Bill Clinton Endorses The Tea Party Movement!

Yes folks, that’s right – Bill Clinton endorses the Tea Party movement.  No, I am not on drugs.

Please spend a moment with me while I touch on a couple things in this interview (via NY Daily News).  Suffice it to say,  the pragmatism of Bill Clinton is one of the things that made him a better President than Mr. Obama could/would ever be.

WASHINGTON - Former President Bill Clinton warned Friday that the anti-government fringe could provoke the kind of political extremism that preceded the Oklahoma City bombing.

“Before the bombing occurred, there was a sort of fever” in the political dialogue that was in ways similar in content to the anger currently boiling up on talk radio and on the Internet, Clinton said at a forum on the 15th anniversary of the attack by Timothy McVeigh that killed 168.

“The fabric of American life had been unraveling” in 1995 amid high unemployment, Clinton said.

“The structure of the Cold War — the clear bipolar world — was coming to an end,” Clinton said. “There were more and more people having trouble figuring out where they fit in. It is true that we see some of that today.”

Clinton said people have the right “to advocate whatever the livin’ Sam Hill they want to advocate” but they must observe “the basic line dividing criticism from violence or its advocacy.”

The enthusiasm for the current Tea Party movement was essentially within bounds, Clinton said.

“This Tea Party movement can be a healthy thing if they are making us justify every dollar of taxes we raise and every dollar of money we’ve spent,” Clinton said.

“But when you get mad, sometimes you end up producing the exact opposite result of what you say you are for.”

Item #1:  President Clinton refers to the “anti-government fringe” in this article (referring to potential violence).  He did NOT lay this at the door of the Tea Party.  And he is absolutely correct.  The Tea Party needs to be mindful to remain separate and distinct from radicals who wish to gain traction from their energy.

Item #2:  President Clinton refers to the fervor and anger on talk radio and the internet today, paralleling 1995. This correlation is accurate; but that anger is justified.  The United States is in a far worse place today than 1995. And while many circumstances today are a direct result of contemptuous management by Mr. Obama and his “crew”; we are remiss in not taking pause to give the Republicans their fair share of the blame.  If not for their categorical failure to maintain core Conservative values, the Demonazi super-majority would not exist, thereby nullifying much of what pisses people off today.  From what I have heard this morning and this afternoon, the context of this may have been a bit oversold on talk radio.

Item #3:  President Clinton said: “… people have the right “to advocate whatever the livin’ Sam Hill they want to advocate” but they must observe “the basic line dividing criticism from violence or its advocacy.”

Yes Mr. President, we agree on that.  Damn shame you didn’t practice this in your Presidency, but I give you credit for getting it today.

Item #4: The enthusiasm for the current Tea Party movement was essentially within bounds, Clinton said.

“This Tea Party movement can be a healthy thing if they are making us justify every dollar of taxes we raise and every dollar of money we’ve spent,” Clinton said.

Thank you Mr. President.  You are absolutely correct.

Item #5: President Clinton said:  ”But when you get mad, sometimes you end up producing the exact opposite result of what you say you are for.”

This is true, and should serve as a reminder that anger and activism is good, and healthy.  I am on record as urging the “politically apostate America” to get off its ass and begin to get involved.  This is happening in spades and it’s a good thing.  But we should also remember NOT to step over the line from activism to malevolence.  It’s not the right place for the movement to be, and it’s counterproductive to the cause.

Thank you President Clinton for what I believe is a fair and balanced interview.  I cannot wait until a man or woman I can again call “President” sits in the Oval Office chair being occupied by Mr. Obama.