Carl Bernstein: WH "terrified" by Clinton's "unfathomable" behaviour, it "endangers Obama's legacy"

[EdwardBernays]

Says WH thinks her behaviour has "endangered Obama's legacy". Transcripts are a little bit like Nixon tapes, in that if she stonewalls and enable Republicans to paint her into a corner it could bring her down.

Says the problems are al of her own making.. not the "vast right-wing conspiracy".

Accepting money in a Presidential year is "unfathomable" to people in WH. WH is "terrified".

Says that Maureen Dowd is going to label Hillary's "that's what they offered me" line as "obscene" in her column tomorrow.

Says, "this represents such terrible judgement.. this is what people in the White House are saying".

White House wants to "help her get back on track.. how can they help her get back on track".

Says Hillary's claims that she didn't know if she was going to run are "disingenuous" ... "she's had a difficult problem with the truth going back to the Arkansas years".

Says "she's got a big problem" "might have to show humility and admit she's had some bad judgement" if she wants to right her campaign. Good luck with that.

Compares Sanders "movement" to Bobby Kennedy campaign.

Closes by saying that transcripts are part of "her record" and we should see them.

[cyberswede]

1. That "that's what they offered me" line was pretty awful.

[DemocraticSocialist8]

8. The fact that People Cheered on that Line is even worse lol

[frylock]

14. They laughed iirc

[DemocraticSocialist8]

16. It was a combination of both

[fourcents]

51. Lot of donors in the audience, me thinks.

[840high]

28. Hillary has an agent - bet it's not what THEY offered her.

[TheBlackAdder]

33. There are websites where people go to book celebrities, the fees and terms are all spelled out! nt

[840high]

52. ty

[tex-wyo-dem]

50. Incredibly poor judgement, just like...

Dozens of things throughout her public life. Most recently: the email/server issue, her campaign, which has been riddled with examples of poor judgement ( ex: underestimating Sanders), and her poor judgement in a number of foreign policy decisions while SoS.

To me, poor judgement is one of her worst traits.

[roguevalley]

56. it was what she asked for, that money, not what they offered

I will try and find the thread but it was about a day after the debate.

[HassleCat]

2. Muckraking or muckmaking?

Woodward and Bernstein are considered big heroes because they exposed the Watergate scandal, but I'm not sure about their journalistic integrity. Well, I am sure about Bob Woodward, who is an absolute whore. Carl Bernstein? I don't know, but I do know he sometimes gets a little flaky.

[elias49]

36. Agreed - Woodward should retire.

Bernstein still seems pretty sharp to me.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. Jesus Effing Christ.

The President is worried about 'his legacy' rather than what's best for the American people? I had hoped he was above such narcissistic behaviour. There are things slightly more important than his 'legacy'.

[DemocraticSocialist8]

9. I translate that to mean he's afraid Sanders will get something better than Obamacare

He also might be afraid of Sanders gutting the TPP.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

10. Both of which would be better for America, if not 'his legacy'. nt

[JRLeft]

21. No he believes if Bernie wins, the GOP will win.

[DemocraticSocialist8]

53. No he doesn't. He's afraid of Bernie's policies

[JRLeft]

54. I can't claim to know what the president thinks about the Bernie's policies.

At the end of the day all I want is a Bernie lead revolution.

[elias49]

37. Ah! The TPP! Good thought. nt

[grasswire]

38. oh, good insights

thanks

[kath]

15. yeah, that's really freakin' obnoxious.

Screw that "legacy" shit.

[Hydra]

20. That's always irked me- who takes the most important job in our country

Already talking about his "Legacy" and trying to paint himself as the new Lincoln?

I find it more than a little amusing that he will be seen as little more than Poppy Bush's damage control and policy continuance manager.

[dflprincess]

34. I think you may he mixing up your Bushes

Last edited Sun Feb 7, 2016, 09:55 PM - Edit history (1)

Poppy is George H.W., not Shrub.

[Hydra]

45. No, we all know GWB was not running the show

However much he may have agreed with it. The policies that are being maintained are Poppy and cronies "New American Century" "Creating our own reality." We've had basically the same policies and narrative for 35 years now with a few changes in window dressing.

Those policies are great for the greedy "Have and have mores" but not so great for the rest of us or our world.

[bowens43]

4. So we should vote for hillary to protect Obama's legacy??? What a load of horse shit...

one more reason that Obama is a less the mediocre president

[JudyM]

11. I feel that his legacy *is* important. As a post-shrub dem and as our first AA president.

I also think he ought to be working with Bernie to secure and enhance that legacy, as well.

He brought us out of the recession and managed to do other good things for the country. He didn't turn out to be as progressive as a lot of us would've liked, maybe by a long shot in some cases, but he had the most uphill battle in modern history against congress, right?! I feel proud of him, over all.

[elias49]

44. I wish he would. It seems like the natural process

but, alas, it's cluster-f*** time.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

58. There was more than one path to take us out of the recession.

He chose one that funneled 93% of the 'recovery' to the richest among us, thanks in large part to stocking his economic team with Republicans. That's not that great of an economic 'legacy'. He has done a number of good things, mostly through executive actions - when he could finally bring himself to do something without neocon or neoliberal advisors whispering in his ear like Wormtongue, he did do good things.

[thereismore]

12. Obama is one of the greatest Presidents we've had. He has great accomplishments.

I don't completely believe Bernstein, I don't know how close he is to Obama.

Obama is in some ways a transitional President but a great one, no doubt in my mind.

[Empowerer]

18. "The White House" is not a person - it's a building with lots of people in it

From janitors to staff assistants to Secret Service agents all the way up to the Chief of Staff and Vice President.

When a journalist says their source is the "White House," I usually take it with a grain of salt since we have no idea where this information came from.

[thereismore]

19. Bernstein said "The White House" is afraid. That means the President. nt

[Empowerer]

22. No it doesn't

[Fearless]

30. When speaking in political terms, it really generally does.

Does it make the statement true? Not necessarily. Perhaps exaggerated. Who knows?

But generally "the White House" means the president.

[Empowerer]

39. No, it does not usually mean the President

No matter how many times you say it. Given how often stories cite "the White House" as a source, if that were usually the President, that would mean that he spends virtually all of his time chatting up reporters off-the-record.

Perhaps journalists want people to THINK that's what it means so that it makes their "reporting" seem more meaningful. But when a reporter refers to the White House, it means a source within the White House and that could be just about anyone on the staff.

[Fearless]

40. My god you really don't know how Washington works.

The president wouldn't CHAT UP reporters. The president's advisors and most specifically staff WOULD however, because reporters are more than happy to buy them an expensive meal for a few morsels of news.

[Empowerer]

47. I know EXACTLY how Washington works

And that's how I know that journalists regularly refer to the "White House" when they really mean someone on the staff.

But I went back and listened to what Bernstein said - he didn't say, "The White House said x, y and z." He said, "I talked to people in the White House and they are horrified ...." etc.

But he didn't say who in the White House told him this - and the sources for these kinds of stories are all over the map. As I said, it could be someone really high up - the COS or VP or even the president himself - it could be someone further down - an Assistant or Deputy Assistant to the President - or it could be his son's friends in the Press Office. That's the problem with these kinds of stories with reporters sitting around chatting about what they "heard" or what someone "told" them without any information about who the source was or what their story/motivation is. -

[Fearless]

49. Time will tell. I suppose it depends on if you trust his judgement

And being monetarily impacted by a Hillary SUCCESS, this coming out of his mouth does have more credence than perhaps it might if her success wouldn't benefit him.

[elias49]

46. Yeah but it usually doesn't mean Hector, who collects the trash on the second floor.

[Empowerer]

48. No, it doesn't

But it also doesn't always mean Potus or a senior official at the Assistant or Deputy Assistant level. It often means whoever gave them the most interesting story, and they can be pretty far down the food chain.

[rusty fender]

55. It means the janitor, the butler, and the groundskeeper

What bullshit the poster is posting

[840high]

29. No he's not. He's a step above mediocre.

[TDale313]

26. That's been the pitch for months now. n/t

[840high]

31. yep - I've held my

nose for too many years. No more.

[Metric System]

5. LOL

[HereSince1628]

6. Doesn't really sound like the cool character of the Obama admin

Might be someone saying such things.

Sounds like it could be someone who really wants to see TPP endure and is afraid a President Sanders will kill it.

But panic isn't a general feature of the Obama admin

[bkkyosemite]

7. I think I'll email President Obama and tell him what I think

he won't read it. But the change is not there..legacy...establishment legacy. So now I wonder what Obama said to Bernie in that meeting. You can't be President because you will ruin my legacy. Please.

[Beacool]

13. Screw Bernstein, he made enough money out of writing about Hillary.

Ditto for the perpetually venomous and bitter Dowd.

[sadoldgirl]

17. "And there is a movement and that

worries the WH as well"

Well, duh, then kind of support it, instead of distancing
yourself from the people as you did so clearly with OWS.

This is bigger, so don't think that you can squash it the
same way. Go and cut your umbilical cord to HRC, or
see the repugs win!

[DemocraticSocialist8]

25. That anchor looked terrified herself when Bernstein

Said the WH was terrified. I think the BIG bombshell is the revelation that the Obama White House is threatened by Sanders & the revolution he's espousing.

[grasswire]

42. YES

She was trying to distract Bernstein, to shut him down. She did get really scared of what he was about to say.

[FrenchieCat]

27. Some say.....

doesn't do it for me. Not in the No Drama White House.

Somebody might "wish" that this was the case....

I think this "source" is Bernstein!

[merrily]

32. Another icon talkin' ragtime (as some say in Massachusetts)

News flash: she doesn't need to admit to bad judgment. We've noticed.

Admitting to having bad judgment is not going to help. "I have bad judgment, but I want to be the most powerful person in the world. Hillary 2016!" Sounds like the end of a Mary Katherine Gallagher routine on SNL.

Oh, good another Bobby Kennedy Presidential primary reference during a Presidential primary. Did no one learn from Hillary's in 2008?

[grasswire]

35. more discussion in this thread from a bit earlier.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511161122

[Kelvin Mace]

41. I won't say there is no right-wing conspiracy against the Clintons

because I have seen it in operation. But for somebody who is supposed to be so politically savvy, she sure hands her enemies lots of loaded guns.

[grasswire]

43. yes

what they call in sports "Unforced errors" AFAIK

[oasis]

57. Bernstein can go kick rocks for all I care. Those turkeys

won't get a damn thing.

[kristopher]

59. K&R

[glinda]

60. He sounds a little waffling and uncertain and so is hard to parse this.

One thought I have is that is it really possible that someone can "adapt" the feelings of a country if they themselves do not exhibit actions or even feelings similar or if their words of not match their campaign rhetoric. This disconnect hurts her.

[EdwardBernays]

61. It's hard to know

If he's uncertain or just doesnt wanna bite the hand thst feeds him.

He seems pretty sure about his facts though.

[TwilightGardener]

62. Why does Obama's legacy depend on whomever succeeds him?

If the next man or woman undoes your work, rolls back your accomplishments, or simply goes in a different direction--so be it.

[EdwardBernays]

63. I think you answered your own question

[TwilightGardener]

64. He doesn't control the future--neither through elections or policy.

No President does--that's how it should be.

[EdwardBernays]

65. noo....

but obviously he thinks Hillary will protect his legacy and Bernie won't... or more likely he thinks Bernie will lose and the GOP will destroy Obamacare...

[Skwmom]

66. It speaks volumes that the concern is about his legacy. n/t