Bill Clinton Speaks Out on Kagan

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/us/politics/20clinton.html?hpw

Clinton Speaks Out on Kagan
By CARL HULSE
Published: June 19, 2010


WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton vividly remembers the first presentation that his young legal adviser, Elena Kagan, made in the Oval Office.

Against the wishes of his economic team and top Congressional Democrats, Mr. Clinton in late 1995 was considering vetoing new legislation that was framed as a way to halt frivolous lawsuits against the securities industry. At his direction, Ms. Kagan had analyzed the bill and determined that it would raise the bar so high for such suits that shareholders could be prevented from pursuing legitimate fraud claims.

“There she was, in her mid-30s starting out in her career, with the entire economic team, all of them against her position, and she knew it,” he said Friday in a phone interview, making his first extensive public comments about his onetime aide since her nomination to the Supreme Court.

“She stood there and defended her conclusion,” Mr. Clinton said. “It was very impressive. She was composed, direct and totally unfazed that all those guys wanted a different outcome.”

Mr. Clinton accepted her judgment and issued a surprise veto — one of two occasions when he was overridden by Congress.

He went on to name Ms. Kagan to a federal appeals court position, though her nomination was never acted on by the Republican-led Senate.

As hearings now approach on her nomination to the Supreme Court, Mr. Clinton said he saw her as a strong choice by President Obama.

“She was unfailingly meticulous in trying to determine what the law actually is and what the facts actually were,” he said. “She never let whatever feelings she had get in the way of doing that. I think she can be fair.”

more...

[Autumn]

1. Does anyone trust Bill Clinton ?

From what I see that endorsement won't mean much to anyone. :shrug:

[Rincewind]

2. Most people

trust Bill Clinton, he is still very popular. Does anyone trust you?

[Autumn]

3. You haven't been here very long have you?

Edited to add : I guess you have been here a while. How on earth could you miss the controversy his name stirs up here? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: He is usually trashed in almost any thread about him. Psst... He is DLC you know.:rofl: Trust? What is this trust of which you speak? :hi:

[Clintonista2]

6. How long until nonsense pops its tiny little head into this thread to somehow twist this as

Bill Clinton being evil?

[TheKentuckian]

10. Evil? Besides the point. He isn't trustworthy he is first and foremost

a friend of "the stakeholder", was Deregulator in Chief, and just weeks ago was campaigning against Labor with gusto.

[Beacool]

15. See?

:shrug:

[TheKentuckian]

17. Was there something that I miss represented?

I don't hate him but he isn't worth listening to in a number of areas that are important to me and almost certainly the future of the country as it relates to the broad prosperity of the vast majority of the populace.

If you're good with the policies then of course you trust him. If one isn't down with free trade, deregulation, and union busting then the relationship gets more strained.

It's simple stuff and nothing personal. I think I've been reasonable as about any that aren't big on third way/triangulation politics.

[Autumn]

21. Just out of curiosity. what do you think of President Obama

supporting her? Not trying to start a battle but does the President get a free pass?

[TheKentuckian]

24. First, I thought we were talking Bill and I'm okay with Hillary at state (not happy but ok)

I'm generally displeased with Obama and think he's roughly in the Bubba area of the map.

I think all three are corporate toadies.

[Autumn]

25. Thank you for your reply.

Like you ,I think Clinton and Obama are very much alike, so I get irritated with the double standard. There are a lot of things I disagreed with that both of them have done, and some things I have much appreciated. I like them both and I don't like the trash talk about either. I think they can both be criticized for what they do that doesn't benefit we Democrats. And neither one should be put on a pedestal.I never expect any President to please me all of the time but I am really sick of the corporatism. I think Obama should be able to see where it has led us and turn away from it. But on that I think I am hoping in vain. Hillary, that's another matter. She has my deepest respect and admiration just because she is a thoughtful, compassionate, gracious woman. She did something very wonderful for a young soldier in Iraq and for that I will always be grateful to her.

[TheKentuckian]

27. I understand the personal attachments and even the admiration

I just see such things as immaterial. The problems of the day leave little such luxury to put personal likes and dislikes over the policy direction.

The economy is a crater and smelled like monkey butt even before the bottom fell completely out.

The environment is in a near death spiral and was heading to the same pass before the gusher opened up.

We've been in a general energy crisis for forty years.

Civil liberties have been degrading for at least ten years.

We've gone from needing improvements in math and science to a meltdown in education created by incentive and 'market' based tinkering, too much parental involvement in curriculum, too great a focus on testing and nothing on critical thinking, and a brainless resource distribution plan. While college increasingly becomes a money pit that puts to much focus on specialty and too little on a balanced base of knowledge and of course critical thinking.

The root of all of this and more that plagues us is corporate capture, absent regulation, and near worship and certain deference to the wealthy and "stakeholders" and Bill, Barack, and Hillary are in the tank for the systems and structures that maintain the death lock of corporate power on our system.

We really need to look at politicians by what policies they pursue, what their philosophies are cobbled together from, who they appoint, and who they associate with and trust.

Sorry but with a clear eye, I don't see what separates Hillary from the rest of the corporate Democrats in how she would approach these problems or who she would surround her self with. I mean Mark Penn, really?

If you're tired of the corporatism then you have to accept being sick of the corporatist and that means a whole different relationship with big business.

Broadly, none of these popular figures is people first not from a policy standpoint.

You've got to look at the issues and when you do that it is hard to imagine any significant daylight between Barack and Hillary and either of them and Bill. All fruit from the same corporate tree.

[Autumn]

29. What you say has a lot of truth in it.

Feelings about Hillary, Barack and Bill are just surface conversation topics. Sadly I don't see the political system getting any better. We are in a world of shit and I just can't see the powers that be EVER allowing us anyone who can help pull us out. I have come to the realization that we who have supported our two different parties, yes, Republicans and Democrats alike, have been played for years now.

[TheKentuckian]

30. We certainly aren't going to win playing it on house terms by house rules

Getting caught up in the candidates from on high and then going to the wall for them is going to have what should be seen as predictable results by now.

We must not get caught up in the beltway bullshit about who is electable and what ideas are acceptable, the bosses and hanks need to be vetoed, so we must demand the end of super delegates.

We probably must also take responsibility economically until the board can be changed enough to pass public financing. They have to have money and they must not allow themselves to take on strings and grant influence.

First Dean and then with Obama and even code blue we see a piece of the way forward but that support has to come with conditions and ties to the people.

I'm a believer that there is always a way out of any trap but you have to see and be willing to take it.

[tularetom]

4. Most people "in the world" probably trust him. In the US, probably not.

I would estimate that 90% of the 50% of Americans that call themselves "Republicans" " conservatives" or whatever, don't trust him. Same goes for probably 40% of the 50% who are "Democrats".

That's 65% "Don't trust" vs. 35% "trust".

Clinton himself is responsible for most of the mistrust although the liberal media have done a hatchet job on him for the past 20 years.

Overseas, his image is much shinier.

[Beacool]

16. When it comes to the Clintons, the right AND the left can go suck an egg as far as I'm concerned.

I couldn't care less what they opine.

:shrug:

[awoke_in_2003]

18. oh, come on now...

Bill Clinton was the greatest republican president ever.

[olegramps]

20. I thought that he was the first Black President?

[Autumn]

26. They can suck on more than an egg

as far as I'm concerned.

[Beacool]

14. I agree with Autumn, you must not have been here long.

I still can't decide who is more disliked over here, the Clintons or the Republicans.

:D

[Autumn]

19. It has to be the Clintons,

they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. :hi:

[Beacool]

28. That's why I think the left is a mirror image of the right.

Too self righteous and intransigent in their own narrow beliefs. I couldn't care less about either one of them.

:-)

[Number23]

32. Wow. Now let ME post something like this and I'll get 12 assholes (trying) to rain down on me

But I agree with your point. Both sides have become so ridiculous. And they wonder why 70+ percent of Americans want nothing to do with either of them.

[Beacool]

34. I have no use for either political extreme.

But 70% of Americans are uninformed anyway. They can name the winner of American Idol, but they have a hard time remembering the name of our vice president.

The only time I recall agreeing with William Safire was when years ago he finished an essay by saying that we are a nation of nitwits. If that's the case, then we deserve what we get. There's no excuse for anyone to be so ill informed as the average person on the street.

;(

[Number23]

35. Sometimes I think the nitwittery is a deliberate response to the shrillness from both sides

But maybe I'm giving people too much credit. I've been known to do that.

[PassingFair]

36. Too true!

I often wonder why we let the rabble vote!

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Clintonista2]

7. I've seen posters here claim Bill Clinton was responsible for crack cocaine in detroit

(seriously). It's like they just can't control the delusions of Bill Clinton being Hitler v2.0 that pop into their tiny little minds :rofl::rofl::rofl:

[msanthrope]

39. I thought it was the Mena airport drug cartel? n/t

[Gordan Shumway]

8. Creepy link

You've got an almost 2 year old post to make a creepy link to a poster that hasn't appeared in this thread. Weird.


EDIT: Didn't notice the poster name of the OP. Still creepy to drag out a 2 year old post.

[Vattel]

11. Sorry if you got creeped. It's all in good fun.

Since the issue of whether Clinton's endoresement would mean much was raised, I just thought it was kind of funny that the OP itself could have been entitled, "Fucking snake speaks out on Kagan." Come on, that's a little bit funny, isn't it?

[Gordan Shumway]

12. It's a little bit funny

that you linked a two year old post to inflame a primary battle from 2008. Creepy, obvious to some, but not very funny in my mind.

[Vattel]

13. Wow, you saw right through me.

I confess. My true motive was to reignite the Obama-Clinton primary battle. Come on everyone. Let's have a bitter argument about who was the better candidate. (Sarcasm)

[vaberella]

9. I'm not a fan of his. But there are a lot of people who still adore him. n/t

[bvar22]

33. Does anyone trust Bill Clinton ?

Not with my money or my daughters.

[jobycom]

37. I do. I don't trust people who don't. nt

[Autumn]

42. I think you misunderstood my post,

I trust Bill Clinton very much. It's the hypocrisy I was pointing out. He never lied to me. He did a lot when you consider what he had to work with and how they were after him.

[jobycom]

43. Ah, my bad.

I took the general direction of the subthread as your opinion too. I see now that wasn't the way you meant it.

Always bums me out to see Democrats and other liberals bash Clinton. I think people forget or never understood just how far to the right this nation had moved before he took office. Nor do they realize the tremendous advances we made in the day to day running of things. It's understandable that we focus more on the big ticket items like human rights and foreign policy, but in small matters like the interaction of the state and local government with the national government, or the organization of departments like FEMA and HUD or even the FBI and ATF, Clinton inherited a nightmare of neglect and misadministration, and turned it all around.

Leaders who can not only inspire on the big issues but also can administrate don't come along very often. Clinton may have been the best combination of the two since FDR.

[msanthrope]

40. I trust Bill Clinton. n/t

[Autumn]

44. So do I,

Bill Clinton had a lot on his plate too, and what he did accomplish, he did it with the hounds of hell breathing down his neck.

[babylonsister]

22. Funny, this article is actually about Kagan, not Bill.

But whatever you think of him, he has been known to be politically savvy, so I do think his opinion has merit and influence. I'm glad he holds Kagan in such high esteem, which was sort of the point of this post.

[Autumn]

23. It's a lot about Bill Clinton too

I like Kagan and I'm glad he endorsed her. I'm glad Obama chose her. But I think the point of the post is that Clinton endorsed her. I just find it hysterical that so many people will have a hissy fit over his support for say, Blanch in ARK. Clinton supported Blanche, so did Obama, yet Bill Clinton is vilified over his support of her. (I disagreed with both Obama and Clinton on that support) The Clinton's are going to do whatever they can to support our President.

[PassingFair]

31. Clinton issued a veto, but it went on to pass anyway.

That same year SEC Chief Arthur Levitt proposed barring accounting firms from
consulting for the very firms they were AUDITING. The lobbyist who spearheaded the accounting
industries campaign against the Levitt proposal was none other than Harvey Pitt,
later Bush's SEC Chief.

I believe Bush's first action, after sweeping up the confetti, was to blow away
ANY that remained to function as oversight of Wall Street and corporations like Enron.


The real crime here is that Clinton went on listening to this "economic team",
and we are still stuck with many of them today.

Like Rubin, Greenspan, Summers and Geithner.

[Hekate]

38. What a thread. It was at DU I learned the affectionate nickname "Big Dig" for Bill Clinton. Now...

... the mere mention that he has PRAISED a SCOTUS nominee results in a lengthy trash-fest of the former president, and not a discussion of the merits of the nominee -- possibly because she's already been raked over the coals here, but that's another story.

Thank you Babylonsister for the information. But sometimes I wonder why I even bother to read the comments attached to the OPs ...

Hekate

[Hekate]

41. Big Dog. I meant Big Dog. sheesh.

:blush: