Chris Matthews to host Bill Clinton special: ‘President of the World’

[RamboLiberal]

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews is anchoring a President’s Day special on MSNBC three weeks from today titled “President of the World: The Bill Clinton Phenomenon.”

Matthews recently spent a week Bill Clinton, sitting down with him one-on-one for the special. The hour includes interviews with Clinton’s close friends including Tony Blair, Terry McAuliffe, Mary Steenburgen and Kevin Spacey. The special “will take viewers behind the scenes of Clinton’s life,” says the press release.

There’s not a single political figure today with the global reach and influence of Bill Clinton—a former U.S. President turned humanitarian and diplomat extraordinaire. No one else in today’s political arena has the ability to command the attention of world leaders and organizations everywhere quite like he does.

“President of the World: The Bill Clinton Phenomenon” airs at 10pmET Monday, Feb. 21.

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/chris-matthews-to-host-bill-clinton-special-president-of-the-world_b50854

[RandomThoughts]

1. When did anyone elect a world president?

That statement is a claim to a global state, and a non representative one.

To make that claim is to claim plutocracy. Tweety might be making the claim that he runs some organization, most likely plutocracy, but that does not give him any elected position.

[karynnj]

5. New York magazine I think designated him that back around 2007

What hype:

First: there is NO President of the World

Second: the current President of the world is far more influential.

[juajen]

6. Come on people! Of course they're not insinuating that he is

the President of the World; just that his influence is global. Of course, that's absolutely true. Why should democrats not be proud that this democratic President is very respected. Hillary is the most respected female in the world, also, I believe. Of course, depending on what happens in Egypt, this could be fleeting.

This is a silly discussion, really!

[karynnj]

10. Of course he is influencial, - as is Hillary Clinton, but

the idea that he is the most influential person in the world is the type of over the top Clinton talk that seems to be blown up whenever the media would like to stop focus on the present.

To say he is CURRENTLY the most influential person in the world is the type of backhanded Obama slap that they did before the election. Had Bill Clinton just done something remarkable, I would not say this - but given there was nothing particular that happened, it seems that someone is not happy with Obama's numbers going up.

[Beacool]

13. And someone is apparently not happy seeing Bill receive accolades.

As for Obama, not everyone in the world thinks that he's the best thing since sliced bread.

:eyes:

[rury]

17. President Obama is closer to the best thing since sliced bread

than Clinton is.
Bill needs to get off the stage...I won't be watching this shit and it IS a backhanded slap at President Obama!

[Beacool]

29. That's a matter of opinion.

Oh please, complimenting Bill is not an offense against Obama. Some of you are way too funny in your adoration for our sitting president. LOL!!!!

:7

[Whisp]

52. agreed. wish the fuck he would just go play golf or something

or hassle the maids.

[BluegrassDem]

19. Not everyone thinks Clinton is the best thing since slice bread either

And I can assure you, if the world held an election, Obama would beat Clinton hands down. It wouldn't even be close. Though, I guess Bill would win Arkansas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. :eyes:

[MessiahRp]

20. I'll tell you this, neither Obama nor Clinton make very good sliced bread...

I'd much rather stick to pita wraps if they're my only choices. Both sandwiches seem reasonable on the outside but once you dig in you see a major corporate mess... probably filled with ingredients put forth by Monsanto's farms.

Rp

[Beacool]

31. I rather have a pita sandwich too.

I just find it amusing how every time that someone has a complimentary thing to say about Clinton, people here somehow get Obama in the mix. Complimenting one is not necessarily a means to belittle or insult the other.

:D

[Enthusiast]

45. Damn straight. nt

[Whisp]

53. Obama is not a cheating sleazeball. At least some points to him for that.

and his ego is about 5 Titanics worth smaller that billy's

[Beacool]

57. Obama's ego is 5 times smaller than Clinton's????????

Do some research.......

:rofl:


As for Bill's sex life, it's none of anyone's business. The list of presidents who dallied is endless. Two good presidents who were not faithful to their wives: JFK and FDR.

:shrug:

[Beacool]

28. You must be jesting if you think that Obama would win over Bill.

People remember with melancholy the great economic times that we had under Bill. The left and extreme right may hate him, but not the rest of the population.

As for liking or not liking him, that's fine. What I questioned was her assertion that the compliment was a backhanded offense against Obama.

[comsymp]

42. OK, I've gotta take issue with this

I've been reading your posts with interest for quite a while now and this is one of the *very* few comments of yours I've read that I haven't fully agreed with.

I don't think The Left hates him.

There, I said it.

(yeah, sure, some do - many, even - but my reading / conversations with fellow Lefties - and bet your ass i'm one - suggests we mostly like him. sure, he pissed us off on many occasions, and totally screwed the pooch on more than a few, but overall, among my friends/acquaintences, we still believe he was the best president since FDR and the best damn republican president since TR.)

And like you, I've also wondered why it seems that anything complimentary said / written about either of the Clintons is seen as taking something away from Obama, like some weird zero-sum game. It doesn't make sense - unless it suggests a comparison with which they're uncomfortable?

[Beacool]

58. I don't know.

What I have observed the last 3 years is that the left despises both Clintons almost as much as the right. Suffice it to read the vitriol on this board (right on this thread too for that matter), at Huff, and particularly, at Daily Kos. The same level of nastiness, no holds barred, as you can read on any RW site. Not that I care an iota anymore. I've been an Independent for over 2 years and it's been a liberating feeling. Now I vote for the candidate and not the party.

:hi:

[Raine]

23. I'll take Bill anyday

at least he was honest and never claimed to be anything other than DLC unlike Obama. Here's to President Clinton :thumbsup:

[Enthusiast]

46. Oh, I now prefer Clinton to Obama.

How could any Democrat continue to believe in Obama, now? I would not vote for either.

[Whisp]

54. yep. Honest Bill.

:rofl:

[karynnj]

27. I think he should be given accolades for what he actually does.

You may not see any agenda behind the "Bill can influence voters, who Obama can't" rhetoric last year and this hype now, but I do. The fact is that if you look at the results - BOTH Obama and Clinton were able to get large crowds out to see candidates everywhere. That was useful for the candidates, but it required the candidate have the ability to make the case. CNN to the contrary - Bill Clinton did not have more influence on this than Obama.

Just like with Obama, not everyone thinks that Clinton is the best thing since sliced bread.

My biggest problem with "President of the World" is that it is embarrassingly centered on the US - no one outside the US ever voted for Clinton. This is a variation on "leader of the Free World" and even that was a bit overstepping, but for the most part, usually true - though you might have noticed that large parts of the "free world" did not follow Bush. This is more embarrassing as Clinton does not even lead the US - Obama does.

Clinton now can lead only if what he recommends is accepted by the people who hold power. It is the power of an elder statesman and how strong it is will be based only on how persuasive it is and what issues he tries to change the world's course on. (He, of course, also has his Foundation that can do good - as various efforts of Jimmy Carter's does.)

[Beacool]

30. I think that Tweety's title refers to Bill's role as philanthropist.

As such, he travels the world aiding people in various countries through his Foundation and Global Initiative. I don't see it as an attempt to belittle Obama. Whether some people here like it or not, Bill is very much respected overseas and many leaders do listen to him.

;-)

[karynnj]

35. Would Tweety call Carter or Gates "President of the World"

Both have foundations that are comparable to Clinton's. I agree that Clinton is well respected - in fact, I believe that he influenced Blair on Iraq. It is usually hard to know how much influence anyone really has because the best measure would be if leaders adjust their position because they were persuaded by someone's arguments. I would suspect that the norm is that that might happen behind closed doors and we won't know.

Because of his position of being a former President and husband of Hillary, he has publicly said very little of substance in public on the biggest issues of the day.

[Beacool]

36. Yes, I can see Tweety calling Carter "President of the World".

Just exactly how much influence Bill has on world leaders we will probably never know because, as you said, these discussions are held behind closed doors.

[karynnj]

37. You CAN?????????

All you can do is look for turning points in their public opinions - and make inferences. Another way is if Clinton's path is public and over time people move to it. (One case is that every American credits Clinton with his articulation of vaguely what the final solution for a 2 state solution (including some non-resolved issues) has to be. Clinton's solution reflected what both Israeli's and Palestinian's had long spoken of as their limits. There you can point to many leaders having Clinton's position.) Sometimes history will learn from memos and diaries.

[Beacool]

32. If the Democrats in question are the Clintons,

then some people on this board will almost break a finger in their rush to disparage them. Might as well be at a RW site.

:eyes:

[Enthusiast]

43. Bill Clinton did lasting harm

to the both the America worker and the Democratic party.

He signed NAFTA forever linking the Democrats to that devastating policy.

Clinton also signed the Financial Services Modernization Act that further devastated the American worker. The Financial Services Modernization Act is directly responsible for the mortgage banking meltdown because it removed the protection of Glass Steagal.

RW? The RW appreciates Clinton for these two pieces of legislation that damaged the nation forever.

[Whisp]

51. Hillary most respected female in the world?

ha!

[Drunken Irishman]

8. Is this like when many designated him the first black president?

[karynnj]

9. I think so - or like when they designated a mean drunk who followed him

as a "great person to have a beer with".

[cutlassmama]

2. NWO, one world order.

[monmouth]

3. Geez. Pretty heft title. Wonder if Tweety gave him that one. There's

that dang tingle again...

[comsymp]

12. Considering how badly Tweety despised the Clintons in the 90s

it would be a pretty significant about-face.

[Metric System]

21. The 90s and beyond. I'm surprised Matthews is involved.

[Lasher]

25. Bill Clinton has a very forgiving nature.

If I were Clinton, I'd laugh in Matthews' face if he ever dared ask me for an interview.

[Enthusiast]

47. No shit. Matthew's program on MSNBC

in the 1990s was a full-time hit piece on Bill Clinton. Tweety was far more critical of Clinton then than Joe Scarborough is to Obama today.

[DCKit]

4. The Kinder, Gentler Face of Corporatism.

Why the PR push?

[Uzybone]

7. and the lowly Interviewer of the World Chris Matthews gets to do the task

MSNBC is complete trash apart from the Rachel and ODonnell hours. Good god.

[Enthusiast]

48. I've cut them off.

Now Bill-O can crow about how much more popular Fox is than MSNBC.

[MasonJar]

11. I'll watch that, but it is the only thing I'll ever watch on MSNBC again.

They lost me when the ousted Keith Olbermann

[ClassWarrior]

16. Sure, cut yourself off from everything Keith created for us there.

That'll learn then!

:eyes:

NGU.

[GSLevel9]

14. looking back at the 1990's now...

that may have been the high-point for our Nation for our lifetimes.

[ClassWarrior]

15. I swear... ol' Tweets has a man-crush on the Big Dog.

NGU.

[Enthusiast]

44. Well, according to Tweet's own words

he felt "all towel snappy" when Dubya Bush landed on the aircraft carrier. I had never heard the expression 'towel snappy'. I assume it has something to do with the men's locker room where there is the naked snapping of wet towels. Kind of a turn-on for ol' Tweets. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[jaysunb]

18. Just can't except this black President

Always comparing, never reporting,poll a minute, always being "just a regular white guy from Philly."

Let it go Chris. Let your kids respect you.

:evilfrown:

[polmaven]

24. Chris Matthews

has a lot more respect for President Obama than do a lot of people posting here on a regular basis, who are basically the same crowd that has a huge problem with the peace and prosperity President Clinton left the country. The fact that the last mis-administration ran that prosperity into the ground is the (R)s fault. Not President Clinton's. President Gore would not have had a hand in crashing the country.

[Beacool]

33. Are you talking about "tingling leg" Chris Matthews????

Tweety in particular, and his network in general, all had tingling legs for Obama. in 2008, MSNBC might as well have been the official Obama network.

Please.........

:eyes:


BTW, I think that you meant "accept", not "except".

;)

[blm]

38. I don't think this idea came from Tweety...probably came from GE/NBC elite like Jack Welch who is

Poppy Bush's close ally. They still want Obama undermined and using Clinton as the masked face of their NWO global agenda would be consistent with the way those fascist scumbags operate.

[jaysunb]

49. You are correct.

I fumbled my words, which led to the previous response to my post.

I like Chris M. up to a point, but he has been just as much of a pot stirrer as he's been an admirer of the President. I get his point but he goes overboard with it way too often for my taste.

:hi:

[Raine]

22. Sounds interesting

I'll watch. :-)

[Autumn]

26. It's wonderful to see a Democrat so respected

world wide. This would never happen with a republican.

[Beacool]

34. Chris Matthews is a sexist creep.

"Nurse Ratchet", She Devil", "she's a senator and now a presidential candidate because Bill messed around", etc., etc., etc.

That jerk should have been fired years ago. Having said that, this will be the first time that I'll watch him and his network in years.

x(

[bvar22]

39. Chris "We're ALL NeoCons NOW!!!" Mathews....

...designating Bill Clinton as "President of the World"?

At least he is consistent in his Man Love for conservatives.

[PBS Poll-435]

40. It's too late for popcorn in this thread, so I'll have a glass of Pinot

It is so Hillarious!© to see how quickly people come unglued when it comes to Clinton, Clinton, & Matthews.

[Beacool]

60. Do you mind sharing?

:toast:



:hi:

[girl_interrupted]

41. Beats another tribute to Reagan and its about time

My family did very well during the Clinton years, not so during the Reagan years. In fact the whole country did better during the Clinton years, greatest economic expansion of the 20th century. So I'm glad he's finally getting his due. Post presidency his philanthropic efforts has raised millions for causes that are helping so many.

What so sad about this Democratic party is the need to rip down one president to make another seem "better". Instead we should be celebrating the achievements of all of them...FDR, JFK, Carter, Clinton, Obama. I thought it was the Republicans job to tear down Democratic presidents, but after reading this thread, they don't seem to need any help. Dumb.

Clinton left office with the highest approval rating of any president post World War 2, beat that Reagan. I'm sick of hearing about you, you helped no one during your presidency and post presidency, except yourself.

[Whisp]

50. president of the world. *guffaw, chortle,

o good gawd.

[mentalsolstice]

55. Dupe!

[mentalsolstice]

56. It would be great if it was next week.

To coincide with the Reaganasm!

[Dawson Leery]

59. This is preferable to having another undeserved tribute to Reagan.

[KoKo]

61. OMG! President of the WORLD?

:eyes: "THE WORLD" is always the last one to know about these things.