President Clinton vs. Keith Olbermann: No Contest
On Thursday, former President Bill Clinton was asked if he would attend the Little Rock C.A.R.E. free clinic today. Rather than simply begging off of the event with the usual non-answer boilerplate about scheduling conflicts, he decided to slam Keith Olbermann for “politicizing” the event, saying Olbermann was “not helpful.”
While it’s tempting to applaud President Clinton’s courage in standing up to Keith Olbermann, I’m going to pass. In a moment, my Unique Utterance™ on the politics of free clinics.
Really, President Clinton? Keith Olbermann is the problem, he’s politicizing the health care debate? Let’s examine that, sir.
Keith Olbermann, who has dedicated hours of his show, including an entire hour-long episode, to giving voice to the 70-80% of Americans who are being ignored by a handful of Democrats (and all of the Republicans), is the problem? This is the person you choose to single out?
Or maybe the Republicans are a smidge to blame here for trying to make health care reform Obama’s “Waterloo,” and to “break him” right along with the millions of uninsured and underinsured who will be represented at today’s free clinic. Republicans who freely admit to having no real plan, other than to defeat the Democrats’ plan with a list of catchphrases. Republicans like John Ensign, who reasons that his colleagues should oppose the public option because it will be hugely popular. Republicans like John Boehner, who declares the healthcare reform bill the “biggest threat to freedom that I have seen in the 19 years I’ve been here in Washington.”
Republicans like Going Rogue author Sarah Palin, who fabricated something called the “Obama Death Panel.”
That brings me to our next culprit, Palin’s enablers in the mainstream media, whose idea of analysis is to examine Palin’s ridiculous fantasy and conclude, (in dumb-guy voice) “Deuhh, maybe she has a point!” They can be further counted on to untangle the important question of who’s shrieking the loudest, and to mischaracterize polls that don’t fit their narrative.
Let’s not forget the forces at work behind the scenes, working to protect and/or multiply their profits if they can’t kill health care reform altogether. The health insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies are chomping at the bit to get a crack at those tens of millions of new customers, as long as there’s no mechanism to hold their prices down.
It’s a good thing they’ve got your old pals, the conservative/Blue Dog/DLC/never-met-an-obstructionist-”Gang of”-they-wouldn’t-join Democrats in Congress. (Fun fact: The Blue Dogs were born in Billy Tauzin’s office. Yes, that Billy Tauzin.) This is the same group that Keith Olbermann called out by name in another Special Comment for following their campaign cash, including Blanche Lincoln.
Blanche Lincoln, whose political hide you are trying to protect by trashing Keith Olbermann. Blanche Lincoln, who stands to lose nothing politically by supporting real health care reform, instead of watered-down, poison-pilled bullshit that the Republicans still won’t vote for.
That’s the real problem, isn’t it? You think Keith Olbermann is using these free clinics to send a message to Blanche Lincoln. That’s where you’re wrong. The tens of millions of uninsured and underinsured people who will be represented at that free clinic have been sending a message, they are the message. Keith Olbermann didn’t throw them under the politicization bus, sir, you did.
So the next time someone asks you about someone who’s actually trying to do something about getting health care to the people who need it, maybe you should just pop open an ice cold can of STFU. You had your chance.
42 comments
Rachel Sklar says: Well done, Tommy. 100% agreed.
Former Presidents are supposed to be above politics, they always have been and in three to seven years, Obama will be in the same position. This is how Presidents Clinton and Bush Sr. can co-front international tsunami relief organizations and be on the boards for other causes; it’s also why every time Jimmy Carter steps close to or over the traditional line, it becomes big news.
I don’t know anything about Olbermann’s event except what I learned from Steve’s post, but other than possibly increasing attendance or spreading some Presidential gravitas, what purpose would’ve been served by Bill deciding to go?
shootfromthehip says: @magister Does the same rule apply to Vice Presidents? If so, I’d love to know your thoughts on Dick Cheeny’s numerous hyper partisan and downright ugly slams of Obama within months in contrast to Gore’s comparative silence on Bush despite the fact the man problem stole the election from Gore.
shootfromthehip says: probably stole, I meant to write.
sjfennel says: I’m sorry, I thought this was Mediate, not the Huffington Post. I normally see frank discussion on the media, not heavy politically biased posts. WHAT A TURN OFF!!
@shootfromthehip: I’m sure that if you were to ask him, Cheney would say that he’s “special”, but Vice-Presidents have been a more partisan position throughout modern history and the same “rule” has never applied.
And again, I’m not familiar with the Olbermann event, but I assume from what I’ve seen on this site that he was opening a clinic his viewers helped finance and though it might have been nice for President Clinton to attend, Bill’s absence would’ve only been an issue, if it was really more of a political event.
Tommy Christopher says: Magister,
saying Keith “politicized” it is a slam, and Clinton could have stayed above the fray by saying, “My schedule wouldn’t allow it.”
@Tommy: You’ve politicized your response and Keith wanted a couple of elected officials “to see”. The FDL thing said that some in Arkansas were viewing it as kick-off party for a pro-reform candidate’s possible run. By every objective measure, it was a political event.
Pat Doherty says: I guess Tommy does take Keith Olbermann seriously. Disappointing.
@shootfromthehip: BTW: You obviously didn’t hear (or read) VP Gore in the run-up to the Iraq War. Of course that would be understandable because though CNN carried at least a portion of (I believe) the linked speech, the pundits and talking heads quickly dismissed because they were hungry for war.
Tommy Christopher says: Magister, this isn’t about politics for me, it’s about policy, policy that will do this country enormous good and save lives.
@Tommy: I’m also a supporter of health insurance reform, but former Presidents have always walked a thin line and I see no reason for that to change. The charity that Olbermann is supporting may be good and though we have no idea what the final reform bill might look like, the concept itself is admirable, but a former President doesn’t need to be dragged into a public political action targeted toward one individual member of Congress.
sjfennel says: @tommy: You do realize that this ‘policy’ that the democrats are pandering as reform is all politics. It has little to do with real reform and all about what is good for themselves to get reelected. Not to say that the republicans aren’t doing the same thing.
If we wanted true policy debate, then the news organizations like MSNBC, FOX and CNN would get to the details of these proposals that are going in for a vote. Instead, all they talk about is the partisan divide, what one side says about the other and so on.
The “news” organizations have yet to fact check, digest, or delve into the actual bills since this debate became part of the mainstay of the everyday coverage. Whet we need is a true debate, and what I understood this site to be (and why I enjoy being an avid everyday reader of the site) is to call out the media to do their job and hold them accountable. It is certainly sad that this country has limited their thinking to idealistic partisanship, rather than true and informative debating of the FACTS.
Tommy Christopher says: Magister, again, I never said Clinton should go to the event. I said he didn’t need to take a swipe at Olbermann.
@Tommy: In the NYTimes piece Brian Stelter wrote about Beck’s newest “thing”, he quotes Sen. Lindsay Graham as saying “Here’s what I worry about. How many people in my business are going to be controlled by what’s said on the radio or in a TV commercial?”
Do you interpret Sen Graham’s comment to be a “smack” against Beck? If a blogger invited Sen Graham to a Beck event and if he gave the same answer as President Clinton would that be a “slam”? And if so, how would you have felt about that “slam” and would it have merited a post?
ImNotBlue says: So the next time someone asks you about someone who’s actually trying to do something about getting health care to the people who need it, maybe you should just pop open an ice cold can of STFU.
Spoken like a true Olbermann fan.
If you don’t agree with me… shut up.
If you want to criticize me… shut up.
If you vote against me… shut up.
If you criticize someone I support… shut up.
Now sure, we could expect that there is a level of respect for Presidents, or former Presidents (remember how much the left cries anytime a whacky right-winger says something rude about Obama or another Democrat)… but when it comes to the left’s criticisms… “shut up,” or even “STFU” is acceptable.
Let’s not forget it was Olbermann who said that Bush should “shut the hell up” (only because, in his works, he couldn’t say “F**k” on television)… and now Tommy runs with it, and tells Bill Clinton to “STFU.” I’m no fan of Clinton’s… but respect for elected officials, even when you don’t agree, is important. That is… unless you’re an angry Liberal, in which case, say whatever you want. A sad state of affairs to be sure.
Tommy Christopher says: It’s a nonsense question. Show me a Glenn Beck event that provides a crucial necessity to people, while at the same time illustrating the need for policy changes that are crucial to the well-being of this country, with which Graham agrees but still refuses to help with, AND then he takes the same exact swipe at Beck, and I’ll answer your question.
Fidoohki says: What I don’t understand is why don’t they subsidize the Free clinic system. Lot easier to deal with
and would help a lot more then the health care reform bills seem to want to do…
Pat Doherty says: Why doesn’t anybody ever talk about tort reform?
sjfennel says: @Fidoohki: Very good point and what I was mentioning in my last post. The fact that there are concrete reforms to be made and ideas to put on the table to discuss are merited. We can do this a whole lot simpler than calling businesses that are following the rules that were put forth by politicians the bad guys. Most of the issues in health care could be fixed if we actually looked at it like business people, not politicians.
We could subsidize free clinics and give intensives to hospitals to have said clinics on their property to better support the overflow of people that do not need to be in the emergency rooms. These are just a couple of things, but what we need to realize is the true reasons costs are high and to work with our ‘partners’ in the industry to make the system stronger so that people, business, doctors and facilities can all benefit.
@Tommy: The clip from FDL (via the link in Steve’s post);
Clinton responded that Olbermann was politicizing the clinic, and that it wasn’t helpful for Olbermann to do that. He said he did not feel he could show up now, because the event had turned political.
Eve said that Halter had been very helpful, and that the event was not political. She said that Halter’s intercession had been key in getting the Convention center to give the clinics space.
Clinton replied that the event was becoming political, and that it was clear what was happening: a primary of Blanche Lincoln.
I still don’t know anything about this event, except what I’ve learned via the posts on this site. Maybe it was a good thing, but the quote from Olbermann and your response is purely political. Bill Clinton has publicly spoken about health care reform; He has privately lobbied; He has helped with the strategy; He just didn’t think it proper to attend an event, to which there’s no evidence he was ever formally invited because one of the public faces (and some of his followers) have made it political.
(I mean seriously, you say that it wasn’t important for Clinton to attend the event and you wrote a long vitriolic rant, all because he truthfully gave his reasons and because you thought the three paraphrased sentences were somehow disrespectful to a television personality?)
Staying out of one-on-one politics is a tradition that started with George Washington
Perhaps you don’t like it, but you’re not a former President and you weren’t the one, the blogger invited.
Perhaps that last line was a little over the top, but you’re calling out a former President who enjoys a vast following because of three sentences, somebody says he said.
rmbltmbl says: I’m cracking up just as much as the Left!
rmbltmbl says: Lord of the Flies!
Jim R says: Essential reading, Tommy, thank you.
President Clinton was asked a simple question about his possible attendance at a life saving event, and went out of his way to defend his fellow conservadem and attack those who are “sick” of DINOs undermining progressive policies.
President Clinton’s administration succeeded wildly (especially compared to the last eight years and the twelve that preceded him), despite his incessant compromising of progressive principles.
The disastrous era of corporate deregulation, demonizing government, and rolling over for failed conservative policies are over, Bill; go home or go raise money for worthy causes.
DaveB says: Old Bill’s still out there looking for another Sistah Souljah moment. Seems like he can’t get over the fact that its not 1993 anymore.
Ted says: This about the smack down that KO gave Hillary’s campaign when she was running for Pres. It’s a little payback from Bill, but I agree, given the stakes it was totally unnecessary.
rshaw says: I would guess Bill Clintons dissing of Olbermann has more to do with KO openly campaigning against his wife in last years primary.
As for the health care bill, I think a point a lot of people miss .. including the media ..is if you look at the electoral map, it is easy to see that the democratic party power base is in the cities, which happens to be where all the hospitals are located.
Like the so called stimululs bill, which in my opinion was nothing more than an 800 billion dollar tax payer gift the the teacher unions .. healtcare unions .. civil servants and other govt unions. The healtcare bill is another 800 billion dollar tax payer gift to the democratic strongholds that are the big, medium and small cities of america.
timzank says: If any of you think Olby is actually doing the clinic gig to help anybody but himself, you are delusional. It’s all about keeping the “Olby” name and brand out there. $50k (100% tax deductible) to kick it off is a miniscule investment in advertising for a guy knocking down $6 million a year. (give or take)
Cecelia says: So your answer to Pres. Clinton’s refusal to be a part of the politicization of what is a non-political voluntary charitable organization, is to offer up examples of politicians being political over a political policy of a political party and political administration?
Oh…THAT makes sense…
And I’m sure you’d have been just as critical of Bill Clinton had he refused to use free clinics for photo-ops, if Sean Hannity had used the C.A.R.E. organization as emblem (and bludgeon against ideological opponents) of what can happen in health care if private volunteerism and charity became a part of community health care incentives.
Cecelia says: :”It’s a nonsense question. Show me a Glenn Beck event that provides a crucial necessity to people, while at the same time illustrating the need for policy changes that are crucial to the well-being of this country, with which Graham agrees but still refuses to help with, AND then he takes the same exact swipe at Beck, and I’ll answer your question.”
Oh, and in your answer, do you think you could be a just a tad more self-referential of what are your subjective viewpoints?…
We wouldn’t you to slip up and give in to temptation of treating your own opinions as though they might not be tantamount to irrefutable truth.
Ted says: Cecelia – Put down the bourbon and come back when you are more coherent. Thank you.
Cecelia says: Ted,
I’d tell you to put down the glue, and come back when you are able to comprehend simple sentence, but I don’t believe in reincarnation.
Ted says: Cecelia – uh…right. Well, anyway, bottoms up.
Cecelia says: Unless you’ve glued them down, Ted.
I agree Cecelia;
Apparently Tommy thought a third-hand report of a paraphrased conversation was a “slam” against some television personality, so he put together a big long post as payback. And yes, he subjectively thinks that Mr. Olbermann is doing something noble, but instead of putting a post on this site congratulating him for his efforts, Mr Christopher wrote a big long thing attempting to tear down a former President for following tradition.
I’m sure in some Congressional districts, the two Bushs are still popular, I wonder how Tommy would feel if suddenly they started making political appearances in opposition to Mr Olbermann’s agenda. I know that back during Bush Sr, I was wicked happy that Ronald Reagan wasn’t targeting specific Congresspeople to thwart my party’s efforts.
Cecelia says: Magister, it doesn’t matter if Clinton were paying Olbermann back for his treatment of Hillary during the campaign (though one would hope the former president would remember the check to a Clinton Foundation charity that Olbermann once handed him during a televised interview…), if Olbermann had been the Geraldine Ferraro of cable-host-Hillary-supporters during the primary, Christopher would still be excoriating Bill Clinton for his decision. The issue of Clinton’s motives is just a straw man here.
The gist of Christopher’s case is that govt financed health care will help people and that’s all she wrote. When you put something on this sort of standing, all arenas are fair game for the fray, and pity the poor fool of an ex-president who intentionally or unintentionally finds himself doing the right thing by refraining from using the laudable private actions of others as his own political stage prop.
It’s the personal is the political to the innth degree; when it’s gotten to the point where you can’t tell the difference between politicians and partisans from volunteers at a private charity.
The best you can hope for in a discussion with this sort of dynamic is that eventually the Christophers of the world tire of the hall of mirrors and come out for a look around.
I’m just going to leave this topic alone because I’ve gotten my point across, but after my obvious incident of poor punctuation in my previous comment, I mentioned that I haven’t seen a post congratulating Mr. Olbermann for his effort and earlier, I admitted that I don’t watch Keith, so I have no idea about the event.
For anyone who may be interested, here’s a link to a local Arkansas station’s report. I’m not sure what an appearance by Bill Clinton would’ve served and in it, nor the intro paragraph to the (paid) Democrat-Gazette article or the thing on Huffington Post do I see mention of Mr. Olbermann.
Tommy Christopher says: Cecelia, I set my response up that way to thwart the common tactic of the false equivalency. I’d rather demand an accurate comparison than dissect a false one.
Cecelia says: Well, it might help if you led by example, Tommy.
Your rant here started off by setting up the equivalency of a politician using a private charitable organization as a political stage prop, to politicians making politically… charged…slanted…controversial….(add your own descriptor) public statements.
Seriously, how can anyone with a sliver of a brain take Keith Olbermann serious? Put your politics aside and tell me he’s not some sort of a moonbat. I think since his mummy died he’s having a hard time getting along since she dressed him and spooned him up to the day she died. Since her death, he’s become a lot more odd the way he carries himself. I liken his relationship to his Mother the same way I would Buster Bluth’s relationship to his mother, Lucille.
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