Posts with the tag Bill

Bill passed the torch

Armen — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:51:33 EDT

I really enjoyed Bill Clinton's speech and I actually thought it was the best of the night and exactly what the Obama camped needed from the Clinton Democratic Royalty. Clinton finally acknowledge that Obama shares many of his similar traits and that Obama would be a great leader for the nation. I can tell you, I was watching this at the gym and I could just feel my heart beat racing, not just from the running, but from the excited! The passing of this torch is an important right of passage for Obama to have and by having it the Clintons have given him the key to the White House *knocks on wood*. This is a very exciting time to be part of the 18 million strong in support of Obama (I think that was the number from the the speech) and a very special time to be in history!

What This Election Is Really About: Conservatives vs. Progressives

Liz — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:20:30 EDT

The following post discusses what I think is the REAL elephant in our living room that no one is discussing:

In my opinion, and I'm sure others may disagree as well as agree since this is after all a democracy, I think that the bottom line for this election is really about wrestling our government out of the hands of conservatives and into the hands of progressives--and that includes conservative Democrats as well as conservative Republicans.

Our Democratic Party has its own unofficial conservative wing--the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) of which both Clintons have been very active over the years. By my standards, based on much of the legislation that they have supported, neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton are "progressive democrats". I would categorize both of them as conservative Democrats.

I have a lifetime of experience in the financial industry and I can tell you for certain that bankers have no greater friend than Bill Clinton.

Is Bill Clinton secretly campaigning for Obama?

thinkingblue — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:39:08 EDT

This short video is REALLY something to think about... Using Bill Clinton's own words to encourage people to vote for Obama. Too bad Hillary didn't heed the words of her husband. What goes around, comes around. To see it on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw9o481X4f8 Thanks thinkingblue.blogspot.com

THE SOUL PURPOSE OF THE NEO-CONVERSATIVE RELIGIOUS RIGHT

funkfresh01 — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:16:19 EDT

Please read, copy, paste to your email, and forward this News Release.

----forward this to people or colleagues you know, thank you ----

WARNING: THE SOUL PURPOSE OF THE NEO-CONVERSATIVE RELIGIOUS RIGHT

Click the following link to view the full article:
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-20686?ref=email

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
iReport.com - Unedited. Unfiltered. News.
http://www.ireport.com/

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE DNC: PARTY LOYALTY GOES BOTH WAYS

Wattree — Sun, 11 May 2008 10:32:11 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE DNC:
PARTY LOYALTY GOES BOTH WAYS

Nervous over the growing fracture in the Democratic Party, the DNC is vigorously reminding Democratic voters of the importance of backing the Democratic nominee in order to win the November election. The problem with position, however, is the DNC its placing all of the responsibility for Democratic its success on the voters, while skirting its responsibility to act appropriately in its own regard. Party loyalty goes both ways.

In light of what the nation has gone through in the past seven years, political parties can no longer expect the voters to just fall in and march in lockstep to the party line. That’s what’s gotten us to where we are today--involved in a senseless war, without jobs, losing our homes, and with the very pillars of our society under attack.

HILLARY, WHAT’S THE POINT?

Wattree — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:44:00 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

HILLARY, WHAT’S THE POINT?

After Tuesday’s primary results I had hoped that I had written the name Hillary Clinton for the last time during this election. But in spite of the fact that there is virtually no legitimate path for her to gain the nomination, she simply refuses to see the writing on the wall. Thus, she appealed to the superdelegates on Wednesday for yet more time to defy the will of the electorate.

It has been reported that her campaign is running so badly in the red that she’s invested an additional 6 million dollars into her effort for the nomination, bringing her personal loan to the campaign to 11 million dollars. That has led to speculation that she is trying to strike a deal with Obama to both reimburse her for her personal loan to the campaign, and also pay off her remaining debt in return for her leaving the race. There is also speculation that she’s trying to position herself for a spot on the Obama ticket as vice president.

Not Exactly a Corporate Parallel

Liz — Sat, 03 May 2008 12:08:48 EDT

Hillary is famous for using the line of comparing her "resume" with that of Obama's as if President of this country is somehow analogous to that of being a CEO.

For those of you who do work within a corporate structure know one thing for certain: If an employee is caught violating the rules of a corporation, they are escorted out that very day. All ties are severed. That person is instantly erased from all company web sites and employees are even discouraged from mentioning his/her name.

Apparently that is a corporate rule that Hillary doesn't follow. When Mark Penn was caught meeting with the Colombians to assist them in getting the FTA pushed through Congress (a trade agreement that Hillary has said that she was against), she fired him as her campaign strategist after the story became public.

But she has kept him on as her pollster. She trusts a man who went behind her back (if in fact he even go behind her back to do this) to continue to manage her numbers?

But hey, I guess this is all OK since her husband Bill took $800,000 from a Colombian company for four speeches in 2005. It is next to impossible to fire a husband. So I guess as a nation we could expect Hillary as president to continue tell us to our faces that she does not approve of these trade agreements that send jobs out of our country while her husband takes money from these people and tries to influence Congress.

More on the Colombian Free Trade Agreement

Liz — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:55:05 EDT

If you haven't called your Congress people and told them to vote no on the FTA, please do so today. I don't think they have voted on it yet this week.

Pittsburgh (Apr. 7) – Leo W. Gerard, President of the United Steelworkers (USW) today called on Congress to reject the proposed Colombia Free Trade Agreement transmitted by President Bush today for a vote.

“It’s an affront to working people and human rights advocates that George W. Bush is trying to do what no other American President has done in the past 30 years – shove a proposed free trade agreement on Congress over the wishes of the congressional leadership. No one wants a deal with a corrupt regime that continues to rule over the most dangerous country in the world in which to be a trade unionist.

“Nearly 2,300 union officers and members have been brutally and systematically murdered since 1991. The USW stands with working people in the United States and Colombia - we say no to the free trade agreement with Colombia. Last month – four trade unionists were murdered in a four day period from March 4-7, bringing the total dead this year to 17."

Source: http://www.steelworkers-usw.org/uswa/program/content/4579.php

Let's have a Debate

Liz — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:55:26 EDT

Obama doesn't want to debate. So what? I don't blame him for not wanting to participate in "stupid." and Rhonda provided a reason if you need your memory refreshed in her recent post about the ABC debate

http://youtube.com/CourageCampaign

Let's have a debate between Bill and Hillary over Trade agreements. That would be interesting since Bill is all for them and Hillary says that she is not.

Here are the questions that I would like to see asked of Hillary:

1. Hillary, do you plan to spend any of that $800,000 that your husband received from the Colombia-based Gold Service International to give four speeches throughout Latin America. The organization is, ostensibly, a development group tasked with bringing investment to the country. And how is this not a conflict of interests?

2. More importantly, if you see Bill as a good will foreign ambassador, how do you plan to keep his lip buttoned from promoting trade agreements that your administration says that it disagrees with?

The Hillary, Moe, and Larry Variation of the Good Cop/Bad Cop Routine

Liz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:02:31 EDT

The Hillary, Moe, and Larry Variation of the Good Cop/Bad Cop Routine

Hillary: “I’m absolutely against the Colombian Free Trade Agreement.

Bill: “I’m absolutely for the Colombian Free Trade Agreement and I have $800,000 in my pocket (of course Hillary’s pocket too) to prove it.

Mark Penn: “I’m absolutely for and against the Colombia Free Trade Agreement and I have $10,000,000 in my pocket to prove it. I would have $10,300,000 in my pocket but I got caught red-handed feeding from both sides of the trough and had to return $300,000 to the Colombians. Hillary, I must quit your campaign.”

Hillary: “Good, Mark, now that is settled, I want you to have those polling statistics ready for our daily conference call with the staff tomorrow and what do you think I should say about Obama to bring labor back into my bed?”

DLC -- the "Democrats" that few Democrats know well

Liz — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:56:28 EDT

If it feels to you like we have two Democratic Parties, it is because we really do: We have the DNC and we have the DLC. If you have been thinking that the Democratic Party has been looking a lot more like the Republican Party over the past 20 years, you would be correct.

And one of the main reasons for this shift is due to a group called the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) They were formed in 1985 and have as their stated goal to reform the Democratic Party. (I think by virtue of the fact that one of its previous presidents was Joe Lieberman that we can have no doubt as to the ideological direction of their “reform”.)

While not entirely what you would call a “secret” club, the DLC definitely keeps a very low profile—flying very much below the radar because they know damn well that many Democrats would not approve of them if they even knew of their existence. I’ll bet that no less than half of the Democrats who have voted in the primary this year so far have any idea who the DLC are.

WIKI describes the Democratic Leadership Council as a nonprofit corporation that argues that the United States Democratic Party should shift away from traditionally populist positions. The DLC hails Bill Clinton as proof of the viability of the third way politicians as a DLC success. Critics like me contend that the DLC is a powerful, corporate financed mouthpiece within the Democratic Party.

You have to decide for yourselves how much of the DLC you can stomach of it. My own appetitive for the DLC is zero. I think they should just move on over to the Republican camp and let us have a real progressive democratic party for the people. They can be the liberal wing of the Republican Party because that is where they belong.

IF WE ALLOW OUR BEST TO BE DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD

Wattree — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:08:50 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

IF WE ALLOW OUR BEST TO BE DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN DOESN’T HAVE A CHANCE

Along with the ability to inspire, a president should have the intelligence to see the big picture, the maturity to handle power, and the class to ensure that his or her own personal needs remain secondary to that of the people. This election process has given us an excellent opportunity to assess those qualities in the candidates, and while Hillary Clinton has demonstrated that she is an exceptionally intelligent woman, she’s also demonstrated that she leaves much to be desired in the area of maturity and class. If we’ve learned nothing else about Hillary during these primaries, we’ve learned that nothing is more important to her than becoming President of the United States��"not the nation, not the people, and certainly not the Democratic Party. Hillary is more than willing to throw the entire Democratic Party under the bus--along with the Senate, Congress, and the Supreme Court--if it means she’ll end up sitting in the Oval Office.

Hillary’s behavior has been so radically single-minded during these primaries that it sounds like I’m indulging in hyperbole, but the facts will bear me out. Essentially, Senator Obama has won the primaries--he’s won more states, he’s won the popular vote, and he has an insurmountable lead in pledged delegates. If Hillary won all of the remaining primaries, she would still fall short of Obama’s lead. Hillary knows that quite well, and she also knows that the longer she slings mud at Obama, the greater the chances the Democratic Party, along with many of its elected officials, will go down in defeat. So the classy thing for her to do would be to swallow her pride and encourage her supporters to get behind Senator Obama’s candidacy with all of the enthusiasm that they’ve brought to her campaign. But instead, she’s endorsed the Republican candidate as more qualified to be president than Obama, and continues to sling mud in the vain hope that she can hurt Obama so badly that his candidacy will lose all viability. She’s calculated that if she hurts Obama badly enough, even if the party doesn’t nominate her by default, Obama will lose the general election. That way, since there won’t be a Democratic incumbent in the race, she’ll still be young enough to run in 2012.

HILLARY'S PASTOR REGARDING REV. WRIGHT

Wattree — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:46:11 EDT

A STATEMENT FROM HILLARY'S PASTOR REGARDING

THE REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT

The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times. He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. He has been a vocal critic of the racism, sexism and homophobia which still tarnish the American dream. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the African-American church which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and violence. Dr. Wright, a member of an integrated denomination, has been an agent of racial reconciliation while proclaiming perceptions and truths uncomfortable for some white people to hear. Those of us who are white Americans would do well to listen carefully to Dr. Wright rather than to use a few of his quotes to polarize. This is a critical time in America's history as we seek to repent of our racism. No matter which candidates prevail, let us use this time to listen again to one another and not to distort one another's truth.

Dean J. Snyder, Senior Minister

Foundry United Methodist Church
March 19, 2008

Eric L. Wattree
wattree.blogspot.com

JEREMIAH AND AMERICA’S BLIND SPOT

Wattree — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:54:55 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

JEREMIAH AND AMERICA’S BLIND SPOT

The American media has become absolutely fixated on Rev. Jeremiah Wright. How could he say what he did about America? Why didn’t Senator Obama storm out of the church in protest? And how can Barack Obama be the man he claims to be and embrace such a man? These are all questions that might have also been asked of another man and his supporters over two thousand years ago, and today just as then, the answer is short and sweet--because the man speaks the truth.

The controversy over Rev. Wright’s sermon says much more about America’s blind spot than it does about either Rev. Wright, or Sen. Obama. Because while the words were indeed ugly, the truth therein was as pure as virgin snow. Thus, the problem is not with Rev. Wright or Sen. Obama, the problem is with America’s inability to handle the truth, and as long as that continues to be the case, America is doomed to be led by demagogues whose claim on leadership will be based on lies, and the very worst in an otherwise great nation.

THE PROBLEM WITH HILLARY

Wattree — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:00:02 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

THE PROBLEM WITH HILLARY

The problem with Hillary is that she seems to think she’s smarter than the rest of us. The next time you hear her speaking at a political rally, listen to her closely, then ask yourself, does she sound like a person who’s speaking to political allies, or more like a schoolmarm talking down to children and instructing them in the inherent value of being obedient and listening to the wisdom of their elders. She seems to have absolutely no respect for the intelligence of the American people. She comes off as though she views the American voter as an unfortunate nuisance to be manipulated to reach her goal. For example, when she was quoted as saying, “He’s [John McCain’s] never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002.” That statement was clearly calculated to leave the impression in the voters’ feeble little minds that while John McCain has never been president, she has. And to hear the dismissive tone that she takes towards Barack Obama, one would never know that while Obama was both the president of the Harvard Law Review and a professor of Constitutional law, she failed the bar exam.

The one good thing about this extended primary season, however, is that it gives us the opportunity to see past the candidates’ political veneer--we’re afforded the opportunity to see how the candidates actually handle crisis and frustration. It also allows us to see their decision making capabilities, and it gives us a snapshot of the kind of personal character that they’ll bring to the White House--and recent history demonstrates just how important it is that we avail ourselves of that opportunity. If we’d done so with Bush we could have saved close to a million lives, billions of dollars, and an immeasurable amount of heartache. Thus, anyone who is truly curious about what a Hillary Clinton presidency would bring--and that should include all of us--should tune out all of the promises, all of the “day one” nonsense, and simply open their eyes, because Hillary is on display as we speak.

HERE'S WHY HILLARY DOES'T DESERVE THE NOMINATION

Wattree — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:12:44 EST

Clinton Says She and McCain Offer Experience, Obama Offers Speeches:

"FORT WORTH, TEXAS -- Hillary Clinton told reporters that both she and the presumtive Republican nominee John McCain offer the experience to be ready to tackle any crisis facing the country under their watch, but Barack Obama simply offers more rhetoric. “I think you'll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say,” she said. “He’s never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002.” Clinton was referring to Obama’s anti-war speech he delivered in Chicago before entering the United States Senate."
www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/03/01/politics/fromtheroad/entry3896372.shtml
This is one of the most self-serving and vindictive women in America. Her position seems to be, if I don't get the nomination, to hell with the Democrats.

I can hear the Republican swiftboaters quoting her now. Thanks a lot Hillary, but if you're so impressed with McCain, maybe you should re-join the Republican Party--and take Bill with you. I could kick myself for ever supporting either one of you. But you can depend on this--it won't ever happen again.

I certainly hope all of the Hillary supporters are proud of their candidate. She does a disservice to Democrats, progressives, and women everywhere.

Wattree

THE 2008 STATE OF THE BLACK UNION

Wattree — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:12:37 EST

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

THE 2008 STATE OF THE BLACK UNION

I had the pleasure of watching Tavis Smiley’s entire production of the ”2008 State of the Black Union” on CSPAN last week--and as usual, it was quite entertaining. But while I throughly enjoyed the show, I failed to see the urgency of having Senator Barack Obama in attendance. I could see it if the scholars, politicians, and community leaders in attendance were actually involved in a sober discussion of the Black condition and ways to move the community forward, but that wasn’t what it was at all. What it generally turns out to be--and it was true to form this year--is a cross between the Def Philosophy Jam, an infomercial for Tavis Smiley Enterprises, and a Southern revival meeting (“Say amen, Black folk”). That’s not the appropriate venue for a man who’s trying to convince America that he’s a serious contender for President of ALL of the United States. So I don’t blame Obama a bit for not attending.

Admittedly, every year there are serious people with serious things to say in attendance, but every year there are also a host of people in attendance who are flamboyant, grandiloquent, and simply love to hear themselves talk. There were moments in this year’s proceedings, for example, that sounded more like a mack-man’s convention than anything else. While I enjoyed it, I also enjoy Thelonious Monk, but there are literally millions of voters across this land who share neither my taste in music, nor my understanding of the polyrhythmic pronouncements of Michael Eric Dyson, no matter how profound the underlying message. Thus, Senator Obama had to ask himself a very serious question--Do I want to be elected president, or simply hold up a raised fist for Black America? How would you answer that?

HILLARY IS OUT OF CONTROL, AND THE DNC NEEDS TO STEP IN

Wattree — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:40:01 EST

My post disappeared pretty fast, but I can understand that--after all, this is "The Party Builder", and maybe this is not the appropriate forum to be critical of Democratic candidates. But it seems to me that we have a serious problem with the Clintons--two people that I admired a great deal prior to this election.

It's becoming increasingly clear to me that they don't care about philosophy, party, or any other factor other than personal power. Hillary has gone all the way off the reservation with her blind lust for power. By November she's going to hurt every Democrat running for office with her obvious disregard for consistency. She's trying on a different persona every day in an attempt to manipulate the voters--and it's become obvious.

The DNC needs to pull her coat, because the voters may be gullible, but they aren't stupid. I understand that every politician does this to a degree, but they're much more subtle. Hillary, on the other hand, has become so blatant that it's going to cause every Democratic candidate to lose credibility.

I expect my concerns to be brushed off as the rantings of an Obama supporter, but if you go to my blog, wattree.blogspot.com, and watch the video, WILL THE REAL HILLARY CLINTON PLEASE STAND UP?, then read how accurately I predicted what she was going to do, it will be perfectly clear that what I'm saying is true. She's become predictable, and she's swinging from one extreme to the other--she's almost beginning to look unstable, and that's not good. Hillary is going to single-handely bring the Republican Party back from the grave, because the voters are going to say, "Maybe the Republicans are corrupt, but at least they're sane."

Something needs to be done to calm her down. Someone needs to tell her that she's not only hurting herself, but she's hurting the party. She is way out of control, and she lacks the judgment to recognize it. That doesn't say much for her having the kind of judgment required to be president.

Eric L. Wattree

A PROPHESY THAT BEARS REPEATING

Wattree — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:01:44 EST

WILL THE REAL HILLARY CLINTON PLEASE STAND UP?
*
After seven years of agony during the Bush administration, America has learn that the most important characteristics to look for in a president is good character and common sense. We’ve learned, in a most painful way, that if a president lacks either of these qualities, everything else is meaningless. These past seven years have taught us that putting our hatred, ignorance, and self-service ahead of the best interest of the country can bring us all down. Thus, when the voters turned out the Republicans in the 2006 election, it was over character; and the current rallying cry across this land for change, is actually about electing a president with good character and common sense. Barack Obama’s meteoric rise to national prominence is America’s way of saying we are tired of the old self-serving, cutthroat, win-at-any-price type politics of the past. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us all to watch what takes place in the next two weeks very closely.

WILL THE REAL HILLARY CLINTON PLEASE STAND UP?

Wattree — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:14:54 EST

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
WILL THE REAL HILLARY CLINTON PLEASE STAND UP?

After seven years of agony during the Bush administration, America has learn that the most important characteristics to look for in a president is good character and common sense. We’ve learned, in a most painful way, that if a president lacks either of these qualities, everything else is meaningless. These past seven years have taught us that putting our hatred, ignorance, and self-service ahead of the best interest of the country can bring us all down. Thus, when the voters turned out the Republicans in the 2006 election, it was over character, and the current rallying cry across this land for change, is actually about electing a president with good character and common sense. Barack Obama’s meteoric rise to national prominence is America’s way of saying we are tired of the old self-serving, cutthroat, win-at-any-price type politics of the past. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us all to watch what takes place in the next two weeks very closely.

Barack Obama has Hillary Clinton on the ropes. He’s blown the heretofore presumptive presidential nominee out of the water by large margins in the last ten states of the primary election. He’s also won among Americans voting outside the country. Even Bill Clinton has acknowledged that if Hillary doesn’t get a win in Texas, she won’t get the presidential nomination. So in the next two weeks her character, and the kind of experience she brings to the table will be on display. If she’s truly committed to change, and what’s in the best interest of the United States, we’ll see a lady engaged in a valiant, yet, clean fight for the nomination. But if the "experience" she so often speaks of is of the old-style, me-first, America-be-damned kind of politics of the past, we’re going to see a lot of lying, desperate mudslinging, and win-at-any-cost kind of tactics. Personally, I’m betting on the latter--in fact, it’s no longer a bet, she’s already started.