Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama weren't always best friends, but over the past four years, they've become much closer. This was strongly evidenced by the kick-booty speech the "Big Dog" gave on Wednesday night at the DNC. He didn't parse words when he gave Obama a rousing nomination that left many wishing we could elect him again!
Let's not forget that more than 20 million jobs were created during Clinton’s eight years in office, and no impeachment could take that from him. He was also, significantly, the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to get more than a single term in the White House. Now he hopes Obama repeats it.
His speech was long (45 minutes!) and sharp. He eviscerated the Republicans. Here are his 9 best lines to remember in November:
1.) When times are tough, constant conflict may be good politics, but in the real world, cooperation works better. After all, nobody’s right all the time, and a broken clock is right twice a day.
2.) In Tampa, the Republican argument against the President’s re-election was pretty simple: we left him a total mess, he hasn’t cleaned it up fast enough, so fire him and put us back in.
3.) You got to get one thing -- it takes some brass to attack a guy for doing what you did.
More from The Stir: Bill Clinton's Long, Long Speech Inspires Some Funny, Funny Jokes (VIDEO)
4.) Both Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan attacked the President for allegedly robbing Medicare of 716 billion dollars. Here’s what really happened. There were no cuts to benefits. None. What the President did was save money by cutting unwarranted subsidies to providers and insurance companies that weren’t making people any healthier. He used the saving to close the donut hole in the Medicare drug program, and to add eight years to the life of the Medicare Trust Fund. It’s now solvent until 2024.
5.) When Congressman Ryan looked into the TV camera and attacked President Obama’s “biggest coldest power play” in raiding Medicare, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. You see, that 716 billion dollars is exactly the same amount of Medicare savings Congressman Ryan had in his own budget.
6.) [Romney's plan] is supposed to be a debt reduction plan, but it begins with five trillion dollars in tax cuts over a 10-year period. That makes the debt hole bigger before they even start to dig out. They say they’ll make it up by eliminating loopholes in the tax code. When you ask, “Which loopholes and how much?” they say, “See me after the election on that."
7.) Remember, Republican economic policies quadrupled the debt before I took office and doubled it after I left. We simply can’t afford to double-down on trickle-down.
8.) If you want a you’re on your own, winner take all society, you should support the Republican ticket. If you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibilities -- a “we’re all in it together” society, you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
9.) I love our country -- and I know we’re coming back. For more than 200 years, through every crisis, we’ve always come out stronger than we went in. And we will again as long as we do it together. We champion the cause for which our founders pledged their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor -- to form a more perfect union.
What did you think of Clinton's speech?
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Comments 31
The budget was never "balanced" during the Clinton years, but the deficit was far smaller than now, and was shrinking. This was the result of three things.
During the first two years of the Clinton presidency, (like the OWEbama presidency), the democrats held an overwhelming congressional majority. With that majority the democrats steam-rolled through MASSIVE GARGANTUAN tax hikes, and MASSIVE GARGANTUAN spending increases! Correcting the massive tax hikes what the purpose of the Bush tax cuts that came in 2000.
This, among other things, the unrestrained democrats did was so repulsive to voters that the Republicans won huge victories during the mid-term elections, and the democrats lost their congressional majority.
The Republicans then went on to introduce a number of spending reforms, somewhat reducing the massive spending the democrats pushed. Spending was still higher, but the Republicans reduced the rate of growth in spending.
With the Republican control of congress bringing some sanity to the budget, business flourished. This, combined with the high taxes increased revenue. This combined with somewhat muted spending reduced, but did not eliminate, the deficit.
Toward the end of the Clinton presidency we had a recession that Bush inherited when he took office. The recession reduced government revenue. Also early in the Bush presidency, we were hit by the 9-11 attacks. This also took a major toll on the economy. (later we had the worst natural disaster in US history. And the democrats whine about what is on OWEbama's plate!)
Then we passed the "Bush tax cuts". This helped the economy and we pulled out of the recession, and saw another period of economic prosperity with all time record low unemployment.
The recovering economy once again produced increased revenues, and the deficit was once again shrinking.
Then in '06, the democrats won control of both houses of congress, and they once again passed MASSIVE GARGANTUAN spending increases. This caused MASSIVE deficits. Soon after, the economy tanked.
In '08, the democrats expanded their control of congress to "super majority" status, and took the White House. Having total control, they exploded spending beyond anything ever imagined before. This took the deficit and debt beyond anything ever dreamed of to the apocalypse we are facing now.
And now the democrats have the shameless, unmitigated gall to try to blame their actions and the resulting damage to the economy, unemployment, and the deficit and debt on others. Simply disgusting. And disturbing that anyone can possibly be stupid enough to fall for such absurd lies.
No, Clinton was no "moderate" just less extreme than the democrats of today, and he was held in check by a Republican Congress.
Guest - Do you think you're super clever and cool by saying "OWEbama" all the time? I just had to ask.
No, my intelligence, knowledge, and wit are what make me super clever and cool.
"OWEbama" is simply a little reminder that your great-grand-children will still be paying the price for folks voting democrat.
Ahhhh, Clinton......if Obama was even 1/5 the politician Clinton was, we wouldn't be in this mess. But even the Big Hound can't pull Obama's butt out of the fire. Pretty talk doesn't change the fact the BO got no game, and all this speech did was highlight the fact that Obama is in over his head. When you're the worst president in history, you don't roll out the guy who is everything you're not.
And Guest: accusing someone of being a rapist is a little extreme isn't it?....Emma Graham.
Actually, a woman named Juanita Broaddrick claimed, publicly, that Clinton raped her in 1978. So, no, not extreme.