« Newsweek Poll: Obama's Lead Over Clinton Down Since PA Loss -- But He's Still Ahead | Home | Hillary Challenging Obama To Free-Form Debates »

WSJ: Bill Clinton Urges Hillary's Campaign To Keep Going, Go More Negative

Although Bill Clinton's remarks throughout the campaign have been the object of some controversy, that isn't slowing him down. Bill is doing his best to get out on the trail as much as possible -- and according to the Wall St. Journal is as responsible as anyone else for the campaign's harsh tone:

Mr. Clinton has placed several of his own aides at headquarters, including his former lawyer and a bevy of strategists. Known as a bad loser, Mr. Clinton privately buttresses his wife's drive to push on, telling her, according to aides: "We're not quitters."

On his own daily message calls, advisers say, he implores: "We've got to take him on every time." At the Clintons' Washington, D.C., home recently, these people say, he reviewed possible TV spots and told ad makers to be more hard-hitting, faster and harsher.


89 Comments

| Leave a comment

God bless President Clinton.

He is correct as usual.

They will expose Obama on all his lies and prove he is not in her league.

Time to seal the deal.

Yes indeedy. God bless President for Life of the Democratic Party Bill Clinton for trashing his reputation with African Americans and millions of Democrats who stood up for him in the 90s and now feel like they were had. And extra special blessings for doing everything he can to drive away the Democratic Party's single most important and loyal demographic.

WHACKJOB EX-PRES GEARS UP FOR NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN

If that crackpot peanut farmer can scarf falafels with Hamas I should be able to get away with pimpin Axelrod.

B.C.

VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE
NOT YOUR GUILTY CONSCIENCE

An God Bless gotalife, the sad, lonely Canadian cat lady whose own life is so dull and, I say it, bitter, that she trolls on this site for hours at a time, providing a good humor of humor for the TPM masses.

user-pic

Bubba's on CNN right now, campaigning in Indiana. What I find truly impressive is that Obama has been campaigning against one of the most popular former presidents in the Democratic Party AND a former First Lady, and he's beating them both. GOD, HE'S GOOD!

user-pic

Bill Clinton . . . Ex-beauty queen harping on his daughter-like wife . . . Admonishing her to be half the woman he was when he last wore the crown . . . Too bad a teen Presidency ruined his chances to go all the way . . .

Its amazing to see the Clinton machine go down in a blaze of their own fury.

Obama is doing the right thing by ignoring them.

user-pic

Gotalife,

You have gotta cut back on the reality altering drugs.

Getting all worked up that your P.O.S. candidate is better than the other Repiblican-lite is going to shorten your bruttish, pathetic life.

You must be psychic, I was thinking the same about you.

What are you on man, your writing is way out there?

"More hard hitting, faster, harsher."

Is this directed at the ad people or his latest sex victim?

Bill is respectable.

Depending, of course, on what your definitaion of "is" is.

Wait, I thought Hillary had never gone negative and it was only mean old Barack who was dragging things down? So how can someone who hasn't gone negative go more of something they weren't doing in the first place?

You know, like 1,000,000,000 x 0 = 0

Doh, now I get it. The Clintons don't like "math", like for instance the math which shows they can't win and are just dragging down their party for no good reason.

Got it.

"We're not quitters."

Too bad the same can't be said of his belt.

Its all for naught. After BO wins IN and NC on May 6th this thing will be over...

That's just the ticket Bill, go more negative! That should up Hillary's positives and make her more electable. Sheesh! And this guy's been lauded as a political genius? Has he looked at the delegate count lately?

There's something to be said about being a fighter and not being a quitter, but there comes a moment when you realize that there's no way to win, and making the pivot to a graceful exit. It's not bravado to stand and fight when you're Custer facing an angry horde of Indians. Bill has to realize that Hillary's bid for the White House is the biggest fairytale he's ever seen.

The Clintons know her ceiling; it is about 47% so there is no need to even try to come up with any positives. The only way to victory is to drop Obama below that, which means getting people to not vote (at all.) This is best achieved by playing "politics as usual" which is a sure-fire way of turning people off.

"Mr. Clinton privately buttresses his wife's drive to push on"

Driving and pushing his privates on buttresses is what got Bill into trouble with his wife in the first place.

LeroyS, thanks for the great line. Best laugh I've had this weekend.

This must be because Bill and Hillary believe that working the refs, in this case the supers, is the only cardthey've got to play. So, they're playing it all the way.

What would stop this would be for super delegates, more of them, to start coming out publicly for Obama. Her lead is already down to a handful. The house of cards that goatalife is seeing in the clouds would crumble pretty quickly, I think. There's a brittleness to the Clinton campaign now, and I think that's because they're starting to realize that opinion is swinging against them in some important quarters, and their true belief that they are entitled to a restoration will become more and more obvious.

That "working the ref's" has been working really well for them, hasn't it? It doesn't even seem to work with those on their team - Reich and Guerra-Mondragon plus 70 donors bidding them adios, all since the "Big Win" in PA.

About the super dels coming out more for Obama when Clintons go negative----
That is just how the democratic party should deal with these two people who seem hell bent on destroying their own party. Every time Hill or Bill spouts some filthy little negative rant, it would be most effective if about five super dels endorsed Obama within hours. I don't know if the Clintons would be able to catch on that there's a connection, but even if they didn't, it would end this thing sooner!

user-pic

BILLARY is finished. After she loses to Obama, we'll go and campaign against her to lose her Senate seat!

user-pic

I will point back to Bill's continuing gaffs and blunderings to make my point . . . Bill Clinton, the unerring master of the body politic in the nineties, does not want his wife to win AND does not want to give up assets in a divorce . . . SO he pushes her mercilessly to claim that he is supportive AND he can point to the ruthless spoof of Hillary so whatever tryst-mate he is diddling will know that HRC will destory them both if she goes public.

Bill & Hill need to call Dr. Phil.

There's a theory floating about that Hillary is still in the race to undermine Obama so he loses the general while positioning herself for 2012. I'm beginning to wonder if this is not the case.

The slimiest tactic she's deployed lately is playing the Karl Rove play book against Obama and when criticized for it pointing out that the republicans will do it in the fall. Well, Duh! The repugs are the repugs. We know the score. What she's admitting is that she believes those tactics work, and she will deploy them under the guise that she's really doing us all a favor. Well, I say spare us the favors, unless you're willing to concede the race.

Clinton's aim seems to be destroy now for later.

That theory seems to find its way around the 'net, but I don't get it. If her "35 yrs of experience" aren't enough to put away a guy who "gave a speech in 2002" now then what would make her think that she would be stronger 4 years from now? Evan Bayh and some of the other VP hopefuls aren't going to want to sit around until 2020.

What am I missing?! (Other than her logic is as bad as her planning and math.)

In short politically destroy Obama, regardless if she gains!

I think that she just knows that it is now or never. Before IA everything was aligned for her to breeze into Denver - she had Party support, donor support, and Bill's coat tails to ride in on. No one has ever been in better position to capture the nomination going into the race.

Her first mistake in the campaign, though, was failing to give Barack a copy of The Plan. Now her only chance is to hang around, throw all the mud she can, and hope that Obama literally gets hit by a bus.

She's burned too many bridges to have a shot in 2012. Even Lanny Davis won't be able to spin this debacle...

She's banking on the same "I toldja" factor that Reagan used when he kneecapped Ford as insufficiently conservative in '76 and then beat the guy Ford couldn't in '80.

Not saying it makes sense, just sayin its in her head.

user-pic

39 years of experience and she'll still run as an incumbent and Bill Clinton would still sound like a fucking nutjob.

Personally, these past 16 years of Clinton drama and general nutjobiness have done me in. I refuse to have to sit through another round of this shit.

Her remark that only she and McCain "had crossed the commander in chief threshold" is something that only she could say, therefore not a repub attack in advance.

Oh Bill, what have you become...

user-pic

It makes me sad to know that Bill is actually a lot like Rush Limbaugh always said he was.

It makes me feel icky.

Brundlefly.

THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!!! FOR HILLARY!!!!

I've been watching idiotic from the beginning. Used to be the standard line was THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR HILLARY!!!

Two exclamation points, followed by three. And in a short exchange at idiotic's blog, I learned that more exclamation points would be an indication of greater excellence. With today's 3/4 combo, I can only conclude that Hillary's excellence has risen a notch.

Bravo!

user-pic

Holy shit - gotalife is still here? When is gotalife not here?

user-pic

Perhaps he should get a life.

Bill Clinton is slowly going mentally insane. He is beginning to forget things he says the day before. He really needs professional help.

user-pic

it was bad enough when he was mostly only physically insane!

I guess std's can take years to reach and seriously erode and damage the brain ...

It's not what Bill has become it's what he's always been, a great political strategist.

I am far from convinced Obama is qualified to be president. I truly believe Obama cannot win the general and I think the Clinton's do too. Their motivation is undoubtedly part self-service and part civil service. But I believe she is the better choice for the general election and the presidency.

Hey, this ain't beanbag.

user-pic

Yeah, I was terribly impressed when Bill was working that strategy where he told all those people that when they get to be 60 years old like his wife, they'll forget things like being under sniper fire, too.


If you can't see how far Bill has fallen from what he was, well, you really are deluded.

user-pic

I do not know if Obama has the resume to be President but I do know the Clintons do not have the character to set foot in the White House again.

Bill Clinton campaigning vigorously is inappropriate, and violates traditions of exPresidential dignity and neutrality.

A third term for Billary flouts the Twenty-Second Amendment.

He has won the campaign for Obama with his crazy attack dog number in Nevada and South Carolina. We were down 20 points -- not anymore.

Yes, he owes his wife and daughter, and she's well entitled to run as her own person and on her own record, but his thumb on the scale, bullying the supers and trying to bloody Barack, is undemocratic. The nation is not part of Bill's psychodrama, where he expiates guilt for screwing over his wife and daughter, owing him the chance to do that for them. It is totally fucked up and wrong.

Bill Clinton needs to getalife.

It's time/for him/to go.

user-pic
I am far from convinced Obama is qualified to be president. I truly believe Obama cannot win the general and I think the Clinton's do too. Their motivation is undoubtedly part self-service and part civil service. But I believe she is the better choice for the general election and the presidency.

That's nice, dear.


Can you tell me how she's going to win with the low voter turnout she's going to produce? Cause I don't think she has enough base left to elect her. All that record turnout and all those newly registered voters will disappear like the morning dew.

So who's going to vote for her, besides you and several thousand obsessed women?

I think gotalife, Lalo, Billy, and that guy from TPM the posters are always bitching about it might vote for her too.

And Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, I bet she would.

Oh, wait, that's a rhetorical question.

user-pic

felons can't vote!

Thats too bad, it seems the non felons brought us George Bush!

They think the Sky will open up, and all the wonderful people they have pissed off with their behavior, will fall in line. Truthfuly, I dont believe they think that will happen, but you know, they have the mentality of My house burned down, so I hope yours does!

The Clinton campaign unfurled its true colors the day Bill dismissed the South Carolina vote as yet another uppity excercise in racial solidarity.

Or was it the day Hillary voted to green light the Iraq war? ("Misled", riiiiiiiiight). Yeah, that's sounds more like it.

On the upside, she did recently boast she stands prepared to obliterate Iran. That's exactly what the world needs to hear from us nowadays, that we may recapture our squandered reputation. A vow to incinerate every Iranian man, woman, and child, should push come to shove. Especially the kids. Nits into lice, you know what I mean? Still, what I don't understand is why she didn't threaten, say, North Korea. I mean, they actually possess nuclear weaponry. Then again, who am I to second guess a woman with a heart as big as the great outdoors?

user-pic

"A vow to incinerate every Iranian man, woman, and child, should push come to shove."

or should whim come to wham!

Hang on, plebs.

Bill is gonna be spinning like whirl-i-gig on a crazy atomic Tilt-A-Whirl.

This would be a very bad advise from Bill.
After Rep Clyburn placed a shot across the bow of S.S. Clinton yesterday, the MSM is now openly discussing the notion that the Clintons may be intentionally sabotaging the party's chances in November. Now, anytime her campaign goes ugly - which will be all the time - the MSM will discussing whether Rep. Clyburn's concern was right.

user-pic

Well finally.

I just hate to watch Bill come unglued publicly, but that is exactly where we're headed.

He's already come unwrapped twice.

Tune into Fox News in the morning to watch Obama toss you Clinton haters overboard.

I doubt he will "take them on " like this blog posted but will pander to the real Dems like me.

Too late but it is worth a try. He should praise the Clintons and tell you Clinton haters to chill out, to get back to his hope and unity bs.

The problem, gotalife, is you don't live in the U.S., so it's doubtful that you are even an American citizen. You are just a sad, confused, bitter woman from Vancouver, alone except for her two cats, someone who, understandably, is personally vested in Hillary because you feel that she has "suffered", just like you have.

I suspect Bill is driven by guilt, or fear. He must carry Hill across the finish line or she will leave his sorry ass. He's complete embarrassment as a companion. He's only good for getting her in to the White House. Why ELSE would a kick'em-in-the-balls, send'em-all-to-hell-and-let-God-sort'em-out kind of gal have let herself be publicly humiliated for so many years?

user-pic

Hell she's going to get fueled up some night on Royal Crown and bitterness and Bill is going to wake up with a pillow over his face and Hillary laying on it for all she's worth, while she screams "what were you thinking of telling everybody I was 60 and forgot things? What possessed you to keep talking about Obama using the race card? Huh? Huh?"


user-pic

LMFAO HusseinTenaX!!!!!

I can just picture Bill's arms and legs flailing about as Hillary employs her, shall we say, low center of gravity to best effect over his oversized but now crushed proboscis.

An Ozziny can dream....right?

user-pic

you betcha.

;)

Oh, Bill is back! I love it! Mr. "all appetite" is a lot more fun than that Lanny Davis weasel, and a lot more likely to bring his awful wife's "career" to an end.

I'll miss her engaging laugh.

Bill Clinton is desperate for a third term. He can't accept Hillary has lost because he never accepted any consequences.

There is something truly sad and revolting about an ex-president going negative on a member of his own party. I have no problem with Bill supporting his wife's presidential bid, but it is outrageous for him to harm the chances of our likely nominee in the general election.

I voted for him twice, and supported him through the impeachment nonsense. After seeing Hillary's campaign tactics, it is clear to me that neither has the moral capacity to hold the highest office in the land.

user-pic
here is something truly sad and revolting about an ex-president going negative on a member of his own party. I have no problem with Bill supporting his wife's presidential bid, but it is outrageous for him to harm the chances of our likely nominee in the general election.

I couldn't agree more.

What a sad ending to the whole thing. They've trashed Bill's legacy, and lost all dignity.

I wish they'd skipped it. Goddamn

Articleman - I agree that an ex-president campaigning so hard is very unflattering. Doesn't feel Democratic at all, having every state establishment sewed up before the election even began. I think Bill Clinton needs to go do something worthy, see if he can win a Nobel Peace Award like Gore and Carter did. Instead of lining his pocket with money from tyrants. It's strange that a young, junior senator is acting more like a respected statesman than an ex-president. Bill has definitely been outclassed by Obama.

user-pic

Exactly - he's got no bloody business wading into this matter. Because of the Clinton's unseemly behavior, the USA is teeters from a pathetic international laughing stock under "W" to being compared to the dynastic democracy that now exists in Argntina. Now that's progress!

let's just hope that hundreds of thousands of additional people are registering as Dems, in Kentucky, Indiana, Dakota, etc.

if she had dropped out after super tuesday, think of all those who would not have registered.

that's got to be the logic behind Clinton's tactics. they know there would be a meltdown if she somehow were able to pull the nomination out of the hat.

more important is the McCain poke of recent days regards who the terrorists would vote for. They're looking to see what sort of reaction they get from the Obama camp. actually, we may have arrived at a key juncture with McCain's latest move, in that if Obama goes all the way from here to November and doesn't effectively poke back, then there's no contest. We have another Dukakis on our hands, another Kerry on our hands, in that they did not poke back effectively - particularly the latter in the wake of the Swiftboat imbroglio. By the time that he decided to respond, it was way too late. It is a game afterall. Americans to a large degree will not vote for someone who'll not poke back, even if he can score hoops.

Yeah gotalife...Your funds at work...Too bad its all spent. Bill is talking about Nocturnal Ads in his dreams...The more he spews this filth the more we Obamans donate...Got it ...gotalife..Get one you need to work for the next 4 years to help them pay off their debts to vendors...Then the rest of their lives for destroying the Democratic party.
thanks Bill...
I went to confession Thursday and apologized for defending your sorry okoloe Bill, amongst my friends during your Presidency...Never Again...Mea Culap

Don't get me wrong. I've gradually come to think that Vince Foster's suicide indicates something. Something not very flattering to the Clinton duo.

If you think maybe Vince Foster's death means something, what do you think about the other 46 Clinton close associates who died under suspicious circumstances? How does a woman commit suicide by shooting herself in the back of the head? How many people who are in a position to do harm to a Clinton is it reasonable to think might die in unexplained airplane crashes? Is it unusual for twelve men to all die young if they happened to be Clinton personal body guards? MSNBC in the First Read column comments. Scroll down to a list of same with dates, supposed causes of death etc. I wasn't present at each death, but I can say that nobody I know in my and the Clinton's age group has ever suffered such losses among close associates. I personally wouldn't choose to be the one living thing that stood between the Clinton's and what they want. Here's the link:
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/25/947650.aspx#comments

Both of you, please, just stop.

There is no room for that type of Newsmax speculation in this discussion, honestly.

user-pic

Breaking --

Hillary Clinton was rushed to a local inpatient clinic this evening in a fit of uncontrollable 'laughter'. She was having difficulty breathing, and couldn't stop the increasingly violent paroxysms of involuntary outbursts, which some described at the scene as sort of a shrill cackling intermittently interrupted by moaning gasps or a wheezing whimpering -- all the while her whole face contorted almost beyond recognition in a mask of agonized bafflement.

Onlookers turned away in dismay at the sight of this wretched woman convulsing in spontaneous *hilarity* which constantly wracked and jerked her aged body mercilessly.

Someone said he thought at first she was trying to dance and have a really lively party. But as he approached more closely he realized this was certainly no way to have a party! This was much more of a serious medical emergency, so he called the ambulance which eventually hauled her away for whatever treatment might be available to someone in her condition.

It wasn't until several hours later that she was clearly identified, and then provided treatment.

It was fun watching ABC News tonight. All the news for Obama was bad. They talked about all his troubles, especially Jeremiah Wright. They said Obama is trying to get away from the controversy, but it isn't going away. My, how things have changed!

Oh my goodness gracious how terrible. ABC (note, the network that hosted that atrocious "debate") would like to say that Obama is in trouble. Oh dear, oh dear!!

That don't change the fact that he is going to win the nomination, and is damn near guaranteed to win the general. So those stuffed shirts can wring their hands all they want.

user-pic

What's changed? The MSM is in the tank for the right wing candidates like our Goldwater Gal.

"skulduggery!"
"popinjay!"
"mountebank!"
"whey-faced apple john!"
"canker blossom!"

So I have to dig around in the 17th century to find some fun insults to hurl at Bill Clinton. Not just the usual "what an asshole!" will do these days.

"We've got to take him on every time" - I mean, really Bill? This kind of bile makes me wish you WERE impeached and thrown out of office.

Get a hold of yourself.

Something that rarely gets mentioned is that, since Bill Clinton was the last Democratic President, he is also the symbolic leader of the party. Though it's certainly unprecedented to have a nomination with a former First Lady running, at least the semblance of non-partisanship in the outcome could be expected of him. It's a disgrace to see how much he's used his influence for his own and his wife's benefit.

user-pic

Amy in Germany,

William Jefferson Clinton was the last President registered as a member of the Democratic Party. Billy-boy was never a Democrat and his wife remains a AuH2O girl.

But, Richard, is that really fair to Goldwater who was, after all, an extremely honorable man?

why hasn't a journo out there in tv land asked Hillary this simple question. If the tables were turned, and you were in Obama's position ie: dlegate lead etc. would you still support the argument that the delegate count doesn't matter?

Hasn't Bill Clinton always been Bill Clinton's biggest problem ?

Bill Clinton has taken Penn's spot as Hillary Clinton's Get Out of Jail Free card. No matter how things got or what tone they took, Penn took the heat. Now, Bill is going to be her blocking back.

A sad end to the legacy of what I once considered a good if flawed man.

Just received a bumper sticker "Take back the White House, Vote for Democrats in '08". Sure, I'll put it on my bumper if Obama is the nominee.

What good would it do if Hillary gets the nomination? The woman is so polarizing it would be like giving the election to McCain.

Can you see it now? McCain and the Neocons will be bombing the Hell out of the Middle East, wondering why gas is $10 a gallon and telling us to buck up. But wait, I guess that would be better than Hillary acting presidential and Bill wagging his finger at me for four years.

user-pic

Can we impeach a former President?

You mean re-impeach?

Amen! Since neither Clinton have an ounce of DECENCY (they are trash), they are so friggin JEALOUS of Obama; this young charismatic idealistic junior senator who has taken on the ALMIGHTY CLINTON MACHINE and made a laughing stock of it!! The Clintons are so GREEDY, POWER HUNGRY, EGOMANICAL LIARS that they cannot stand the thought of Obama being a decent human being, so they are out to LYNCH him politically. I have to call it as I see it; the Clintons are TERRORISTS and the American public needs to wake up and realize there will be no America left (no FUTURE) if they are ignorant to vote the clintons into office. It is ONLY GREED that drives them both and the dirtier they play politics, the more they resemble the MONSTERS they really are. I seem to think they actually make Karl Rove look more like a 'pasty dough boy human'. The clintons do not give a damn that they SPLIT THE DEM PARTY and they absolutely cannot win without Obama supporters - NOT NOW, NOT EVER!!!!!

user-pic

I totally agree with Bill. The Clinton campaign should hit Obama HARD. Go completely negative, and really rip him to shreds. We could then finally be done with this farce of a campaign and Obama could get on with the job of beating McCain in the fall.

user-pic

Bill Clinton has become a reviled figure for many Americans who once admired him.

He has forfeited the opportunity to become a senior statesman by selling his influence to the highest bidders for personal financial gain at the nation's expense.

He has abidcated his responsibility as a former president and current leader of his party to conduct a mean-spiritied, self-interested, dishonest, damaging campaign against a Democratic candidate whose only offense has been aspiring to lead and challenging Mrs. Bill Clinton for the presidency.

Bill Clinton will go down in history as the president who had an affair with an intern, lied under oath, got Impeached, sold influence to become a mega millionaire, and tried his best to prevent Barack Obama from becoming president. Great job, Bill.

Leave a comment

Advertise Liberally
Share
Close Social Web Email

"To" Email Address

Your Name

Your Email Address