GOTV: Bill Clinton Attends Lynch/Kuster Rally

by: michael

Sun Oct 31, 2010 at 20:32:28 PM EDT

Today, I went to a 'Get Out The Vote' rally at Nashua Community College, where President Bill Clinton, Governor John Lynch, Congressional candidate in the Second District Annie Kuster and Senator Jeanne Shaheen spoke to the crowd. I had a wonderful time, and all of the speeches were inspired, but President Clinton's speech was especially impressive and showed how much the former President deserves his reputation.

More, and pictures, below the fold

The Great Communicator

by: Dean Barker

Wed Sep 22, 2010 at 18:34:10 PM EDT

Rhetoric, or the skill of persuasion, was one of the highest areas of academic expertise in the ancient world.  One could be trained in it to a remarkable degree, but despite the lofty stature given it by the Ancients, it still took all that training plus a certain innate, communicative genius to create a Demosthenes or a Cicero.

Lord knows I have my frustrations with certain policies and results of the Clinton years.

But I really haven't seen in my lifetime a better communicator for Democrats and what we stand for.

Some of Obama's post primary/caucus win speeches were exceptionally moving.  But that is really a different kind of oratory (not a better or worse one, but a different one) than what Clinton can do on a person-to-person level in front of the TeeVee.

I'm interested: who do you think are some of the best communicators you have heard on the left?

Jimmy Carter: An Excellent Example Of The Impact Of Our NH Presidential Primary

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 18:44:55 PM EDT

I've been thinking about Jimmy Carter during the past couple of weeks while discussing the New Hampshire First-In-The-Nation Presidential Primary, especially since he's such a great example of the importance and relevance of our Primary's impact.  

Right now, he's on a mission to North Korea to free an American who "illegally" entered that country and was sentenced to eight years of hard labor.  That's a country where you can be arrested for shaking your head "no" when a police officer asks if you're having a good day.  

He remains one of my American heroes all the way around.  I'm not in tune with some of his views on international affairs, or his more conservative social views, but these past 30 years he has had one of the most amazing post-presidencies in our history.  Bill Clinton is following in his footsteps.  The Bush guys, on the other hand, seem to just be enjoying their luxurious retirements.  That's the difference sometimes.

Back in 1975 when Jimmy Carter first started spending what would be many days trudging around our state, I didn't get very excited about him.  I ended up supporting Sargent Shriver in the 1976 New Hampshire First-In-The-Nation Presidential Primary, but I do have some good memories of Jimmy Carter.  

I remember one cold snowy night in late January being at the old WMUR television station on Elm Street in Manchester waiting to go on live -- in the days before much satellite and instant communications, Channel 9 did many of their "live" interviews in-house.  I had been invited to talk about, you might guess, the New Hampshire Primary.  The previous year I had sponsored the bill saying we would be first, heading off what was shaping up as a New England regional primary.  

While waiting in the hallway with a friend, in came Jimmy Carter, alone, no staffers, no secret service.  He had just a couple of days earlier done very well in the Iowa Caucus -- coming in first with about a third of the vote -- and was beginning to get serious attention in New Hampshire.  But "serious attention" in those days even for a presidential candidate was the chance for a live in-house WMUR TV interview, not a large group of pooled national reporters following your every step, kept at bay by staff and security agents.

Bill Clinton Coming to New Hampshire to Campaign for Hodes?!!

by: Kathy Sullivan 2

Tue Jul 13, 2010 at 18:09:37 PM EDT

We all know how popular Bill Clinton is in the Granite State; we also all know how Hillary Clinton surprised all the pundits and talking heads with her 2008 primary victory. In other words, New Hampshire is Clinton territory, so this is excellent news for all of our candidates,  It sounds like the focus of the NH stops will be Paul Hodes and the senate race (but any campaigning by Bill Clinton will help the entire ticket).

This news also tells me that the White House, the DSCC and the DNC recognize that New Hampshire is a key state, and that Democrats have a clear path to victory from the top of the ticket to the bottom and back up again.  

And something tells me the Republicans won't be inviting George W. Bush to town anytime soon.....

JJ Deep Thought

by: Dean Barker

Wed Dec 02, 2009 at 23:59:14 PM EST

I think the Democratic party is only just now relearning who and what it is at the White House level, after a long pause beginning all the way back from Jimmy Carter.  Clinton warped eight years of time and space around his supernaturally charismatic persona.

Adding:  Here are some snippets that struck me enough to jot down:

On the VA-Gov and NJ-Gov special elections: The Republican nominees "ran on jobs and the economy."

On campaigning in the NH-Primary: "You can't get away with rhetoric."

On Af-Pak policy: "Intellectually the most difficult problem [Obama's] got."

On right now: "The is a time of suspension and suspense for Democrats...We have to keep our head on straight."

On health care v. the economy: "Folks, health care is the economy."

On the health care bill: "You pass this bill, it will take your breath away" as to how fast insurance costs will go down.

On higher education: "We have to change the delivery system."

On legislative progress: "This is not an exact science."

The Fight For Equality Continues At Home And In Washington

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 15:09:42 PM EDT

In 1997, New Hampshire became just the 11th state to prohibit such employment discrimination in legislation signed by then-Governor Jeanne Shaheen, but even today just 21 states have such protections.  Just 21.

That 1997 ahead-of-its-time legislation was put through thanks to leaders like Burt Cohen, Rick Trombly, Ray Buckley, Marlene DeChane, Peter Burling, Mo Baxley, Bill McCann and so many others.

In fact, until 1998 you could be fired from federal employment just for being gay, but President Bill Clinton issued an Executive Order prohibiting that, and the Order continues to be in force.  It is not, however, part of a law yet passed by Congress.

Thanks to now-Senator Jeanne Shaheen and almost forty other U.S. Senators, legislation has now been introduced into that body to formally prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

It is one more important step along with the hopeful elimination of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military, the repeal of the "Defense Of Marriage Act," and the cause for Hate Crime legislation, toward eventual equality in our country.   That Senate bill joins a similar effort in the House of Representatives which has 152 cosponsors, including Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes.

The two bills are:  

S.1584 - "A bill to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity," introduced on August 5th has 39 cosponsors including Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Bernie Sanders Patrick Leahy, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and lots of others.

H.R.3017 - "To prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity," introduced on June 24th, has 152 cosponsors including Representatives Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes.  The primary sponsor is Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank.  

What Mission Accomplished Actually Looks Like: Clinton Comes Home With Lee And Ling

by: Blue Granite

Thu Aug 06, 2009 at 13:49:28 PM EDT

Ling and Lee work for Current. Current is a television channel specializing in user-created and 5-10 minute "pod length" programming and is geared to a twenty-something audience. It is owned in part by Former Vice-President Al Gore. Ling, a correspondent for Current's Vanguard news program, and Lee, her producer, were doing story about the trafficking of women when they were arrested by North Korean government and sentenced to twelve years in a hard labor camp.

Gore had attempted to negotiate the two journalists' release himself but the North Korean government wanted to meet with a high ranking official. Gore turned to his former boss. The White House and all of the various media outlets have their own take on what actually happened when Clinton met with Kim Jong Il and what this means for the future of US - North Korean relations but one result is irrefutable:

Footage of Ling and Lee's return to US soil and statements from Laura Ling and Al Gore below the fold.

President-Elect Barack Obama: "...And Gay And Straight..."

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 10:52:57 AM EST

Bill Clinton's "it takes all of us" message helped make gay equality a dinner table conversation, where many Americans stopped just whispering their support for gays and lesbians and became more open and vocal.  That happened at an important time as AIDS was still spreading throughout our country and discrimination was for a while on the rise.  

I remember talking with some other Presidential candidates throughout the years about "homosexual rights," as we referred to them in the 1970s, and "gay rights" as we later called them.  Most of those were very whispered conversations.  No serious candidate, really, before Bill and Hillary Clinton wanted to be clearly associated with gay equality.  Some would be supportive, but I can't think of one who wanted to take the lead.  

One of the things that impressed me so much about Hillary Clinton was when I first talked with her in 1991 about gay equality, off to one side of a room after she had talked at a public meeting, she didn't just whisper her support.  She nearly yelled her support for equality for all to hear.  She clearly wasn't embarrassed or trying to downplay it.  In 1991, that was political courage.

Today in 2009, supporting gay equality in a nation still divided on this issue still takes political courage.

This morning, President-Elect Barack Obama talked in Philadelphia getting ready to board a train to Washington, and in his speech he talked about wanting to include everyone, and to break down discrimination.  In a strong and loud voice he mentioned "...gay and straight..." as he talked about inclusion.  

I look forward to his Inaugural Address.  I think those words will be in it.    

This man has the potential of being a great President.  He could become our greatest.  Let's hope, for all of us, he is.  

This Inaugural, whether we're on the train with him today, or will be at the Capitol or the Mall or at Inaugural Balls on Tuesday, or watching on television or listening on radio or reading it in the newspapers or the Internet -- this Inaugural is for all of us, and we're each equally included.  

A Future Trivia Question Might Be My Biggest Disappointment Of This Year's Election Day

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Mon Nov 03, 2008 at 15:42:08 PM EST

The answer is the vote in California over "Proposition 8," which is a referendum vote on Tuesday.  Already the spending is in excess of $70 million, proportioned about equally.  The polls indicate each side is running about even, with about ten percent undecided.  

Proposition 8 was put on the ballot for this November's election as an amendment onto the California State Constitution, and it "eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry."  Passage of the proposition would overrule a decision of the California Supreme Court of several months ago that allowed same-sex couples to marry, and which thousands have already done.  

The supporters of Proposition 8 -- a "yes" vote is in favor of prohibiting same-sex marriage -- have done some crazy and disappointing things to pass it.  They have sent mass mailings and done thousands of television advertisements saying that unless Prop 8 is approved all schools will have to teach homosexuality, all Churches will have to allow gay and lesbian marriages, and that heterosexual marriages will be forever harmed, whatever that means.  All that is untrue, and has been refuted by many California officials and office holders of both the Republican and Democratic Parties, but, fear does sell as we know.  

Former President Bill Clinton recorded a robocall that has been sent to all Democrats and Independents, and in California we're talking about millions of them.  "This is Bill Clinton calling to ask you to vote no on Proposition 8 on Tuesday, November 4th. Proposition 8 would use state law to single out one group of Californians to be treated differently - discriminating against members of our family, our friends and our co-workers. If I know one thing about California, I know that is not what you're about. That is not what America is about. Please vote NO on 8. It's unfair and it's wrong. Thank you."

Good for him.  And among many others, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been trying to bring honesty and sanity to the debate by opposing Prop 8 and supporting the decision of the State Supreme Court.  Good for him too.  And while many Church groups are in favor of Prop 8, many are opposed.  Most newspapers and news media have editorialized against the proposition as well.  However, sometimes people do vote their fears.  Such may be the case on this issue.  

I have been watching the issue with daily interest, and helping in the cause from the East Coast in ways I can.  Since I'm hoping New Hampshire will someday soon be the first state to legislatively adopt full marriage equality for gays and lesbians without any action by or threat of court action -- just as we did with Civil Unions last year -- I think the vote in California on November 4th will either give us a boost, or a bit of another hill to overcome.  But overcome we will.

On Tuesday, I'll be cheering for Barack Obama and Joe Biden, our New Hampshire Democrats, our good United States Senate and Congressional candidates nationwide, and not least -- success for our gay and lesbian friends and neighbors in California.  Because we're all in this life's adventure together, and to discriminate against anyone anywhere is discrimination against all of us.  

Nothing on this planet is more important than the way we treat one another.  If we treated each other fairly and equally, we'd eliminate wars, poverty, and so much suffering.  It's a future we'll eventually have, but to get there we'll have to fight hatreds and ignorance all along the way.  

November 2nd: Rallies for a New Direction with Bill Clinton and Jeanne Shaheen

by: Jonathan Schleifer

Fri Oct 31, 2008 at 14:53:13 PM EDT

Rally for a New Direction with President Clinton and Jeanne Shaheen in Rochester
12:00 PM
Sunday, November 2nd
Rochester Opera House
31 Wakefield Street, Rochester

Rally for a New Direction with President Clinton and Jeanne Shaheen in Nashua
2:30 PM
Sunday, November 2nd
Greeley Park Bandstand
Concord St, Nashua

Unite for Change Rally with President Clinton and Jeanne Shaheen in Manchester
4:00 PM
Manchester Central High School
207 Lowell Street, Manchester

The Dishonorable Candidate

by: hannah

Fri Oct 31, 2008 at 08:40:11 AM EDT

Obama presented himself as an expert executor, not just a policy wonk.  

Bill on Barack

by: hannah

Thu Oct 30, 2008 at 07:30:38 AM EDT

Then, lo and behold, I discovered that I could actually listen to Bill Clinton, as well.  I think it's because he's telling the truth.

Of course, the second snippet that has the end of his speech is what I like best because he makes the point that the President is the Executive in Chief.  That's what the Constitution calls him.

Bill Clinton, Elitist

by: Dean Barker

Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:24:43 AM EDT

"If [Republicans] could cut funding for Medicare, Medicaid, education, and the environment, middle-class Americans would see fewer benefits from their tax dollars, feel more resentful paying taxes, and become even more receptive to their appeals for tax cuts and their strategy of waging campaigns on divisive social and cultural issues like abortion, gay rights, and guns."

-- Bill Clinton, in his 2004 memoirs, My Life, making the same argument as Sen. Barack Obama.

In other news, we have a totally awesome war, and conveniently priced food and gas.

China on the Menu

by: hannah

Sun Apr 13, 2008 at 15:10:01 PM EDT

Bill Richardson: "Loyalty to My Country" (from WaPo)

by: Douglas E. Lindner

Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 14:42:59 PM EDT

Loyalty to My Country

By Bill Richardson
Tuesday, April 1, 2008; 10:29 AM

My recent endorsement of Barack Obama for president has been the subject of much discussion and consternation -- particularly among supporters of Hillary Clinton.

Led by political commentator James Carville, who makes a living by being confrontational and provocative, Clinton supporters have speculated about events surrounding this endorsement and engaged in personal attacks and insults.

While I certainly will not stoop to the low level of Mr. Carville, I feel compelled to defend myself against character assassination and baseless allegations.

Carville has made it very clear that this is a personal attack -- driven by his own sense of what constitutes loyalty. It is this kind of political venom that I anticipated from certain Clinton supporters and I campaigned against in my own run for president.

I repeatedly urged Democrats to stop attacking each other personally and even offered a DNC resolution calling for a positive campaign based on the issues. I was evenhanded in my efforts. In fact, my intervention in a debate during a particularly heated exchange was seen by numerous commentators as an attempt to defend Sen. Clinton against the barbs of Sens. Obama and John Edwards.

As I have pointed out many times, and most pointedly when I endorsed Sen. Obama, the campaign has been too negative, and we Democrats need to calm the rhetoric and personal attacks so we can come together as a party to defeat the Republicans.

More than anything, to repair the damage done at home and abroad, we must unite as a country. I endorsed Sen. Obama because I believe he has the judgment, temperament and background to bridge our divisions as a nation and make America strong at home and respected in the world again.

This was a difficult, even painful, decision. My affection and respect for the Clintons run deep. I do indeed owe President Clinton for the extraordinary opportunities he gave me to serve him and this country. And nobody worked harder for him or served him more loyally, during some very difficult times, than I did.

Carville and others say that I owe President Clinton's wife my endorsement because he gave me two jobs. Would someone who worked for Carville then owe his wife, Mary Matalin, similar loyalty in her professional pursuits? Do the people now attacking me recall that I ran for president, albeit unsuccessfully, against Sen. Clinton? Was that also an act of disloyalty?

And while I was truly torn for weeks about this decision, and seriously contemplated endorsing Sen. Clinton, I never told anyone, including President Clinton, that I would do so. Those who say I did are misinformed or worse.

As for Mr. Carville's assertions that I did not return President Clinton's calls: I was on vacation in Antigua with my wife for a week and did not receive notice of any calls from the president. I, of course, called Sen. Clinton prior to my endorsement of Sen. Obama. It was a difficult and heated discussion, the details of which I will not share here.

I do not believe that the truth will keep Carville and others from attacking me. I can only say that we need to move on from the politics of personal insult and attacks. That era, personified by Carville and his ilk, has passed and I believe we must end the rancor and partisanship that has mired Washington in gridlock. In my view, Sen. Obama represents our best hope of replacing division with unity. That is why, out of loyalty to my country, I endorse him for president.

The writer is governor of New Mexico and a former Democratic candidate for president.

The Clinton Theory: Updated

by: Shaun Stewart

Mon Mar 31, 2008 at 10:24:55 AM EDT

To reiterate, I'm still not sure whether I believe this or not, but it's easy to see why many people believe this based on the deluge of recent news.

Aside from more of Bill Clinton complimenting McCain, the first recent piece that caught my eye was from Newsweek. Jonathan Atler writes that many big-time Clinton backers want her to take the Governorship of New York as a consolation prize should she not win the nomination. Okay, but then this paragraph caught my eye:
Via Newsweek:

Under the scenario sketched out by the insiders, serving two years as governor would give Clinton the executive experience to become the prohibitive favorite for the 2012 Democratic presidential nomination. Clinton believes that Barack Obama may well lose this year to John McCain, who would be 75 in 2012 and a possible one-term president. Clinton would arguably be better positioned to replace McCain in the White House as a governor than as a senator.

Hmmm...this suggests that the Clinton camp is seriously thinking about 2012. Then, from Slate comes a dispatch that Obama's favorability ratings, once astronomical, are lowering. Some polls even show them lowering to near-Hillary levels.
Via Slate:

However, a new SurveyUSA poll shows the two candidates' unfavorables to be much closer. Obama and Clinton have similar numbers in this poll, with Clinton polling unfavorably among 42 percent of voters. He is viewed unfavorably by 40 percent of the voters.

While this is only one poll (and from the sometimes-unreliable SurveyUSA, to boot), it shows that the prolonged primary battle, which most observers acknowledge Clinton has little chance of winning, is dragging Obama down.

So what could possibly make Obama lose in November? Lowered favorability ratings, for one.

Again, I'm not prepared to say that this is definitely what the Clintons are doing, but it's getting harder to dismiss the theory. Thoughts?

The Clintons: A Theory

by: Shaun Stewart

Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 11:23:24 AM EDT

Via First Read:

And, in a move that's becoming more and more common, he [Bill Clinton] favorably aligned his wife with the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain.

"We now have a bipartisan majority in the U.S. Senate, bipartisan, to do something about global warming and do more buildings like this," Clinton said, "because she and John McCain took reluctant Republicans all over the world and showed them how the planet was changing. She will work with anybody, go anywhere, do anything to move America forward."

B.t.w: The name of the post is "Bill: Praising McCain"

I'm not saying anything one way or the other, but it's getting easier and easier to believe the theory.

Barack Obama's Speech On Race: A Visionary Masterpiece And A Story About Our Nation

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 17:50:13 PM EDT

Barack Obama's speech was honest and historic -- honest in that it gave us some important things to think about, and historic in that he effectively reviewed the history of how we got "here" from "there" in the way we look at race and the way we treat one another.

And it was visionary and challenging -- visionary in that he offered a view of a future of better race relations, and challenging in that he asked us to get "there" from "here."

At the beginning of his second term as President, Bill Clinton began what he was calling a nationwide discussion on race.  Unfortunately, he ran into other more personal problems, and that important feature of his presidency was never realized. Opportunity lost, but not forever.

We do need that nationwide discussion on race.  We also need a nationwide discussion on equality.  Why do we judge people based on the color of their skin, or their ethnic background, or nationality or religion.  And YES, many of us do judge others based on those factors.

Why do we discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation, or if someone is fat or thin, or if someone is 25 or 55, or even whether they are a man or a woman?  And YES, many of us do judge others based on those factors.

People are hired or not, promoted or not, rewarded or not, become our friends or not, purely on those characteristics, which usually have nothing to do with the quality of a person, or the purity of their heart.

Discrimination isn't just about color or religion.  Immigrants, legal and not, are prejudiced against in all parts of the country.  It happened years ago -- when my grandfather's folks came to Boston, then to Portsmouth, he saw "Irish Need Not Apply" signs in storefronts.  He changed his name from "Thomas B. Spillane" to be less Irish-sounding.  But that discrimination is still happening today to others.  And why?

The discussions that Barack Obama has challenged us to begin need to be held in all parts of our nation, and in all parts of the world.  

There is nothing more important than the way we treat one another.  This is about us.  About our future.  About living together.

World's newest poverty-stricken Muslim-dominated country loves America.

by: Douglas E. Lindner

Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 17:25:27 PM EST

I'm not going to recap the story of what the Clinton Administration did (with the cooperation of NATO and the eventual consent of the UN) in Kosovo ten years ago, you all remember it.

The other day, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, the successor state to Yugoslavia.  This has maddened Serbia (which, upon our recognition of Kosovo's independence, recalled its Ambassador from the United States--the ultimate diplomatic snub) and Russia, which has its own secession movements to oppress.

Kosovo is an oppressed, war-torn, Muslim-dominated, poverty-stricken, country ravaged by centuries of imperialism with a 60% unemployment rate.  And when they took to the streets to celebrate their independence, they did so chanting "Thank you USA" and "God bless America", holding large pictures of President Clinton (and not burning them in effigy).

I'm not going to pretend there aren't negative consequences of this for us, but one thing is clear: we did the right thing, and in a country that fits the profile of a bastion of anti-Americanism, the people are taking to the streets to proclaim, in part, their love for America.  This is what our foreign policy should look like.  This is why we need a Democrat in office.  I'm not posting this to bolster either Hillary or Obama, and I certainly hope this thread doesn't turn into a fight between their supporters.  The point I'm trying to make here, and I think we can all agree, is that this is a great vindication for post-Cold War big-D Democratic foreign polciy.  It doesn't all have to be military; soft power is extremely vital as well.  The important thing is that we need a President who recognizes that it does matter, very much, what the rest of the world thinks of us, what the average person in any country thinks of us.

Win hearts and minds and, in the long term, you'll never have to fight a war.

Bill Clinton - A Motion Picture?

by: Andy Edwards

Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 02:47:12 AM EST

The New York Times, which has endorsed Senator Clinton mind you, today published details surrounding an international humanitarian trip that former President Clinton took in 2005, during which he made a stop in Kazakhstan where he was partially involved in an unusual business deal.