Tea Party is misplacing the blame, former President Bill Clinton claims
BY Kenneth R. Bazinet<http://www.nydailynews.com/authors/Kenneth%20R.%20Bazinet>
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
[image: Ex-President Bill Clinton says many voters supporting the Tea Party
'have really good impulses.']
Bondareff/AP
Ex-President Bill Clinton says many voters supporting the Tea Party 'have
really good impulses.'
Take our Poll
O'Donnell and Nov. 2010
Do you think Tea Party favorite Christine O'Donnell will win Delaware's
Senate race in November?
Yes. Her views represent a lot of people. No. She's too conservative
to be elected. Who knows?
Related News
- Articles
- Clinton warns of rise of same extremism that led to Oklahoma City
bombing<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/04/16/2010-04-16_former_president_clinton_warns_tea_party_could_feed_same_extremism_that_led_to_o.html>
- 'Right-wing conspiracy' is still at it, Bubba
says<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/09/28/2009-09-28_rightwing_conspiracy_is_still_at_it_former_president_bill_clinton_says.html>
- President Bush to Bill Clinton: You'll be traveling
solo<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2007/12/20/2007-12-20_president_bush_to_bill_clinton_youll_be_.html>
- Queenan: Pruning the White House
ivy<http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/09/20/2010-09-20_pruning_the_white_house_ivy.html>
- I've got a Bill of good health, says
Bubba<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/20/2010-09-20_ive_got_a_bill_of_good_health_says_exprez.html>
- Clinton-Lewinsky joke backfires for Brown in Calif.
race<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/14/2010-09-14_clinton_joke_backfires_in_calif_race.html>
-
WASHINGTON <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Washington%2c+DC> - Former
President Bill Clinton said Sunday he feels the rage of Tea Party voters -
but said they are misplacing the blame.
"A lot of the voters who are voting for the Tea Party candidates have really
good impulses. That is, they believe that for years and years and years, the
people with wealth and power or government power have done well and ordinary
people have not," Clinton said.
Clinton, speaking on
NBC<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/NBC+Universal+Inc.>'s
"Meet the Press" <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Meet+the+Press>
and CBS<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/CBS+Corporation>'
"Face the Nation," called the Tea Party movement "a general revolt against
bigness - which in the case of the Republicans is always directed more
against the government than private sector."
But Clinton, a Democrat, argued that unchecked private power is the bigger
threat to Americans' well-being.
He argued that the Tea Party is "bankrolled by people who want to weaken the
government so that there will be even more unaccounted-for private
concentration of power - and that's what got us in the mess that we're in in
the first place."
Clinton also said Tea Party candidates like Delaware
GOP<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Republican+State+Committee+of+Delaware>Senate
hopeful Christine
O'Donnell <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Christine+O'Donnell> - who
hastily canceled two scheduled Sunday talk-show interviews - need to spell
out where they stand "on the important things."
"When you call her on something, she just says, 'Oh, everybody's playing
negative politics,'" Clinton said.
On "Fox News <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/FOX+News+Network+LLC>Sunday,"
Republican political guru Karl
Rove <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Karl+Rove> said O'Donnell must
explain to Christian communities in
Delaware<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Delaware>what she meant
when she said in a TV panel discussion 10 years ago that she
"dabbled in witchcraft."
Sen. Jim DeMint <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Jim+DeMint>, the
highest-ranking elected official affiliated with the Tea Party, had a
different warning for Republicans. He said the
GOP<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/U.S.+Republican+Party>can't take
the energized Tea Party voters for granted and must deliver on
slashing government or face political doom.
"If we get the majority again, even if it's just in the House, and we don't
do what we say, I think the Republican Party is dead," said DeMint (R-S.C.).
Read more:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/20/2010-09-20_bubba_to_tea_party_beware_whos_filling_pot.html?r=news/politics#ixzz104z1bEAm
Read more:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/20/2010-09-20_bubba_to_tea_party_beware_whos_filling_pot.html?r=news/politics#ixzz104yuIyxW
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.
