The Unhelpful Clinton Bashing by Some Obama Supporters

I think the renewed Clinton bashing is quite unhelpful, and based upon a pretty unfair reading of the facts. Hillary is doing more for Obama than any defeated candidate in my memory. Bill Clinton is an ex-President, and you can't just expect him to be an attack dog. Despite his being savaged unfairly during the primary campaign, Bill Clinton has made a very compelling case for Obama.

If Obama supporters were smarter, they would spend more time building up the Clinton brand, and reminding voters how well they did the last time the Democrats ran things. This is particularly true when it comes to the economy.

Comments

[jjdnyc]

Does the expression "Damning with faint praise" mean anything to you? If Obama wins, it will be in spite of, and not at all thanks to, Bill Clinton. I mean, Hillary has been ok (just) but Bill has done whatever he can do be as backhanded and grudging as possible in any positive comments he has made about Obama. He needs to grow up, at least until Nov 5. Or, he needs to shut up till then.

There is (much) more genuine enthusiasm and support in his comments about Palin than comes across when he (reluctantly) talks about Obama. Really. And, his comments about McCain may have been accurate in 2000, but they ignore completely McCain's behavior over the last 4 years.

Lets not kid ourselves - the Clintons are focused on Hillary 2012. Without a doubt. Four years of a failed MCain administration is a price they are willing to pay in order to let Hillary win next time. By the way, I used to be a Hillary supporter and was a huge fan of Bill's.

[dreffein]

I guess you're not listening to Bill's speech right now (10/1 @ 9:40 am PDT). But probably even this speech wouldn't satisfy your continued need to divide the Democratic party.

The author is spot on.

[jhNY]

As a post designed to draw out more Clinton-bashing, this couldn't have been designed any better! And now, like good little soldiers, the bashers line up to decry the decrying of bashers. And for damn good reasons!

Yep, Clinton and his DLC buddies helped to sew the seeds of the present crop of financial failure, but he did so to get money for campaigning which, sad to say, nobody can say for certain the party might have gotten from any other quarter than the investment bank vampires of Wall Street. Unless the bashers can point out where they came out against taking the money (dated before the year 2000), especially if they listed ways to make up for the shortfall, I'd say this latest reason to bash the ever-bashable Bill is a bit of dishonest rewriting of party history.

Both parties have in the last 20 years made themselves the compliant creatures of their donor class. Big mistake, mostly for Democrats, in that it made the definition of the party incoherent-- the party of ordinary Americans financed by the excess capital of the overclass that, if elected, can do nothing for ordinary Americans, given its obligation to the money.

The Clintons have done more to support the candidate of the party than any other near-nominee, maybe ever. But it won't be enough for the Clinton bashers. The Clinton bashers will always find their doings insufficient and suspect. They can't help it.

[seatea1967]

"If Obama supporters were smarter."

This phrase gives away the writer as either a Hillary supporter who doesn't support Obama, or (worse, perhaps) a Republican shill. Either way, why should anyone listen to what they have to say?

Advice from the enemy is seldom helpful.

[Freesia2]

That popped out at me, too. Smarter is followed by "THEY would". Not "we".

My guess is you're right.

[milo h minderbinder]

James, you totally miss the point.

Nobody expects Bill to be an attack dog.

He is taking the heat because he has often said more positive things about McCain than about Obama.

I'd be ecstatic if Bill did absolutely nothing in this campaign instead of HURTING Obama.

McCain even has an ad now showing Clinton blaming the democrats for the current crisis. When was the last time you saw that?

When was the last time you saw a former president taking a more positive position on the guy in the OTHER party? I've never seen it in my lifetime.

Clinton just needs to get a stack of DVD's and a few cases of beer and hole up in his basement until after the election.

[Freesia2]

???

Attack dog? We'd settle for him just not undermining Obama and helping McCain at every turn.

And I'm suprised it hasn't occurred to you. While Hillary may be sincere in all the work she's done, it is also just as likely that they are playing an orchestrated game of good cop-bad cop. Remember, they are a team, Hillary has always assured us of that. So if she makes a show of going the distance and then some, but Bill carefully undermines ground won at every turn, she can still claim to have done the thing she promised in helping Obama, while Bill renders it useless. Hello 2012.

Am I wrong? I sure hope so. But your unhelpful "bashing" of Obama supporters as they are justifiably reaching a threshhold in weekly, and sometimes daily, sneak attacks in the guise of "surrogacy" is not helpful to your Clintons either. No one likes feeling had, and then being chastised for speaking against the person who's conned them is a bit much to swallow.

What is your definition of "bashing" anyway? Maybe Bill needs to hear when people are noticing what he's up to. Quiet confidence that he would do the right thing (as promised) doesn't seem have worked so well.

[blaqntelligence]

Thank you for that Mr. Love.
Since June, I've heard countless people slam the Clinton's for their "lukewarm" endorsement of Obama.
Bill and Hillary Clinton rose to the occasion beautifully during the Democratic convention.
During the primaries, I was very vocal against the Clinton's but I believe it's time to leave them alone. Without dire threats of sabotaging their future political plans.
Mocking them, deriding them, putting a pox on their houses will NOT cause the Clinton's to fall in love with Barack Obama.
They fought the good fight, they have done all that's been asked of them. AND to their credit, I have yet to hear either one say an unkind thing about those criticising their supposed lack of enthusiasm.
Barack Obama has succeeded against all odds.
The Clinton's didn't give him the nomination, he earned it.
The Clinton's will not, I repeat WILL NOT, be responsible if Obama loses this election.
They aren't campaigning against Obama. They just aren't swooning FOR him.
We need to leave them in peace and channel all our energies toward booting out the true opposition.
Them Damn Republicans.
They're America's enemies. NOT Bill and Hillary Clinton.

[Clavis]

On what basis do you label criticism of Bill Clinton to be "bashing"?

I find this to be a pernicious tactic. Bush supporters label anybody who was/is critical of Bush as a "Bush basher", as a way to dismiss their criticisms as inherently baseless and irrational.

I don't think there's anything irrational about waiting to see if Bill would do what he was expected to do, seeing him not do it, and criticizing him for it.

[Vishous]

Do you believe he would have been behaving as he has been lately if Hillary was the nominee? If you can answer that question honestly, you'll understand the resentment from many of Bill's performances this past week. Almost all, have nothing but serious praise for Sen. Clinton's efforts. She has been more than gracious and is certainly regaining much of her image since the bitter primary battle. Pres. Clinton is doing that effort quite a bit of harm.

[TheronMarx]

"If Obama supporters were smarter, they would spend more time building up the Clinton brand, and reminding voters how well they did the last time the Democrats ran things. This is particularly true when it comes to the economy. " James Love

I might be too dumb to comment, Mr. Love, after all I am an Obama supporter who bashes Bill Clinton (when he deserves it only), so let me express something as well as my dumb little mind will allow (after all you are so much smarter):

Bill Clinton = Banking Deregulation; Banking Deregulation = current financial crisis

[newshound1]

I always suspected that Bill was a closet Republican anyway, after NAFTA, etc.

[COwoman]

Are you kidding me?

Yes, I expect Bill Clinton to be an attack dog. He was attack dog for Hillary Clinton. He could at least sound more enthusiastic about Barack Obama than he does John McCain. Is that too much to ask?
I realize that the country is is deep horse turds, but is it too much to ask that Bill Clinton put aside his hurt feelings and actually work a little to get Barack Obama elected?
He is a master of political Bubbaness and we need that now. If he can't do that then can he at least be quiet. He isn't helping, he is hurting. So quit sniveling about our dismay when he can't even act like he wants Barack to win.

[piper1233]

Boulderdash! The Clintons know what they are doing and so do we.