Bill Clinton: GOP’s Only Hope At Comeback Is To Go Along With Obama
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. [People are] 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 [Republicans] 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.
Don’t worry: Only one more installment of Bill coming a bit later. And it’s a short one.
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why is bill clinton giving them advice? dumb.
O joe, I doubt the Republicans would do anything other than laugh scornfully at suggestions from the Big Dawg. It’s nothing that hasn’t been said already anyway.
He’s right of course. They’re driving themselves into the ground. They already went over the cliff. Now they are busy digging their way to the abyss and from what I can tell – no one can stop them or change their direction, now. It’s too late.
We are going to see a major political shift in the coming months and years. The Republicans are going to have to modify there “core values” if they ever hope to compete in the near future.
yeah, I don’t expect the GOP to take Bill’s advice somehow.
This is a good point:
One party rule tends to breed complacency and corruption. We need a non-crazy mainstream opposition party, too bad we don’t have one. Another/complementary way to do it, is to have primary challengers from the left in the Dem party and undermine the culture of complacency. I’m excited about the Accountability Now project.
One party rule tends to breed complacency and corruption. We need a non-crazy mainstream opposition party,
I agree. Frankly, I saw what I consider the only sane future for the Republicans when I watched the video at TPM of the governor of Utah saying the Republican leadership was irrelevant – he doesn’t even know who they are nor does he care. That guy needs to be the future of that party – he is in favor of legalizing civil unions for gay couples. In Utah. Plus he’s drop dead handsome, but that’s another story. This is the only hope the Republicans have but they are not going there in one piece. I think they will reform and regroup eventually because they will have to.
THIS PROGRAM BLEEPS GAY? GREG, I CAN’T DO THIS.
One party rule tends to breed complacency and corruption. – Crust
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Absolutely. I would point out two things, though. The Dems are not a monolithic group like the Reps were. And since the Reps pretty much own the media, there is still a system of checks and balances. The bigger problem IMO is that the media is on the verge of losing the last of its credibility.
G-A-Y.
As in: “The Gay Divorcee”
This is unbelievable.
Tena, we’re working on that, I promise
Greg, any thoughts on Accountability Now?
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I’m a fan. The biggest effect is probably indirect: it pressures existing Dem Congressmen — I’m looking at you Blue Dogs — to vote better. Many of them feel very little pressure from the left or even think that getting heat from the left is an intrinsically good because it boosts their credibility with the right. This should restore some balance to that calculus.
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Plus replacing another Al Wynn or two with the like of Donna Edwards would be wonderful.
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It’s definitely possible to go too far with this especially in more conservative districts, but we’re a million miles from where that starts to be a real concern IMHO. Besides, the Dems can afford to risk a seat or two on principle in the House.
Years ago, I met a same-*** couple who worked in the logging industry up in nothern BC, piloting a big helicoper. They referred to their aircraft as “The G-A-Y Sikorsky”
***
“And now, unlike the first time, they have now lost their natural cultural advantage, and the country thinks more like we do…”
Yes, and that’s true outside of the recent financial crisis. I expect this will be fully and honestly confronted at CPAC.
Clearly, this blog is built on Puritanware 2.0
bill clinton is giving the advice, supremely confident the repubs
won’t take it, they just hate bill and hillary too much.
clinton is right, americans have been around this dog track with
supply side tax cuts uber alles and we have a clear record their
ideas don’t work. and they promise more of the same. see the
pathetic jindal for illustrative purposes.
Bill Kristol is advising them to obstruct and delay in his WaPo op ed today. Hmm…I wonder who they’ll listen to?
re: “Don’t worry: Only one more installment of Bill coming a bit later. And it’s a short one.”
Greg, why in the world would you say this????????????????
You have the chance to interview, for free, a man who is paid millions of dollars to give speeches all over the entire world.
And your own readers have indicated they want you to make your reports SHORTER?
Very sad, if true.
For what it’s worth, my opinion is that your journalism has been excellent, and that the interviews are all fascinating. And I never voted for Bill Clinton. I’ve just come to realize that he is brilliant.
Greg, maybe you had a different impression of Clinton? Is he not brilliant? Is it not worth our time to know from you what Clinton had to say? (And I don’t mean this snarky. I honestly can’t understand why you made that comment.)
As far as the two-party system, it’s here to stay, because people have forever broken into two groups:
The Lords&Ladies and The Serfs
I think the answer would be 12-year terms limits on everyone — President, House, Senate, and Supreme Court.
Hey Bill. Shut up.
hey gknif2 you shut the **** up