This excerpt from Bill Clinton’s speech underscores the GOP conundrum:
Now, there’s something I’ve noticed lately. You probably have too. And it’s this. Maybe just because I grew up in a different time, but though I often disagree with Republicans, I actually never learned to hate them the way the far right that now controls their party seems to hate our president and a lot of other Democrats. I — (cheers, applause) — that would be impossible for me because President Eisenhower sent federal troops to my home state to integrate Little Rock Central High School. (Cheers, applause.) President Eisenhower built the interstate highway system.
When I was a governor, I worked with President Reagan and his White House on the first round of welfare reform and with President George H.W. Bush on national education goals.
(Cheers, applause.) I’m actually very grateful to — if you saw from the film what I do today, I have to be grateful, and you should be, too — that President George W. Bush supported PEPFAR. It saved the lives of millions of people in poor countries. (Cheers, applause.)
And I have been honored to work with both Presidents Bush on natural disasters in the aftermath of the South Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the horrible earthquake in Haiti. Through my foundation, both in America and around the world, I’m working all the time with Democrats, Republicans and independents. Sometimes I couldn’t tell you for the life who I’m working with because we focus on solving problems and seizing opportunities and not fighting all the time. (Cheers, applause.)
And so here’s what I want to say to you, and here’s what I want the people at home to think about. When times are tough and people are frustrated and angry and hurting and uncertain, the politics of constant conflict may be good. But what is good politics does not necessarily work in the real world. What works in the real world is cooperation. (Cheers, applause.) What works in the real world is cooperation, business and government, foundations and universities.
The rest of the speech is here.
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It was an awesome speech with a badly needed focus on working together and collaborating to improve our country. Just waiting for a cold water shower of falsehoods and negativity from the Republic-cons.
Sadly enough, this excerpt absolutely rings true in our County too. This hateful mindset will cost Romney the election, I believe. The bigger issue is “Where do we go from here?”
@Jeff: I agree completely. The far right now owns the Republican Party and cannot consider the notion of decency to people who do not agree with their ideology. What they simply do not seem to understand is that we are a nation of inclusiveness, not exclusiveness. We do not like mean and spiteful people and do not support them. I not only believe that this ideology will not only loose the Republicans the election, it may loose them the House and in all probability is the death knell of the Republican Party as we know it.
What Bill Clinton talked about in the posted excerpt is what I have tried over at the other blogs in our county. Try to find common ground but mainly would receive insults on intellect, comprehension, and hating freedom comments in return. Every once in a while a good dialogue would develop but generally when my opinion matched theirs almost never the other way around. I know am pretty dedicated to the corruption and public financing idea but outside that finding common ground is the only way to move forward and find the best solutions with input from all directions. We just need to be strong in what we believe in and work from there to find common ground.
Ben, I have read your comments in other blogs and you appear to be rational, fair, balanced, and truthful. What you get in return is exactly what you stated here. For that reason, I don’t bother to visit those sites as much let alone comment.
Annie,
Thank You. I try to do my best but do loss my composure every once in awhile. When real people lives are in the balance I kind of get passionate about policies or philosophies. I do have to admit, with Todd J am not so patient, I don’t like it when people just stir the pot with no substance and he is a master at it. You are smart by staying away. It saves you time and unnecessary frustration.
The convention has reinforced two things in my mind:
1): If not for his philandering ways –– and the lies that ensued –– Bill Clinton could lay claim to being one of the top 4-5 presidents in history.
2): If not for his philandering ways –– and the lies that ensued –– Ted Kennedy would have spent two terms as president of this nation.
What a sad waste of legacy and potential for both men.
Mr. Cottrell,
Perhaps their legacies are not wasted.
We saw the video tribute on Ted Kennedy, did we not?
If he had been elected President, many felt that eventually some nutcase, going “three for three”, might have shot him dead, like his brothers.
As it was, knowing that Chappaquiddick would haunt his public life forever, he chose to stay in office and work hard. He was given the gift of redemption through his many years of service as a fierce and tireless legislator for the common man.
The same is true of Mr. Clinton. He is in his elder statesman years now and doing great works on behalf of our nation and people around the world.
Many of our presidents have sinned.
Passionate leaders often have oversized libidos to match their prodigious energies and the rarified air in which they live and work. Add to this the opportunities and temptations that come their way and there is almost always going to be the inevitable fall from grace.
It is in the rising up from that fall, and continuing on to serve the public with grace and humility that ultimately defines the man.
Nixon was impeached. Yet as much as many hated him and no matter how badly his reputation was stained by the Watergate crimes, in the end he restored his legacy as the President who, during the Cold War skillfully opened up an era of detente with countries hostile to the U.S. As Mr. Kissinger summed it up at his funeral, his was certainly, “. . . an astonishing life.”
Shakespeare said that, ” The evil men do live on after them, while the good is oft interred with their bones”.
But I prefer the words of the great philosopher Casey Stengel when he said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Judith:
My comments were in the context of legacies and potential being diminished because of a lack of self control. For sure, both men did great things that helped the nation, but just think what they COULD have done were it not for their personal weaknesses –– and the obstacles they had to deal with because of their weaknesses.
Good Response!
My reply was for Judith’s response.
Beautifully stated Judith.
Thank you Judith.
Beautifully espressed, Judith. Weakness in the context of great strength and leadership is human nature…we are not a perfect species which is why we must work together.
What still strikes me today after watching Clinton’s dynamic speech— That we had President Bush in the office for 8 years and the man simply could not put two unscripted words together and make any sense. Except when he lied us into Iraq-
At the end of his speech Bill Clinton should have said “ARITHMETIC” and dropped the Mic…
I hope his point about ideas needing to add up is registered. He made it very well. Arithmetic certainly is the bane of Romney’s claim to Bain.
We will never have a job recovery without investing in education to produce skilled workers and developers.
From years past, those personas of history honored with the tag Great, have perpetuated deeds of monumental cruelty, ruthlessness along with deeds worthy of praise. In part, Ben, this duality of character which exists in all humans, underlies my belief system. More simply, one can not say with certainty how one will react in a situation until it is inescapablely before you. Heroism isn’t planned, but a spontaneous reaction–usually foolish. Dems do seem to get entangled in sex scandles; like Europeans who seem to take such things much more in stride. Perhaps because after Cromwell, Puritans weren’t particularly welcome anywhere across the pond. Or maybe the Thirty Years War even severed the prudezeitgeist of an entire continent, happily shipping sexual fears off to the new found lands.
While receiving a signed (roto-pen, I’m sure) from Nixon after writing a consoling letter to him following his questionable loss to JFK (Chicago, totally corrupt, where I was born, father too, and I think their preceincts reported last) I voted for him in ’68 while in Nam, and upon returning to U.S. voted agaist him. Heard about Watergate while somewhere in the Soviet Union–had just finished all treatments for 1st cancer–then followed that story religiously, cheering the day he left office. But I always give him credit for being intelligent. We’d be better off if he’d had a sex scandal: I used to say, Nixon’s problem was he only did the deed twice–Julie & Tricia–but Bebe Rebozo probably stood in for Dickie then. Nixon spent his time fu++ing the whole country. His brain did work, however, unlike Bush’s, whose was as dry and empty as the oil wells he drilled. And Nixon’s character I think would have been in a finer balance, benefitting all, had he fooled around more. That’s really why he hated JFK–envy. (sorry no source)
But I vividly remember the far right attack, nasty, well funded against Clinton beginning the day he was elected and it was all B.S. until they lucked out on stumbled on his fooling around, an indiscretion and mis-use of the Office that had just enough “WoW factor” to breath life into the witch hunt impeachment that really began on day one of his administration. Time to sign off as my aide has arrived. Cheerio.
Bebe Rebozo stood in for him — LOL
Lewinsky didn’t keep that blue dress in a zip lock bag because she was a poor housekeeper.
Ed,
Both party’s are riddled with sex scandals but the difference Democrats don’t care so much about it while Republicans will impeach a sitting president while having extra marital affairs at the same time. Very good observation with Cromwell.