741.story

[gateley]

1. Oooh. Kind of smarmy, Jerry. Wish you wouldn't have said that. nt

[WheelWalker]

8. I hope he wishes he hadn't, too. He must stay mindful of the goal....

It does not further to take the present into the past by bringing the past into the present.

[kenny blankenship]

2. NAFTA will empower Americans for the high tech high wage jobs of the future

Who ever said that?

[CLANG]

3. Unseemly.

[Bobbieo]

4. That is a news story!?

[Honeycombe8]

5. Oh, that's no big deal. It's just an offhand quip, said in a jocular manner...

and it's not exactly an untruth.

[shanti]

16. and the witless campaign

is running with it.

[Beacool]

6. I assume that he wasn't expecting Clinton to campaign for him.

:eyes:

[YvonneCa]

35. Clinton just endorsed Brown...

...announced on KCAL9 local news (probably in other places, too, but that's where I heard it). YAAAAy !

Here's the Politico link:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42154.html

[Beacool]

37. Thanks

:-)

[YvonneCa]

39. You are very welcome. n/t

[DURHAM D]

7. This is exactly why I don't like Brown.

He is an emotionally immature jerk.

He should have asked Clinton to come campaign for him if he wants to win but instead he acted like a peevish child. He seemed drunk in the video and totally exploded off message.

[shanti]

17. why do you care?

you're not in cali, so you don't have a dog in this race. many of us loved him and still do, and take offense at you calling him a jerk! :(

GAS has eviscerated this state, if witless wins here, you may as well stick a fork in us, we are done, caput. as california goes, so does the nation.

[DURHAM D]

18. Do my first amendment rights stop at the California border?

What he did was stupid. His framing at the rally was a lie. Sad that this old retread is your best hope.

[shanti]

23. again, why do you care??

you're just parroting the right wing talking points. :grr:

[DURHAM D]

24. I have absolutely no awareness of right wing talking points but

apparently you do.

My thoughts come from a multi-decade awareness of Brown's peccadilloe's.

[shanti]

25. well

sorry to disappoint you, but according to the sacramento bee a short while ago, bill clinton just endorsed jerry brown for governor. guess he didn't take it to heart like some people have.

[DURHAM D]

26. Of course Bill endorsed him.

Brown had to ask after his stupid diatribe. I understood the moment I saw the rally footage that Clinton would receive an apology and an endorsement would be necessary from Bill. Brown had no choice and Bill of course did the right thing. I knew he would. Bill is a way bigger man than Brown.

I would assume Jerry also asked him to cut an ad, raise some money and campaign for him. If Brown does manage to win this thing it will be because Clinton came in and saved his campaign and saved Brown from himself. Brown will hate that and will never forgive the man who tried to help him.

[karynnj]

30. He would be bigger if he said the following:

"In 1992, while participating in one of a long series of debates, I quoted a CNN story that turned out to be inaccurate. The author of the CNN story has explained his error. I am asking Whitman to refrain from using an inaccurate comment I made 18 years ago."

What is so hard about that and he could have done that as soon as the ad came out. Why didn't he do that?

The fact is that up to this point Bill Clinton has HURT Brown's campaign by not being willing to admit to long ago errors. (Note - it seems it is Clinton, who has a problem forgiving anyone on his bad list.)

[DURHAM D]

33. Was Clinton asked to comment?

The rule is that you don't come in and comment unless asked to do so by the candidate or you get asked a question by the media. Brown is a bit of a political loner and I doubt Clinton was approached. Also, he is/was out of the country. I really don't think Brown wanted Clinton involved in the race at all until yesterday. And you have no idea what Clinton is "willing" to do or not do but given that he endorsed him today I expect he will need to be more involved once he gets the Irish Economic conference and that Global Initiative thingie out of the way.

When the time comes Clinton will say pretty much what you suggest but I don't think he will call for Whitman to take it down. She won't and it will look like begging? They will just go after her lies.

[karynnj]

36. I made it clear that neither you or I know what Clinton was asked

In addition, because it involved something he said, he had the right and the responsibility to say that he had been wrong.

Demanding that Whitman take down an ad because it is dishonest is not begging.

[karynnj]

28. Where is the lie?

Are you honestly saying that Clinton could replace Washington as someone who would not lie? Clinton i brilliant and charming, but there are several instances where he has had a casual relationship with the truth.

[ProudDad]

20. Actually he's very honest and tends to articulate inconvenient truths

It's his Jesuit training...

You're too used to politicians who lie and lie and lie to you (from BOTH right-wings of the Corporate War Party) to realize when someone tells the truth...

Clinton is an execrable liar, war monger and corporate stooge -- STILL...

It's about time someone called him on his shit...

And, yes, it IS a lie that J.Brown "raised taxes" in California. He SHOULD have (raised taxes on the rich fucks) but he COULDN'T after 1978 thanks to that fucking piece of shit prop 13...passed in great part BECAUSE he was governor!

The right-wing couldn't STAND the idea of more redistribution of wealth downward like his dad Pat Brown did while creating the most vibrant economy for workers and the best education system in the world by taxing the rich!

[DURHAM D]

21. You are aware that Brown was talking about an event that happened 18 years ago aren't you?

Brown knew or should have known months ago that Meg was going to use the tape from the 1992 debate. Brown should have been ready with a video spot from Clinton - wherein Clinton states that the facts he used in that debate were from a news source that later admitted that their facts were wrong and that Brown was good for CA.

Instead of planning (asking Clinton to campaign with him) Brown just goes juvenile on Clinton. Its embarrassing. Brown needs to grow up. If Brown loses the election (and I hope he wins) he will no doubt blame Clinton, instead of himself and his own campaign. This was a big mistake and he caused it all on his own. Brown has apologized but its too late - the video from the rally has everyone going "What?" Bad, bad campaign discipline.


And jftr - you may not assign any attributes to me. Ex. "You're too used to politicians who lie and lie to you..." You don't know what I'm used to and to suggest so is pure arrogance.

[karynnj]

31. Are you kidding?

The idea that Brown would guess which of several Clinton attacks in 1992 could be used or attacks from any of his many campaigns against others in absurd. Not to mention, had he gone to Clinton before the ad and said, "Remember when you inaccurately said that I raised taxes over my years as Governor in 1992? I think we need to make an ad where you say that wasn't true.", Clinton likely would have responded pretty negatively,

The other thing is neither you or I know if Brown called Clinton when it came out. The fact is Clinton should have corrected it.

[ProudDad]

34. I'm aware of the fact that a lie from 18 years ago

was just used against Jerry Brown in a campaign ad...

YOU think he's being "juvenile". I believe that he was being honest and the politics as usual crowd demanded that he apologize for being honest. You can't do that when you're running for office in USAmerika.

Fuck "campaign discipline" -- you just end up with sellouts like Obama...

You are used to politicians that lie and lie to you because they NEARLY ALL DO NEARLY ALL OF THE TIME...so just like ALL of us that's about all you hear from them...it's called "campaign discipline"... :shrug:

[karynnj]

27. What about the idea that Bill Clinton could have stepped forward and

said that he was wrong in 1992, because he did not check out a CNN story? He could have called on Whitman to not use the quote because Brown was right and he was wrong.


Now, Clinton never admits a mistake until forced to, but here - for the good of the party - Clinton should have spoken out the first day this became news. Admitting that you repeated an inaccurate news story in a debate does not infer anything of your character or ability in 1992. Not speaking out now, when YOUR error is hurting your party's candidate because you still don't like him IS irresponsible and peevish. How do you know that he did not ask Clinton to admit his error. Clinton's error and his inability to admit he was wrong is the problem here - and it put Brown in an awkward position.

He put the accurate information out - but is left with but, Bill Clinton said it.

[DURHAM D]

29. What Brown did at the rally was a campaign mistake.

Brown attacked Clinton when he should have attacked the information and Whitman. He talked about the wrong aspect of the issue.

You are trying to make Brown's recent mistake about Clinton. That is worse than sad.

[karynnj]

32. Brown had already provided the information and the

backing of the original source of the misinformation on this. I agree that he should have called Whitman on keeping an ad up that was false - and he did.

Her response was essentially that Bill Clinton said it. The fact is that we heard of the ad and likely Bill Clinton did - He COULD have called on Whitman to take it down - stating that what he said was wrong.

The fact is that Clinton in 1992 pushed that issue even after it was fact checked.

I think BOTH Brown and Clinton screwed up here. But, Brown is not the first or last person to say that Bill Clinton is not always truthful. (In fact, I am not 100% positive the 1992 error was completely innocent. At the time when it was an issue, I was surprised at the precision of Clinton's statement. It is 100% honest, but he did not reference other points by saying ,,, Said "...". Given later examples of Clinton's parsing to make things "true", while they gave the wrong inference, I am suspicious. In Brown's case, he should have kept it on Whitman - though when she came back with "Clinton said it" - the natural response is that "Clinton saying it still doesn't make it so" and that's not far from what he said.

[mulsh]

9. Jerry is right Meg is running the Clinton "Brown riased taxes"

commercial on all the Bay Area stations pretty extensively. It look like Clinton at some campaign stop when they were running against each other. I don't recal Brown raising taxes when he was governor, that's the legislatures job. I recall him opposing Prop 13 but when it was passed and he had no other option he made sure it was implemented.

[Ramulux]

10. There have been so any non-stories about Jerry

this cycle its ridiculous. Its like the media needs to say something about him and instead of pointing out all his accomplishments they just nitpick over the stupidest shit.

[meowomon]

11. I'd be pissed at Clinton too, but that was kinda low for Brown

At least he owned up.

[DURHAM D]

19. He should be mad at Clinton for something he said 18 years ago

in a debate with Brown and from a referenced news source?

Really...

[JDPriestly]

12. Non-story. Common joke, probably not original with Brown.

Is there any real news about how Meg Whitman is just another Republican and would just continue Schwarzenegger's tradition of messing up in California. We need Jerry Brown to clean house after Schwarzenegger's mess.

[truthisfreedom]

13. Bill's penis, too large. Jerry's history in Cali, too large. Let's not get things mixed up.

Let's roll.

[No Elephants]

14. Adultery is related to penis size? Who knew?

[PassingFair]

15. There had to be SOME reason he couldn't keep it in his pants...n/t

[Dogmudgeon]

22. So THAT'S why I'm not ...

Never mind.

--d!

[w4rma]

38. Big deal. Clinton lied quite a bit and everyone knows it. That's what DLCers do. Let's move on. (nt)