President  Clinton Returns to Primetime at DNC

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Sept 8, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

            Returning to primetime at the Democratic National Convention, 66-year-old former President Bill Clinton plans to offer the most compelling rejoinder to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s case at the Republican National Convention.  Romney characterized President Barack Obama as well-intentioned but in over his head, unable to manage the struggling U.S. economy.  When Clinton left office Jan. 20, 2001, the nation enjoyed a $127 billion surplus, giving him celebrity status among Democrats and independent voters.  Even with a booming stock market and humming economy, Clinton’s detractors remained fixed on the Monica Lewinsky affair, unable to give him the credit he deserved.  Clinton’s command of technical policy issues with the uncanny capacity to speak in plain English, made him one the best communicators of any president in the modern era.

            Clinton now takes his prodigious speaking skills to about 50 million TV viewers to sell Obama’s second term.  Fighting an avalanche of GOP propaganda, Clinton will try to set the record straight about Barack’s accomplishments.  Obama’s GOP opponents won’t give him credit for anything, including Operation Neptune Spear, the successful May 1, 2011 Navy Seals and CIA mission that killed Osama bin Laden.  Since taking office Jan. 20, 2009, Obama has been blamed for every problem facing today’s America—and even past ones.  Obama’s detractors, like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kt.), continue to call his health care overhaul legislation unconstitutional after Bush-appointed U.S. Supreme Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said otherwise June 28.  Barack’s been blamed the partisan gridlock that prevents Washington from passing any meaningful Congressional legislation.

            Speaking to the DNC convention, Clinton will remind voters that past GOP theories, like Supply Side Economics, didn’t deliver the jobs, growth and balanced budget promised by past generations of GOP leadership.  Romney and his running mate House Budget Committed Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) seek to return to the good old days of tax cuts and soaring budget deficits.  Under Obama, the Debt-to-GDP ratio has dropped to 7%, a 3% improvement from when he took office.  “They have tried to sell this kind of trickle-down fairy dust before,” said Obama, referring to the Romney plan to  cut more taxes.  “We feel very good about President Clinton’s speech tomorrow night.  It’s a big moment for us,” Obama campaign manager Jim Messina told a forum hosted by ABC and Yahoo News.  Clinton will tell watching voters that Obama’s on the right track, despite the slow economic recovery.

            Holding more credibility on the economy, Clinton hopes to reverse the GOP message that Obama has tried but failed.  He’ll remind voters that the economy’s digging out of the biggest hole since the Great Depression.  Despite somewhat sluggish jobs growth, the nation’s GDP continues to improve.  Clinton will no doubt point out bright spots in the economy, especially the stunning reversal in the U.S. auto industry.  He’ll credit Obama for having the wisdom to bailout General Motors and Chrysler, both now thriving, adding new jobs every month.  “He’s a credible messenger on this.  He’s going to give a very compelling speech,” said Messina, seeing Clinton as the key to unlock the GOP’s false message.  “You know, I love this, and I thank you, but we have important work to do tonight.  I’m here first to support Barack Obama,” said Clinton, clarifying his convention role.

            Clinton’s job is to reassure disgruntled voters that Obama’s on the right track in fixing the economy.  Romney’s promise to create 12 million jobs in his first term won’t happen with the same old Supply Side Economics and Trickle-Down Theory.  “They tried it as recently as 2001, 2003, 2003.  And what did we get?  The most sluggish job growth in generations, incomes and wages going down, jobs going overseas, and a huge economic crisis—and, by the way, the deficits kept on going up so by the time I walked into the office we had a trillion-dollar deficit.  When you consider that today’s deficit is only 1.2 trillion after all the bailouts to save the banking industry, the struggling states and auto industry, it’s a miracle.  With a little more stock market and jobs growth, the deficits should shrink more.

            Clinton’s mission tonight is to give voters a reality-check against all the pernicious propaganda flying around the Internet blogosphere and popular right wing radio and TV talk shows.  If you listen to the extremists, you’d believe the world, as we know it, is coming to an end under Obama.  Clinton confronts the newly released, Koch Bros.-financed, Dinesh D’Souza’s vicious right wing propaganda film “2016:  Obama’s America.”  Filled with conspiracies and innuendo, it caters to the worst racist elements spread over extremist Websites and airwaves.  Addressing the RNC’s salvos, Clinton aims to rehab Obama’s image, highlighting past accomplishments and things to come in his next term.  Given Clinton’s economic chops, he’ll tell undecided voters that the nation’s poised, under Barack’s leadership, to leap ahead with health care reform to grow the economy and create more quality jobs.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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