Clinton: Gore And Kerry Lost Because They Were Viewed As Elitist

Speaking to reporters in Pennsylvania on Sunday, Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said that previous Democratic nominees lost in the general election because they were viewed as out of touch with the nation:

Pressed on whether she truly believes Obama is an elitist, Clinton called him "a good man," but recalled the narratives of the 2000 and 2004 president election.

"You don't have to think back too far to remember that good men running for president were viewed as being elitist and out of touch with the values and lives of millions of Americans," she said.

Clinton later reiterated the argument at a CNN sponsored forum. Watch the video:

At the same CNN forum, Barack Obama said that he thought Gore had won the 2000 Election. Watch the clip:

Related: Clinton Says It's Not Relevant Last Time She Went To Church Or Fired A Gun

Comments

[Knowledgeseeker]

some people just cant handle the truth.....
Obama sees the reality in America and want to do something about it.....
Clinton and Mccain need to stop playing political games and focus on the real issues, like the Economy

[plainsman]

Is it just me, or does it look like Obama's ear starts to twitch when he hears applause? I'm serious. He immediately scratches it.

[flatus]

By elitist, we mean , "one who reads books".

[LivingStardust]

roflmao Good one!

[Minskyzelda]

As yes. How accurately if pithily put. Well said.

[HLMerkin]

Or one who writes his own books, rather than uses a ghostwriter.

[Felicty]

GORE WON that election which was stolen from him by our supreme court.

[huffposeur]

no, gore LOST that election because he couldn't win his home state of tennessee. and gore LOST that election because bill clinton saw to it that he didn't win arkansas.

forget florida. gore lost that election because bill clinton didn't want him to win and because the people of tenneessee didn't want him to win. if he'd won either state florida and hanging chads would never have come into play.

[MoeSart]

Gore lost in 2000 because he and his party acted like wimps.

There's no way in hell a Repub would have let that go like Gore did. Win the pop vote and all of the funny stuff going on in Florida and with the Supremes, and then just walk away?

Also, Gore lose in TN because he took it for granted and the Repubs didn't. They poured much effort and resources into TN. Gore's campaign in 2000 was horrible. It's amazing he got as many votes as he did, and I voted for him. In Tennessee.

[bodi1313]

Thank you!

[shaggles]

I love this comment. It wasn't the Reps that stole the election-it was Bill Clinton. Of course! It makes so much sense. All of us that believe something fishy was going on in FL in 2000 or OH in 2004 are conspiracy theory nuts but Bill Clinton Gore to win makes perfect sense. Thanks for the laugh.

[LoveOverGold]

The question for the candidates is how to balance your speech somewhere between pandering and perceived "elitism". I believe Sen. Clinton panders with her fake folksy drawls and use of regional common language conventions. OK, they all do that to some degree. But, Gore and Kerry simply speak like men who are professional and very educated. This is called elitism because they don't dumb it down enough for our barely educated population. GeeDubya never had that problem by default. Oops, I think that was elitist, sorry.

[portwes]

Haaaa! Spot on, LoverOverGold!

[IRIE]

Gore's downfall was that he could not wash that Clinton stink off of him in the 2000 election. Who wanted 4 more years of the Clinton's?

[CowgirlAmy]

A lot of people.

[greejambri]

speak for yourself.

[IRIE]

Is that why is she is having such an easy time in the primary against an unknown Junior Senator from IL?

[Changeizgood]

You said it Irie, the party still has the stink on them too, but they have plenty of soap with Americans backing them every step of the way to change course in Iraq and in the Nation.

Go Democrats, kick a$$ legally. The truth will set America free. It is only then we can make the changes nessessary to right our course and end the chapters, in this nightmare thriller of " The Mad Chimp In Charge"

Hillary will say everything and do nothing. Just as she has done all these years. She tried to take credit for other people's ideas and bills on Capital Hill.

Hey Hillbott, isn't that plagerism? LOL!
Ha ha! Ha ha! Ha ha ha!

[whiteboyblues]

Clinton is an elitist...

Clinton's net worth: 34.9 million
Obama's net worth: 1.3 million

Shut your ugly face Hillary

[EinChicago]

And what was CLinton's net worth at Obama's age? Nice try, but Obama is milking this for all its worth.

[jnatch]

right, lets flash forward to Obama after 8 years as president and his wife 6 years as senator and see their net worth then. Talk about apples and oranges

[Changeizgood]

Actia;;y there is a white mustache around Hillary Bill's and McCain's mouth right now, but wait until the Pennsylvania primary. We are everywhere, and the joy or our campaign for a winner, compared to the "bitter Hillbot" Rhetoric continues, til the last fatter lady sings.

Gee, isn't the fat lady hoarse by now?

GAH. Go Away Hillary!

[shaggles]

Neither one is elitist. Do we really need to be doing the Reps work for them labelling our own pols as elitist?

[Changeizgood]

Really, labeling is a Rove tactic and Hillary executes that perfectly, she's had years of practice against the: dum dum dum, "Right Wing Conspiracy"

Today in another chapter of Billary Clintons life, the Right Wing conspiracy attacked her and she cried. LOL

[timsmithies]

elitism is defined by attitude and behavior, not someone's bank account or net worth. Go take a minute to look up the word's meaning in a dictionary.

[CaptainObvious]

No, "elite" is a condition of social status and wealth. Elitism is the belief: that government ought in principle, always and everywhere, to be confined to elites. Rarely a worked-out doctrine in its own right, more often a piece of unexamined value judgement, or a view which follows from some more general argument in political philosophy.

[northeast73]

NOT ONCE did she say Kerry and Gore "lost" because of their elitist tags...she said they were perceived that way, and it cost them votes.

THAT IS TRUE.

[Nevervotesrepublican]

Maybe that had something to do with MSM. You know, the 5 international conglomerates who control 90% of the media.

Get Real, Hillary sounds more like a right winger every day. Hanging out with the Bush's and Rupert Murdoch must be rubbing off on the Clinton's

[eej]

Why were they perceived that way?

Do you remember a little piggy named Karl Rove?

Do we need HRC singing Karl Rove's song? She should be denouncing him, or better yet, letting him and his message sink into oblivion. Instead she's repeating it ever chance she gets.

Hillary just go away while we still have a party left.

[AnninCA]

Hillary nearly always surprises me with her boldness. She spelled out the problem clearly, and she didn't shy away from naming Gore. That got my attention. LOL*

She's bold.

And.......­.she's dead right.

He didn't even carry his own home state.

[Denni]

She's bold alright, in how much she obfuscates the truth. No someone I want to see in the White House (again).

[SuppersReady]

Gore lost because Bill Clinton played hide the salami in the Whitehouse.

[leftcoastindy]

Gore lost because the Supremes were idiots.

[IAM4CLINTON]

No, Gore lost because he foolishly ran away from the Clinton record of achievements for 8 years.

[BetterDeadthanRedState]

Gore won.

[donchep]

You really are blind aren't you? Don't you realize why she threw Al Gore under the bus? She knows what many of us have suspected all along that he does plan to endorse Obama, and it will bite her on the ass. When the number #2 guy in your husband's administration doesn't support you, it's the killing blow. A man whose popularity among the Democratic party is bigger than it has ever been in his entire pilitical career. He's the boss man whose endorsement comes with a golden ticket to the nomination of the Democratic party.

[IAM4CLINTON]

Hillary is exactly correct- for 12 years we have nominated elitist and left wing candidates only to lose in the general election. The Clinton brand is the only one that has withstood the Republican attacks and won overwhelmingly TWICE in the general election. I appeal to PA, IN, the rest of the states and the super delegates to not again nominate a left wing elitist whose base of support is latte sipping liberals and african americans- there are just not enough of those constituencies in the general electorate to gain the 270 electoral votes to become President

[HLMerkin]

Who is Ross Perot in this equation?

[CaptainObvious]

Latte sipping liberals? That's fucking original.

[Changeizgood]

Boy, that sure sounds "Elitist"

"Latte sipping Liberals and not even a capital letter in the description of a race of People? How Elitist! WOW!
So "Out of Touch"
A hypocrit speaks again.

Get a job Hilbott, this one isn't working out in the C campaign.

That's if they haven't sold your job overseas too, while you were campaigning for them.

[IRIE]

I think Hillary is still shellshocked from the sniper fire.

[davvid]

ok Jay Leno

[dct19]

Or drunk from the beer she drinks in a desperately foolish attempt to be seen as a blue collar regular guy.

[SuppersReady]

Hillary is going to lose and take the Democratic Party down with her. She spends more time bad-mouthing Democrats then she does fighting the true opposition in November. I guess it is a good way to get rid of that Columbia trade scandal surrounding her husband and the campaign. Have another shot Hillary and chill out!

[EinChicago]

To be accurate, she has only really bad mouthed Obama, not any actual democrats.

[eej]

Well today she seems to be bad-mouthing Gore and Kerry as well.

Time for Hillary to STFU. Even if she claws her way to the nomination she'll lose in the general because of her negative behavior.

[HowietheScreamer]

LOL... he is more democratic than HER.

Let's see... him - community organizer
her - corporate lawyer.

She campaigns for McStain... he's the Repube.

[Belisarius]

I think Hillary's comment means that Al Gore is about to endorse Obama.

[Changeizgood]

She better lay off on Al Gore, he's my president. I'll light a fire of truth under her lying crooked coniving A$$. And I am loaded with amo.

But then again, so are the Rethugliklans.

I wouldn't bet on her if you spotted her two blocks in a three block race.

Lar liar pantsuit on fire!

[zenkid]

The truth is that Kerry and Gore ( as much as I like them) lost because they didn't fight for their true victories. They both caved in and let the Republicans steal their actual victories. Gore basically threw in the towel, caved and did not fight for his and the voters real victory. Kerry caved too, on an investigation of voting irregularities and questionable elements in Ohio and other states. But Hillary Clinton will not let that happen, and as much as people are trying to bully her to drop out of the race , she is showing the balls and fortitude the Democrats will need to win in November. She will eventually win the nomination, even though it looked really bleak and impossible at times, but she has the strength and determination to carry on in the face of brutal and nasty opposition.

[cathye]

Haven't we had enough of "stay the course even in the bleakest of times" over in Iraq?

[BetterDeadthanRedState]

Democrats don't lose because they're elitist, or liberal, or anything else, but because they allow the Republicans to control the labeling and the narrative. Now Hillary is helping them. Rather than defending liberalism they allow themselves to be smeared with it. We can start by treating "conservative" as the smear word it is.

[HLMerkin]

Just like a car, you need to put it in "D" to go forward, "R" to go backwards.

Liberals / Progressives have brought us the:

40 hour work week
laws prohibiting child labor
the right to vote for women
equality under the law
inspection of our food supply
protection from corporations
parks


By definition a conservative wants to roll back the clock. The different types of conservatives want to roll it back to a different era. The Ron Paul wing wants to roll back this country to some part of the 19th century. Dubya remembers robber barons of the early 20th century fondly. McCain was fucking off in history class but would roll back the clock to before MLK was relevant.

[eej]

Were you out in the street protesting when they stole the presidency from Gore?

I wasn't either.

None of us understood the full measure of what happened until Michael Moore, Al Franken and a few others revealed exactly how the election was stolen from us in 2000. We didn't learn about it until later. The MSM enabled the entire thing and made sure we didn't understand what was going on.

[Stanley]

Clinton lost the election for Gore. The constant drumming of "Let's bring dignity back to the White House" worked well. Monica got Bush more votes than anything else. Hell Clinton couldn't even help Gore get Arkansas. Clinton should watch out in reminding people why Gore got robbed. Bravo on Obama reminding people that he really won the vote.

[eej]

This is so true. The election was stolen from Gore, but it's because of Bill Clinton and Ken Start that he didn't get enough votes to make the election theft-proof.

Hillary should be careful, bringing up the election of 2000. If I had a dime for everyone who told me they would have voted for Gore but they were tired of Clinton...

[Braves71]

Track down some employees, White House staff,
campaign interns. Discover how IMPERIOUS
HRC (Her Royal Clinton) can be!

[Braves71]

Way to woo Al, if he's undecided! Or,
I think maybe she's heard something about VPGore's preference???

If your lying, cheating husband had been able
to campaign for him, and your 'trophy-he owes me big'
candidacy in NY hadn't sucked up all the big money,
Gore would have won big. Nooo. Blame Gore. The Clintons
are never to blame.
His popular vote win is valid-unlike her MI and FL win claims.