Thursday, January 19, 2012
Presidential politics The good old Clinton days
Posted by Max Brantley on Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Good interview with Bill Clinton in Esquire. He's something of a consensus figure now. Sure, some dead-enders will hate him unto the bitter end, but not running for office doesn't hurt. Plus, he, as ever, has some useful things to say about politics and just about everything else, including media.
I also think that the diffusion of the media has complicated things. For example, I was just watching — I don't know if you heard what I said in the other room — I was just watching MSNBC, and they had a woman that used to work for me and a couple of other people on there, and they were talking about the Republican primary. And I was laughing. I said, "Boy, it really has become our version of Fox." And I say that because think of the economics of running cable channels. Suppose you and I bought a cable channel, and he [pointing] bought another. You know that to make a living out of it, you've got to get about eight hundred thousand viewers for all your major programs. So you can get eight hundred thousand, and you won't be as wealthy as Fox, but you'll do okay. And now if you get a slice that's that small and still viable — and you know it's not like when we just had NBC, CBS, and ABC. That's all there was. Everybody had enough market share that they knew would guarantee some comfortable level of profit. And yet there was enough competition that everybody could keep each other honest, and when the Vietnam War came along, they could send fifty-five-year-old reporters to Vietnam for extended stays. They could afford to have correspondents in Europe to report. Correspondents in Asia. All that's changed now. And so the good news is you can get a lot of information off the Internet for free and in a hurry. But I think the breaking up of the media, which is otherwise kind of healthy, has contributed to less actual reporting and a louder, more contentious, more divisive public discourse, highlighting conflict, sometimes falsely.
He predicts an Obama win this year, helped by erosion of support for new Republican governors in key states. He also said people in the 1 percent, like him, should pay more, but he floated the idea of an infrastructure bank in which wealthy could invest that would put people to work. Interesting reading.
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Comments (21)
Showing 1-21 of 21
He did another Lewinsky-point-of-view cover photo for Esquire again? Enough of that angle already.
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Yes, and he continues to conveniently not pay the taxes that he believes he should pay. Let me predict that those who scream for the rich to pay more won't demand that of him. The 'rich', of course, are the 'selective rich' who have the wrong political philosophy. It is a nice gig when you can advocate something that you don't comply with and not get challenged on it. Of course that is nothing new for bubba. He can continue to make millions in speaking engagements, get richer and 'feel your pain'. Gee, being a liberal is a great scam! How about writing a check today to the IRS, bubba?
One Democrat writing a check to the treasury does not fix the systemic problems with our federal taxes. That's like saying one soldier not reenlisting will get us out of Afghanistan, or one criminal throwing his gun in the river will fix our murder rate.
Holmes, just shut up. Bill Clinton said they should pay more. Warren Buffett said they should pay more. Only the oligarchy members feel they are over taxed and that the rest of us should pay a higher percentage to pay for the infrastructure that allowed them to not lose all their inherited money. Clinton didn't inherit his, he earned it including put up with some of the scum of the earth in this state and in the US House. The US did very well during his term in office despite Noot Grinch-ich and some Arkansas no-bodys.
The rates for all income should graduated and be the same no matter how the money is earned. There is no reason that "lazy capital" should pay less in taxes than the guy who is cleaning your house or walking your dog. It won't happen, of course, since all of the congress critters have someone walking their dog and fixing their meals and if you watch the money ($42 million from the gas and oil industry to ReTHUGlican house members alone), it is obvious that they have been bought and probably cheaply. The congress critetrs all need to find a job (and not lobbying) and learn what their parents probably knew but their kids were too dumb to realize-there is more dignity is hand sweeping the street than all of Washington combined.
Occupy/couldn't, Thanks for proving my point. Bubba can continue his scam with no challenge. Gee, it is great to be a liberal!
I'm proud to say that I volunteered to work in his campaign headquarters for both elections! That was a fun time, especially on Nov. 3rd. 1992.
You know, if you scroll down to the signature first, you can often save yourself the wasted time of reading the post.
I'm still in favor of putting Norma in charge of troll avatars.
But everybody remembers that he got a BJ in the Oval office and used a cigar innappropiratey on a young white house intern. I remember my 8 yr. old Niece came home and asked her mom what a BJ was because she had heard on the news that the President got a BJ in the Oval Office. Now young adults don't consider BJ's as sex, because Bill Clinton said it wasn't sex. Yeh, he is quite a guy!
If we didn't meddle in peoples sex lives it wouldn't have been on the news. Then your neice wouldn't have even known to ask that question. We need to butt out of everybody's privates lives and concentrate on the important things in life.
All I know is that when we had a president getting blowjobs I had multiple job offers, lots of money in my bank account, and a kid who I thought would grow up to inherit a country with upward mobility and financial stability.
I still have the kid, but her future looks bleak now that we've decided that a new nobility suits us better than a meritocracy.
We also all need to understand that all that money that was around during Clinton's years is still here. It was not transported to Venus by aliens. It is simply locked away lest it be used by the common people who don't even own a private jet or a football team.
I like that concept, Occupy! BJs for prosperity!
A acquaintance's uncle worked for Bill back in the 80s, he told her no politician is a saint. Even the very best ones like Kennedy and Roosevelt who worked hard for the common good were poon-hounds.
Does anyone know where I can get an "I Miss W" sticker? I see a lot of "I Miss Bill" stickers, but the W stickers don't seem to be on the market yet. I wonder why.
And then he lied about it! If it was not big deal, why did he lie?
I understand there is an early bird sale on 'I miss obama' stickers. The first 100 get a free 'I'm one of the 99% and need a job'.
radical centrist must not be getting any (now or ever!). Guess that's why he is so envious of Bill Clinton.
Offal and NotSherlock, either of you applied for jobs to monitor people's bedroom activities under a Rethuglicon Tea Pot Head regime?
How sad to see an aging former 'pretty boy' who needs continued ego stimulation but can only muster up an audience when some organization needs a front man to draw a crowd.
If you're posting on here SHolmes, you're one of the 99%. So why so bitter?
Laurie, meddle in peoples sex lives! Hummmm! We meddle because if you will like about sex, what else are you capable of lying about. Its all about integrity. Something you libs know nothing about. It's always somebody elses fault. Isn't it?
Orville, if there's one thing everyone lies about, it's their sex lives. Everyone conceals their sexual past depending on the context and who they're talking to.
Hey Offal, want to get us up to date on why we should vote for your new hero, Noot "Open Marriage" Grinch-ich. Talk about a sex head with a serious problem of "do as I say, not as I do". Lecturing the country about Clinton while he was doing the same but that doesn't count now because he is a "christian". Pure BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Orville, how do you know that I'm a liberal. I don't believe we should meddle in anybody's sex life, Democrat or Republican, as long as it's between two consenting adults. That is something that should be dealt with at home and later on judgement day. I am not electing a moral leader, I have one of those. I am electing somebody that can lead my country. Somebody with compassion and intelligence.
That being said, I think what you are seeing now is a result of the meddling that started with Clinton. It's called revenge, and it's a nasty thing. Pandora's box was opened and I don't see it closing anytime soon.
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