Former president Bill Clinton, during an interview with CNN, pretty much scoffed at the notion that the current economic crisis is in any way the fault of current president Barack Obama. This of course comes on the heals of harsh criticisms coming from bitter Sen. John McCain who was whipped by Obama – like he stole something – in the presidential election. McCain is clinging to this bitterness and showing that all of his talk about bipartisanship was all that: talk. The Arizona Republican has showed us, since the election, that he was willing to say or do anything it took to be elected. The man who bragged about his efforts to reach across the aisle is not only doing nothing of the kind now, but is playing the obstructionist role effectively.
Said Clinton to CNN:
Well first of all, he has reached across, and it takes two to tango. I find it amazing that the Republicans who doubled the debt of the country in eight years and produced no new jobs doing it, gave us an economic record that was totally bereft of any productive result are now criticizing him for spending money. You know, I’m a fiscal conservative, I balanced the budget, I ran surpluses. If I were in his position today, I would be doing what he’s doing. Why? Because the problem with the economy is the housing decline led to the general decline in values. Assets are going down. This stimulus is our bridge over troubled waters till the bank reforms kick in. He did the right thing, he did everything he could to get Republican support. He took some of their tax-cutting ideas.
But if you look at this bill, it is designed do three things. And it does all three. It puts money in the hands of people who need money to survive — unemployment benefits, food stamp benefits, tax cuts. Second thing it does is to give money to state and local governments so they don’t have to lay a million people off or raise taxes. Either one would be bad for the economy. The third thing is it does is create new jobs. Given the Congress he had and the environment and the speed with which they had to move, I think he did a fine job with this.
It is amazing how all of that Republican talk of bipartisanship went out the window right after the inauguration. Democrats worked together with former president George W. Bush (near the end of his administration) to try and make some positive things happen with the economy. But, it appears that show of bipartisanship was lost on the Republicans. If Republicans are as serious as they say, about improving the country, then they will work with the new president to make some positive things happen. As I am sure Republicans are aware, the American people sent quite a strong mandate with the election of Obama and many other Democrats across this nation to prominent spots in the government. So, if the Republicans are going to start pointing fingers, they might want to wait until they’re standing in front of a mirror and pointing at, as Michael Jackson used to say, “The Man in the Mirror.”
CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/16/bill.clinton.qanda/index.html
Sandy Gholston
