By

Stephanie Condon /

CBS News/ October 18, 2012, 2:19 PM

Bill Clinton: Romney "thinks we're dumb"

Bill Clinton AP Photo/Tony Dejak

Opening for iconic rock singer Bruce Springsteen at an Obama campaign rally in Parma, Ohio, former President Bill Clinton today railed against Mitt Romney, charging that the GOP candidate "thinks we're dumb."

"We keep saying, 'Show us your budget, where are your numbers?'" Mr. Clinton told the crowd at the get-out-the-vote rally. "This guy ran Bain Capital and is a business guy and he's hiding his budget? That ought to tell you something."

The former president, who this year has served as one of President Obama's most effective spokesmen, blasted Romney for his evasiveness on other issues, such as whether he would have signed into the law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

"He can't even say whether he would sign a law already on the books," Mr. Clinton said. "He wants to convince the moderate voters he's a new man without explicitly disavowing a single solitary commitment he made when he said he was a severe conservative.'"

By contrast, the former president continued, "You will never have to play hide and seek with the president's budget. You don't have to play hide and seek with the president's tax returns."

Mr. Clinton also turned his fire on congressional Republicans, charging "they worked so hard to keep the unemployment rate above 8 percent. They were crushed when it dropped down to 7.8."

He acknowledged that the 0.2 percent drop in unemployment "doesn't sound like much," but said it amounts to "the biggest one year drop in unemployment in 17 years."

"I don't want you to go tell any undecided voter we think it's hunky dory -- we don't," he said of the economy, adding that it's been a "long, slow climb" to recovery. "But we at least are climbing, we're not trying to drive us back in the other direction."

Mr. Obama, he continued, knows the economy is "not fixed. The question is, which path will fix it?"

Mr. Clinton touted the president's efforts to save the auto industry, noting that one in eight jobs in Ohio is tied to the sector. He also hailed Mr. Obama for making Medicare "stronger, not weaker" and for instituting student loan reforms.

Mr. Clinton criticized the budget GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan put forward in the House for its cuts to Medicaid, the federal-state program that provides health insurance for low-income and disabled people.

"I'm sick and tired of poor people not being able to work their way into the middle class," he said. "Most poor people are already working, they just not making anything."

By contrast, he said Mr. Obama's budget is "not only better economics, it honors our values."

"Shared prosperity... is just better economics than trickle down and winner take all," Mr. Clinton said.

After the president spoke, Springsteen -- who earlier in the day made his endorsement of the president official -- took to the stage and explained to the audience why he was campaigning for the Democratic president.

"I came here today because I'm thankful for universal health care, the lack of which was for so long an embarrassment to our country," he said. "I'm thankful for a regulated Wall Street. I'm thankful GM is still making cars -- what else would I write about?"

Springsteen recalled Mr. Obama's inauguration in 2009, calling it "an evening when you could feel the locked doors of the past finally being blown open to new possibilities." He continued, "Then comes a hard daily struggle to make those possibilities real in a world brutally resistant to change."

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    Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.

16 Comments Add a Comment
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suwat007 says:
I like Mr. Romney pretty much.
Mr. Romney said low tax for the wealth and more tax to the poor is good. However, I just do not know why it is good as I feel Mr. Romney pays low tax and does not create any job position at all.
However, I,as a poor conservative, not dumb, am ready to pay more taxes to let the rich like Mr. Romney to pay less tax. Long Live Mr. Romney. Long Live Republicans.
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hypnotoad72 replies:
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EnoughOfZerobama -

What will Romney do to back up the claims you are reiterating?

Will Romney hold Romney accountable?

Or is he holding you accountable?

BTW: Thanks to various market crashes, since 2007 was hardly a drop in the bucket, people have lost LOTS. Don't you find it interesting that we put money into the same retirement system that people also say "Don't put any money in the market that you can't afford to lose"? There's a cool conundrum...
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pbarber12 says:
First two years of Obama administration:
GDP was at -5.6% when he took office. With the stimulus package, the GDP after two years was at 3%. That means that the GDP went up in two years 8.5%. No other President and the Congress has been able to even match that record, since World War II.

After 2 years, the House of Representatives was controlled by the GOP, and over 400 job and stimulus bills were voted down that came from the Democratic controlled Senate. Last year after the GOP got control, the GDP went to 1.7%, and this year it is currently at 1.3%. Yep, we definitely need to vote for the GOP. They are taking right back into a deep recession.

The GOP doesn't care about you. Anyone that suggests a 20% for the rich is not serious about paying down the debt. What is their latest 5 step plan budget - 6 trillion dollars in 4 years, and they won't tell us how they are going to pay for it? Don't worry be happy with no job, 3 minimum wage jobs for the college kids, they'll send your kids for cannon fodder overseas, and if your child gets sick no medical. They replace your jobs by sending them overseas and now they are replacing your jobs by bringing in foreign workers who they don't need to pay medical too. You heard Romney at the debate. He said, "I'm for immigration. You got a college education, attach a green card, we will welcome you." He doesn't care that 50% of the college kids don't have job. The corporations got to pay your kids medical, but not these green card holders.
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takacrat says:
I know that he is Reving Wright!!
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jenions says:
Way to go, Bill, you tell 'em.
Thanks, Bill, you tell 'em...
con-artists Romney/Ryan... if they get in they'll destroy America.
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012 send Romney/Ryan packing... for good... the sooner the better
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marzxyz says:
The Republican Party exists for ONE reason and ONE reason only: to protect the interests of the wealthy. Now consider the millions of voters of modest means (and worse) who routinely vote for the Republican candidate. Romney has good reason to think that the voters are stupid!
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acxeptddty replies:
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Agreed. Since I am not filthy rich, by definition I am a "47", and Romney is on record that he does not give a isht about me.

Brainless airheads can think differently only by conveniently ignoring the undeniable moment of unguarded truth from Romney's own mouth. No wonder he dodges and fudges and flip-flops. Truth is not a word in his vernacular. He was for health care reform before he was against it. He was for abortion before he was against it. This Kerry-like behavior should be bashed at every opportunity, just as it was when the shoe was on the other foot back in 2004.

If Romney is elected, my advice is all 47s should move to Mexico for a couple of months to get used to life in a third world country. We will be consigned to that future under Romney and his side-kick babalooey.

We just labored under eight years of oppressive idiocracy. I am not willing to risk being right back where we were in October 2008 with Dumbya announcing that Republican failures to step in and regulate Wall Street freaks had nearly bankrupted the whole country.

Shame on Republicans, a healthy segment of whom claim to be Christians. Nowhere in my New Testament does it say that believers should freely disregard poor people, nor is it an American value.

Republicans are not only intellectually dishonest, but unashamedly fraudulent. Clean up your act. Bunch of jerks.
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Dancing-in-the-Streets says:
Don't worry Bill, we plan to show him he's wrong!

OBAMA/BIDEN 2012

Hillary/Warren 2016 : )
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Repubsknowbest says:
Clinton = Lies
Obama = Lies

Added together = Idiotic Democrats
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hypnotoad72 replies:
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So you're saying all Democrats lie and all Republicans tell the truth?

More about your comrades:


http://www.ontheissues.org/SenateVote/Party_2005-63.htm
(note which Democrats voted "NO" and which Republicans voted "YES"...)

"Voted NO on repealing tax subsidy for companies which move US jobs offshore. (Mar 2005)"

The amendment was rejected, so the "NO" votes won. So, let's read this and think about it - giving taxpayer money to corporations that offshore (to communist countries). This means people in America are out of work as we're shipping jobs overseas. This also means we create a revenue problem because there are fewer working people to tax. Never mind skill rot and other problems...



http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joe_conason/2009/03/27/deficits

Deficits don't matter - Cheney even quoting Reagan on that...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/obamas-and-bushs-effect-on-the-deficit-in-one-graph/2011/07/25/gIQAELOrYI_blog.html

That article also spells things out in Obama's favor, but while I've criticized him on other issues, before I stray, let's get back on target with your party of "integrity":

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/06/27/eric_cantor_conflict_of_interest/index.html

Doesn't get much less "integrity" than that, does it? Cantor is a real piece of work for trying that gambit...

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/04/14/158424/republican-leaders-debt-limit-hypocrisy/

That article citing UNBIASED, STRAIGHTFORWARD government sources, your GOP loved to raise the debt ceiling, time and again, with many Democrats voting against them so it would not be raised (holy fiscal responsibility irony)...

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57510158/ny-times-reporter-bush-white-house-didnt-listen-to-9-11-warnings/?tag=pop;stories

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/11/13_Laden.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4756962/

Oh boy - there's that integrity problem yet again... Bush ignored warnings prior to 9/11, stopped caring about the guy (because of his love affair with Iraq), and an article that really hammers how Iraq was planned as well...

How many more links do you want to see but not read? I'm sure I can find many, encompassing both parties perhaps, but since we know you were inferring "Republican" with your post, the goal was to take what point you were trying to make and put up a rebuttal.

Democrats are not perfect, but your blind supporting of a party that has really gone to great depths... *sigh* why Obama wants to compromise with these people is truly mind-boggling. But there I go digressing again.
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ballwyllo says:
If by Romney thinks we are dumb he meant Democratic Politicians then I would most emphatically agree.
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hypnotoad72 replies:
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Yes, yes, you may go right on thinking with your emotions rather than reasoning...

What if both sides are playing the populace as being dumb?
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jetjohn says:
And you Mr. Clinton are a liar and an adulterer!!! "I did not sleep with that woman. I did not sleep with that woman." I can't believe Hilary actually stayed with you after that!!! I guess you want to see America fall Mr. Clinton. If Obama gets another 4 years, we as a Nation are DONE!!!
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iwantafuture says:
You should know how dumb America is Bill...deny deny deny....Ex liar in cheif
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996Ducati replies:
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With your poor spelling skills, you won't have a very bright future.
Filmguy870 replies:
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DUCATI: HA HA HA HA...GOOD ONE!!!
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