Bill Clinton: GOP’s Only Hope At Comeback Is To Go Along With Obama

[wyldwolf]

Greg Sargent:

Yet another installment from my interview with Bill Clinton: I asked the former President if the Republican Party has any hope at a comeback anytime soon and what they needed to do to make it happen.

Clinton said the GOP is in such a deep hole that their only prayer is to go along with President Obama’s agenda now and try to articulate a reality-based alternative vision over the long term. Here’s a transcript of what Bill said about the Republicans’ only route out of the wilderness:

Their only shot to get back in this debate is to look like they’re willing to cooperate with him now, and then to develop alternative ideas. Newt Gingrich even recognized that, that’s why he ran on that Contract with America. It’s just that he still had a country which was still vulnerable to the appeals of the Republican right. just not there anymore.

The Independents and the Democrats have all moved with the President. And the Republicans have isolated themselves by having predictable, tired old objections which are not supportable by the facts…

They should give him some more votes now in the Congress and develop an alternative plan for the future that’s different, and say, “We’re all in a terrible crisis now, we’ll help him get through the emergency, but we don’t agree with his long term approach.” That I think would be a good strategy for them.

Bill, on the current state of the GOP and what he called its disconnect from reality:

They look totally incredible complaining about deficit spending when they doubled the debt of the country in ten years….Their position is extremely weak if it’s just in opposition…

You didn’t see (Florida Governor Charlie Crist) dissing the stimulus. Because he knows in practical terms that there was probably no alternative to massive layoffs of state and local workers and school teachers in a way that would be devastating…

Most Americans … rejected the way think. They basically said, look we’ve been around this track twice now, and both times ended in economic calamity. The first time produced my election, the second time was worse, and produced President Obama’s. And now, unlike the first time, they have now lost their natural cultural advantage, and the country thinks more like we do…

I know we always need two parties, but they both need to be arguing within a real-world context that’s relevant to America’s present and future. And these guys just haven’t yet caught up.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/bill-clinton-gops-only-hope-at-comeback-is-to-go-along-with-obama/

[Bicoastal]

1. muahahaha...

:evilgrin:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ej510]

3. Say what you about Bill Clinton, but he knows repukkkes very well. He had to

deal Newt Gingrich.

[Renew Deal]

4. Bill is 100% correct

That's what I find bizarre about the republicans strategy. They are still "doing nothing."

[TTUBatfan2008]

5. Their strategy is all-or-nothing...

They hope the recession turns into a depression under Obama's first term so that they can run completely against him and say that they never supported his policies. They are hoping the public has a short enough memory to forget that a decade of Republican rule is what led us to the current mess. I don't think it's a bad gamble. The public has shown how impatient and fickle it can be.

[Renew Deal]

7. Instead of saying that they helped solve the problem.

It's just not smart. Isn't it better to help him succeed than help him fail? I think that's the distinction.

[TTUBatfan2008]

8. Makes me wonder...

if they have the inside track with Corporate America on just how bad things are going to get. They knew before the election that something big was coming. What better way to ruin the Democrats' credibility than to have a Democrat in office when the economic downturn spirals into a depression?

[tledford]

17. The problem with that theory is that Corporate America is an imbecile...

...and has no clue what is going on.

[skeewee08]

6. My man President Bill Clinton know's what he is talking about.

Funny thing is why don't you see the 2 living Repubicrat Presidents on TV or Radio explaining their side? Hmmmmm makes you wonder that they were the reason we are in this mess!

[Beetwasher]

9. Ha! Clinton Is TOTALLY MINDFUCKING Them! This Is GREAT ADVICE!

Which now of course they can never follow, becuase Clinton suggested it! So he's fucked them by giving them thier only out of this mess, but since it comes from him, he knows they can never follow it. :rofl:

[ClarkUSA]

12. Fmr. BushCo Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott on MSNBC thought Bill gave the GOP great advice, too.

In fact, on MSNBC this afternoon, he advised the Republican Party to hire Bill.

[Still Sensible]

10. Barring a failure of the Obama agenda

-which appears to be what most republicans are banking on--Bill is absolutely right. I am sure he feels just fine giving them this excellent advice because he is confident there is no fucking way they'll take the advice in the near term.

He knows that right now the GOP has been reduced to a cabal of the neocons, the supply siders and the fundamentalists. The neocons got the country into the Iraq war--without a plan to boot--and now have no credibility with the vast majority of the electorate. The supply siders and their laissez-faire, deregulation economic policies of the last three decades have brought us the current financial mess... so now have no credibility.

That leaves the fundies holding down the fort! They have credibility, but that's mostly only with other fundies. If that's what's left, the fundie base will get them most of the deep South, Kansas, Oklahoma and Utah. Whoopee. The tragedy for the GOP is that the fundies will call the shots for a while because they are the only reliable base the party has. Of course Limbaugh and Hannity as mouthpieces are pretty much supply sider-neocons, so they'll spout the fundie kool aid so they keep their voice.

That's why the current big three in the party are Palin, Romney and Jindal... and Romney is a supply sider that spouts fundie kool-aid, but many fundies still consider his Mormon faith a cult.

So they are in deep shit... And Bill Clinton is giving them good advice he knows the fundies will not let them take to heart anytime soon.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cha]

13. Well, I agree..it is a

hope they would have and much too brilliant for them. They don't care about the country even though it got applause at the Address when Obama said they did.

[leftstreet]

14. The GOP's only hope is to go anti-war and pro-single payer healthcare

:hide:

[DevonRex]

15. Bill is right. And in that case, we have no fear of the GOP. They aren't

able to come up with ideas that help the average American.

[Hansel]

19. And they always do exactly opposite of what Bill Clinton says. n/t

[TwilightGardener]

16. Thank you, Bill. You've been great lately.

[ClarkUSA]

18. Trent Lott thinks Bill's advice is "great" too -- and wants the RNC to hire him as a consultant!

High praise indeed. But why hire Bill when he's being so helpful to them pro bono?

[Skwmom]

22. "look like they’re willing to cooperate with him now"

Somehow, I don't think it's just the Republicans that Bill is referring to.

[uponit7771]

20. heh heh...nice

[Danger Mouse]

21. I would criticize former president Clinton for giving them ideas...

...if I was at all worried that the Republicans would heed his advice. :P