Bill Clinton: Obama Should Sound More Hopeful

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

"I think you will see some good economic news from the stimulus fairly soon," Clinton said. "I think you'll start to see people express gratitude for getting the unemployment benefits, the tax cuts and the food stamps. And you'll see the money flowing through the economy. Then I think you'll see every state be able to quantify how much better shape they're in, because of the education and health money."

"I think it's absolutely the right thing to do," he said. "And I'm a fiscal conservative. You know, I balanced the budget. I paid $600 billion down on the debt to the American people. I don't like deficit spending. He has no choice. The economy is contracting. He has to prop it up."

"Look, the American people, I think, know the president has tried to reach out to Republicans," Clinton told ABC News' Chris Cuomo. "And it takes two to tango. I think there are some of them who really believe that just-say-no politics is good politics.

"It was -- briefly, only briefly -- in the '90s. It isn't anymore," he added. "So, sooner or later, I think if he just keeps chugging along, just keeps the door open, invite 'em to every economic conference, invite 'em to every meeting, eventually, he'll start getting some votes" in Congress.

Regarding Obama's bleak warnings that "the economy could get worse before it gets better," and that the economic stimulus program is only the beginning of the end of the economic crisis, Clinton said, "I like the fact that he didn't come in and give us a bunch of happy talk. I'm glad he shot straight with us."

But he added, "I just want the American people to know that he's confident that we are gonna get out of this and he feels good about the long run."

"I think we should have moved a little more aggressively on these derivatives," he said. "Alan Greenspan and others thought we shouldn't regulate, didn't need to regulate derivatives, 'cause they would only be bought by very large, very wealthy, very sophisticated institutional buyers.

"The problem is [that] if enough of 'em are bought, they become so much a part of the economy that if they crater, they still affect everybody else, anyway," he added. "So, I think I should have done more on that."

"What I have disputed is that the conservatives are saying that I pressured the banks too hard to make loans in the community," Clinton said. "The banks that took money from their depositors and turned around and loaned money to their depositors -- genuine community banks -- came through this financial crisis much better than those that were branches of big national banks [that] took money from their depositors and put 'em in these shaky securities investments."

He suggested the worst damage was done during the Bush years.

"The sub-prime mortgages that caused all these problems were basically those that were gathered up in 2004 to 2007," Clinton said.

Much, much more! You know Bill!

[Jasman0717 9]

I liked Clinton and did make a killing in the stock market when he was in office.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

The Obamabots accused Bush of using fear to promote his agenda. Obama's doing the same thing. Where's the honesty from the left?

[Ban Hammer 13,619]

I liked Clinton and did make a killing in the stock market when he was in office.

so you did invest in cigars!

[Jasman0717 9]

I liked Clinton and did make a killing in the stock market when he was in office.

so you did invest in cigars!

I missed that 'tip'

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

The Obamabots accused Bush of using fear to promote his agenda. Obama's doing the same thing. Where's the honesty from the left?

Dude, fear is there with or without Obama

F'ing generation is the generation of fear, they fear if somebody is going to send a malicious computer virus, if somebody is going to glue a needle infected with HIV in the gas pump, fear about weapons of mass destruction, fear that the stupid threat colored chart is going from yellow to orange to red, fear that they are going to find an "ayrab" traveling coach next to them,

Need more fear? Thank the past administration because they accustomed the public to be fearful even of their damn shadow

[Nagishkaw 510]

He suggested the worst damage was done during the Bush years.

Say nothing of Rwanda or Fort Marcy park.

[SMOKE 1,426]

honesty from the left