Bill Clinton White House Meeting: Obama To Meet With Former President

Politics Daily:

Suspicions that Obama is headed toward a "triangulation" strategy grew Friday with word that the 42nd president is due at the White House for a meeting with the 44th. The term triangulation is attributed to onetime Clinton aide Dick Morris, who counseled working with the GOP after the 1994 Republican Revolution swept the GOP into power in the House and Senate after Clinton's rocky first two years in office. Clinton subsequently had his ups and downs with the opposition party -- remember the Christmas season impeachment? -- but also had some successes, albeit often with modest, tidy programs.

Read the whole story: Politics Daily

Comments

[FogBelter]

01:32 PM on 12/14/2010

"Suspicions that Obama is headed toward a "triangulation" strategy grew Friday with word that the 42nd president is due at the White House for a meeting with the 44th."

Then the American people should expect the nation to continue on its downward trajectory. We either get Republicans or Corporate Democrats deciding the direction of the United States, as they have for the last thirty years, and the results have been clear: A Nation of diminished wealth, diminished principles, diminished education, diminished opportunities, diminished status, diminished respect ... a nation, simply, diminished.

[jsgaetano]

12:54 PM on 12/14/2010

Clinton = success.
 
Obama = failure.
 
It's kind of hard to say Obama's "acting like Clinton", when by this time in the Clinton presidency the economy was already recovering from the Reagan-Bush recession.

[Marlyn]

10:44 AM on 12/14/2010

Bill Clinton served the GOP. Now he's teaching Obama to do the same.

[Macready]

12:10 PM on 12/14/2010

sad but true Marlyn . . I voted for Obama . . I most certainly did not support billary .. yet . . . look what we have . . . . disgusting . .

[jsgaetano]

12:53 PM on 12/14/2010

That must be why Clinton was the ONLY pocket of success inside of 30+ years of failed and fraud-based ideology.
 
That must be why Clinton paid down the National Debt, even though no "Fiscal Conservative" ever did.
 
It's shrill and puling when conservatives whine about Clinton.  It's even doubly so when liberals do it.
 
If you want to see what serving the Goop looks like, take a look at Obama, who's policies are literally indistinguishable from Bush.

[FogBelter]

01:35 PM on 12/14/2010

Bill Clinton is a Grover Cleveland Democrat ... A Democrat that is acceptable to the Republicans and their agenda Bill Clinton's legislative record is unambiguous on that point. Clinton's prosperity was built upon the High Tech bubble, and when the bubble collapsed easy credit was deployed to fill the gap.

[blueken]

09:18 AM on 12/14/2010

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between "triangulation" and "strangulation". It was the 20 years of a right leaning agenda from both parties that lead us to where we are today. Now is not the time for "compromise". If Obama "moves to the center" he is going to get run over by the right. I for one, can not support a continuation of the last 20 years of fiscal insanity. By the way, I have a good job, money in the bank, modest investment portfolio, in essence, I am not looking for a "hand out". I just want some soical justice. I can't support denying the un-employed and elderly help while the wealthy get bail outs and tax breaks. It just doesn't make sense.

[jsgaetano]

12:55 PM on 12/14/2010

If Obama moves to the center, he'd actually be shifted hard to the left.

[Indigo1941]

08:48 PM on 12/13/2010

Excuse me. Did someone claim that the president is not pushing away the progressives in order to court the independents? You're wrong! That's exactly what he is doing! Why lie about the obvious?

[blueken]

09:24 AM on 12/14/2010

In the end all Obama's courting will get him is no date on prom night. That's exactly what the right is shooting for. "Hitler seems like a reasonable man, in my hand I have a document that insures peace in our time" Neville Chamberlain. How did that work out?

[RodgzK]

05:59 PM on 12/13/2010

"White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer told Politico. “ ‘ We want to convince all Democrats to support this [tax] deal, because we think it is good for the economy and good for the middle and working class. ‘ “

Why can't President Obama make up his mind? As far back as his presidential campaign he insisted that extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy was a bad idea. Lately, it became a bad idea but he had to agree to it. Now, it's a good idea. It seems to me that a bad idea is bad for a reason and it usually stays a bad idea. Perhaps the President thinks the few crumbs the Republicans threw him change everything. They don't. This is not the time to be wasting money on deficit increasing tax breaks for the rich when that money is sorely needed elsewhere, in CCC and WPA type projects that would put the money in the hands of those who would spend it.

If President Obama finds himself unable to enact legislation favorable to this country it’s his own fault. He was elected with the biggest mandate and the most political capital of any recent president and he squandered these assets through his lack of determination, his lack of true conviction and his willingness to accept less than half a loaf rather than fight for more.

[RodgzK]

05:59 PM on 12/13/2010

All may not be lost, however. George Bush was elected to his first term with practically no mandate and no political capital but he managed to enact disastrous tax rates and involved in two wars.

[massjim]

05:29 PM on 12/13/2010

So ... after extending Bush tax cuts, extending the Patriot Act, continuing extroardinary rendition and torture, increasing troops / surge in Afghanistan, using signing statements and czars, backroom deal with Big Pharma, wire taps / spying on citizens and porn scans / molestation by the TSA NOW HE'S GOING TO ACT MORE REPUBLICAN?????

[madrediterra]

04:42 PM on 12/13/2010

Pray tell, what the hell is a "neo-Marxist"?

[randyeye]

06:22 PM on 12/13/2010

A new version of Marxist. Many things have change since Karl Marx wrote his stuff, and the current collectivist and redistribution supporters, who believe in a centralized government and absolute authority for that government, have had to adjust with the times. Mostly, they've had to adjust because too many people reject tyranny.

[milo9]

04:57 PM on 12/13/2010

Obama is a Corporate Dem, a half step removed from being a Republican. Every time one of you sad sacks ascribe extreme leftist positions to Obama, you sound silly. Most people here are not Glenn Beck's audience, and find your claims ridiculous.

[randyeye]

06:19 PM on 12/13/2010

Most people here live in an information bubble, where nothing gets in and nothing gets out. Of course the truth, being an unknown and untrusted entity, will seem silly. If you had experiences outside the American progressive trap, you'd know better. Glenn Beck's a strange man, I can't watch him.

[PoliSci2008]

02:55 PM on 12/13/2010

I would have expected Palin to have former President Bush by her side if she was elected President, but not Obama.

Obama needs to run his own Administration and stop trying to use the Clinton play book no use the old team players.

Obama has proven that when the kitchen gets hot, he runs out! It's 3:00 am.

Weak, Weak, Weak!

[Macready]

12:13 PM on 12/14/2010

fanned PoliSci2008 . . .ditto . .

[lustforlife802]

02:54 PM on 12/13/2010

First priority of any politician- Get elected
Second Priority- Get reelected

The only reason Obama will triangulate is because it works. Did you people really think he was different?

[PoliSci2008]

02:34 PM on 12/13/2010

I was floored when I seen former President Clinton at the Presidential Newsroom with President Obama, and the later hastily excusing himself to go to a Christmas Party!!!! WTF Obama? Who's President here? And a Christmas Party can wait re: national interest. He has already compromise on may bills and promises, and now he's compromising being present as a sitting President.

2012 can get here soon enough for me.

[PoliSci2008]

02:48 PM on 12/13/2010

Gosh, I hate my typing on these tiny keyboards....Correction:
I was floored when I seen former President Clinton at the Presidenti­al Newsroom with President Obama, and the latter hastily excusing himself to go to a Christmas Party!!!! WTF Obama? Who's President here? And a Christmas Party can wait re: national interest. He has already compromise on many bills and promises, and now he's compromisi­ng being present as a sitting President.

2012 can get here soon enough for me.

[KarateKid]

03:28 PM on 12/13/2010

"when I seen"? You speaka da engrish?

[SIMPLICIMUSS]

02:57 PM on 12/13/2010

Wait til January and the State of the Union. They are already preppin the peanut farmer. Obama needs to get ready for the Super Bowl .

[LynnW49]

02:21 PM on 12/13/2010

Duh.
"Suspicions That Air is Largely Composed of Oxygen Grow."

[skeptic al]

07:28 PM on 12/12/2010

it's a true sign of his inability to lead and/or get anything done...

[journey80]

04:33 PM on 12/12/2010

HEADED toward triangulation? What has he been doing for the past two years, fighting the good fight?

Well, actually, yes, I suppose a case could be made that he has, if you are Goldman Sachs, or Boeing, or Pfizer....

[johnsonc20]

07:07 PM on 12/12/2010

My reaction exactly! When has he stopped triangulating since he was elected? When he hired Rahm Emanuel, Larry Summers, and Timothy Geithner he tipped his hand and he hasn't deviated from it.

[ianmcc]

11:12 AM on 12/13/2010

I notice he is also trying out Hillary's attempt at declaring herself the defacto nominee a full 2 yrs before the elections even were around by already trying to quash any primary challengers by having his mouthpieces state that a vote for a primary challenger to Obama is simply a vote weakening him to lose to a republican in 2012. Well sir what is the difference?? You already lead like a republican and lie and twist your promises to progressives like any good rightie!
NO.
MORE.
VOTING.
FOR.
FALSE.
DEMOCRATS.

[ManwithaParachute]

03:49 PM on 12/12/2010

One of the psychologi­cal aspects to the Obama residency for liberals and progressiv­es that the political little yellow bus crowd have not factored in their triangulat­ion farewell tour is the personalit­y of the audience is feminine and progressiv­es and liberals are a collective woman scorned. All Obama did when he brought Clinton out was to bring the last man who cheated on us out to tell us how great it was for US to have Obama dip his wick in the GOP home-wreck­er. All of the entrenched Democratic establishm­ent who jumped on board the dog and pony show have proven themselves to as deep as the piddle pool at Obama's feet.

H3LL hath no fury as a woman scorned and the sincerest apology they have to offer is that our fury is just a prelude to a nose job.

Continuall­y they have underestim­ated the power of h@te from the ne@ndertha­l types in the GOP and they have now underestim­ated the power of fury from the scorned.

[Candid One]

05:44 PM on 12/12/2010

Pray tell then, where was this "woman scorned" when Dubya was re-elected? Hissy fits should at least be durable.

[ManwithaParachute]

10:06 PM on 12/12/2010

The woman scorned was never interested in W. Get a clue little shrew.

[madrediterra]

01:47 PM on 12/13/2010

It's a female problem? All females or just the ones who want nose jobs? It is the males of both parties who are shrill, hysterical and sobbing, if you have looked at or listened to them closely since 1984.