Key Dems Kennedy, Emanuel Tell Bill Clinton To Stop Obama Attacks

Newsweek:

Prominent Democrats are upset with the aggressive role that Bill Clinton is playing in the 2008 campaign, a role they believe is inappropriate for a former president and the titular head of the Democratic Party. In recent weeks, Sen. Edward Kennedy and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, both currently neutral in the Democratic contest, have told their old friend heatedly on the phone that he needs to change his tone and stop attacking Sen. Barack Obama, according to two sources familiar with the conversations who asked for anonymity because of their sensitive nature. Clinton, Kennedy and Emanuel all declined to comment.

On balance, aides to both Bill and Hillary still see Bill as a huge net plus in fund-raising, attracting large crowds and providing a megaphone to raise doubts about Obama--even if some of those doubts are distortions. But there's concern that in hatcheting the Illinois senator and losing his temper with the news media (last week he thrashed a San Francisco TV reporter for asking about a lawsuit filed by Clinton-backing teachers union members to limit the number of Nevada caucuses), Clinton is drawing down his political capital and harming his role as a global statesman. "This is excruciating," says a member of the Clintons' circle, who asked for anonymity. "But the stakes couldn't be higher. It's worth it to tarnish himself a bit now to win the presidency."

Read the whole story: Newsweek

Comments

[degjack]

12:57 PM on 01/21/2008

NOBODY should listen to ANYTHING Rahm Emanuel has to say, period!

[Kontessa]

11:12 AM on 01/21/2008

And lo, these long seven years, I thought there could be nothing worse outside of Hitler and Stalin in presidential politics than the Bush mafia and now I'm finding out there is: the Clinton mafia - this time piling up on Barack Obama. It's two against one! and that's not fair. And not what I expected from the shamelessly, terminally, not so, independent, "little woman", 'feminine icon' Hillary. When is she going to stand on her own merits if not now? I thought when the Clinton's used their last year in the W.H. as "Hillary for Senator" campaign headquarters along with lots of state dinners at the taxpayers expense, it would be the end of her mooching off of her faithless husband, but I was wrong.
Even George Bush's daddy (with one exception) didn't milk his time as president to campaign for his "boy". He stayed strictly in the background.
This totally unexpected by myself, shameless, aggressive, bullying tactic by The Clintons brings to mind Clinton's reputation of being a cheater, I believe all of those stories about him cheating at golf now.

I'll shall never, ever, vote for Hillary and Bill Clinton for co-presidents or support them, ever, ever.

[midtown]

10:36 AM on 01/21/2008

Oh, let Bill CLinton talk, and talk, and talk. Let him go all out. Obama supporters: dont give him any clue.

[m4rk0]

10:07 AM on 01/21/2008

Where was this venom from Bill in 2004? If he was half as vicious towards George Bush back then we would have John Kerry as our current president. It's a shame he is attacking a fellow Dem harder than he did against George Bush. But I guess that would have foiled her plans to be president this time around.

[Independent voter]

03:41 AM on 01/21/2008

"we are not well served when we attack each other in a kind of ad hominem way. It doesn't create jobs. It doesn't educate children. It doesn't solve problems. We need to be disagreeing on ideas, honestly, and talking about the future. The future will be the greatest time in this country's history......"

Quote from Bill Clinton in 1996.

[Pauper]

08:17 PM on 01/20/2008

George Bush continues to say history will judge him. Now Bill Clinton is saying history will have to judge him too. Are the Clinton's not sounding like Bush's more and more each day? I know, they're paying Rove on the sly for campaign advice.

[SearchingForPericles]

06:59 PM on 01/20/2008

As much as hate to admit it, I had forgotten what an ass Bill Clinton can be.

He lies and distorts at will. See Obama's war record comments (Fairy Tale, saying he is equal to Bush). Throw in some completely made up stuff about voter suppression (they are "getting back" to journalists with details. Add a bit of hypocrisy: Bill Clinton once said the Democratic party was MIA on ideas and HRC lists Reagan as one of her favorite Presidents.

You know, I've tried real hard not to impute Bill's failings on HRC, but this type of garbage should stop, and we as progressives should punish those who continue it. Democracies rely on voters have accurate information with which to make a decision, those who intentionally misinform voters subvert our democracy.

I condemn anyone who does it. Be if Bill Clinton, Obama, Limbauch, or whomever. In the last two weeks, Bill has led the pack, at least on the Democratic side.

P.S. Want to hear a Fairy Tale? Hillary defeats McCain. Is she going to run on experience in that campaign? Or rely on Bill wagging his finger?

[illinoisan]

06:14 PM on 01/20/2008

Money quote: "It's worth it to tarnish himself a bit now to win the presidency." - Anonymous Clinton staffer on Bill Clinton's attacks.

Whatever it takes to screw America.

[m4rk0]

06:07 PM on 01/20/2008

I find it odd that Bill is bashing, attacking, and smearing more now against a Democrat than he did in 2004 towards George Bush. And they say that Obama wanted to be president since kindergarten? Ha! It's obvious the Clintons wanted Kerry to lose in 2004 because Hillary wanted 2008 for herself. If Bill was half as vicious back then vs a Republican than he is now, Kerry would have beaten Bush.

[Independent voter]

04:37 PM on 01/20/2008

Bill Clinton continues to do a terrible disservice to the country, the Demcoratic party and the office of POTUS with his contining lies and distortions. He goes so far as to tell a lie and then say "I didn't make this up".

It is possible, I suppose that he has lied so often and so well that he is no longer able to tell when he's doing it.

However, it is abundantly clear that Bull doesn't care about anything - let the carnage fall as it might - as long as he gets back in charge in the White House.

[independentrepublicrat]

02:48 PM on 01/20/2008

Quote from the AP: [Obama's] campaign manager, David Plouffe, was far more pointed in a written statement that accused the Clinton campaign of "an entire week's worth of false, divisive attacks designed to mislead caucus-goers and discredit the caucus itself."Whatever the hard feelings, Clinton told supporters they would fade by the fall general election campaign. "We will all be united in November," she said, as the crowd chanted "HRC, HRC." [end quote] ---------------------------------------------------- I have said this time and again. The Clintons believe that no matter what lies, dirty politics, race-baiting, xenophobia inciting, lying, misreprensenting, amoral campaign they run, that Democrats in general---and Blacks specifically---will have no choice but to support them in November if they are successful in stealing this nomination. I beg to differ. I hope all intelligent Democrats of good conscience will vote for a change in the political party by NOT supporting her if she robs the public of a chance at an honest debate and a substantive choice for president. Don't vote for Billary in the fall under any circumstance; make a stand about your morals and your values as a party. Blacks more than others should always stand up for right because they, since inception, have been the true moral conscience of this nation; FACT!

[NCYvonne]

02:48 PM on 01/20/2008

n 1992, Bill Clinton did the exact same thing to Paul Tsongas. He papered Jewish communities in Florida saying that Tsongas had voted against some bill that was favored by Israel, implying that Tsongas was anti-semitic. He failed to mentioned that seven Jewish senators had voted the same way!

When Tsongas called him on it in one of the debates, Clinton said he was not aware of how the Jewish senators had voted and apologized. But it was too late. The damage was already done.

Sound familiar? Those people will do anything ANYTHING to win and think it will all be forgiven come November. Not so much!

[TheWesternBreed]

01:41 PM on 01/20/2008

He didn't act presidential when he was still president, so why begin now?

[MadamRoma]

01:24 PM on 01/20/2008

You go Bill Clinton, maybe it's time for Jonathan Alter to do an article on the rants of Michelle Obama. Oops sorry, what was I thinking, his sidekick Chris Matthews would never let him do that, he would banish him from "Hardhead", I mean "Hardball".

[SCharb]

12:45 PM on 01/20/2008

Seriously, he's making this contest so ugly... he's starting to look and sound like a bitter, cynical, old codger. He's driving the party apart. He's making everybody look bad.