Cheers For Bill Clinton In Indiana, But Frustration In S.F.

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton, "rural hitman," is continuing his swing through areas rarely seen by former presidents with four stops in southern Indiana today.

The Associated Press reports that "about 1,000 people filled a Columbus fire station for Clinton's appearance, while several hundred others gathered outside in a brisk wind."

Clinton pushed his wife's economic plan.

"Hillary believes we should bring back manufacturing in America. We don't have to give up on manufacturing,'' he said. "Middle class American taxpayers should not subsidize the loss of the manufacturing base."

But while Mr. Clinton is receiving "loud cheers" in Indiana, his behavior in San Francisco suggests frustration on the part on the former president, according to a San Francisco Chronicle dispatch.

The paper reports that Clinton had a "meltdown" when asked about Bill Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama at a meeting with California superdelegates at the state convention last weekend:

"Five times to my face (Richardson) said that he would never do that," a red-faced, finger-pointing Clinton erupted.

The former president then went on a tirade that ran from the media's unfair treatment of Hillary to questions about the fairness of the votes in state caucuses that voted for Obama. It ended with him asking delegates to imagine what the reaction would be if Obama was trailing by just 1 percent and people were telling him to drop out.

A calmer Clinton eventually pushed a message of party unity, the newspaper reports, though one anonymous source said it was odd when he later told everyone to "chill out."

"We couldn't help but think he was also talking to himself," the delegate said.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by x32792 April 3, 2008 12:08 PM EDT: The speed and popularity of the internet is now repeatedly exposing the true nature of the Clintons and the latitude they take in misremembering historical facts. Sooner or later, even their most loyal fans will become weary of apologizing for them and making excuses. This morning, there are 346 articles on Google News about Bill having a hissy fit.; Reply to this comment


by deq54 April 2, 2008 11:26 PM EDT: It is really sad to see both Bill and Hillary Clinton self destructing. The positive things accomplished in his 8 years of president are now being re-written with each meltdown, and the Bosnia fabrication. I watch them and I wonder why they don''t realize how much they themselves are damaging their future endeavors. Power must really be intoxicating to turn them into caricatures of the people they were. I feel real sadness when I watch them now. It must be horrible to be Chelsea and to have to be faced with questions of Monica and I wonder if I would subject my daughter to this. It is becoming depressing to watch. I now question if Hillary could even win another bid as Senator from New York.; Reply to this comment


by hillary4prez April 2, 2008 6:20 PM EDT: I agree with rjudy3. My mother and I attended a Bill Clinton rally at Chemeketa Community College in Salem Oregon. He spoke so eloquently and never missed a beat. He knows everything Hillary has done for us and can recite it flawlessly. Half-way through my mother said Hillary should be President just based on the things she has done. I agreed. There are so many. Her life has been dedicated to public service and I encourage everyone to watch her or Bill speak and they will be absolutely amazed at her accomplishments. I have been a Hillary fan since I was little, but I didn''t even know all the things she has done. What an extraordinary woman. You cannot go wrong with Hillary and Bill Clinton.; Reply to this comment


by vote4thebest April 2, 2008 6:16 PM EDT: It is understandable that Bill is upset and I tend to see the points that he is making.

Even Lou Dobbs runs a story about how obviously unfair a treatment that Hillary gets from the media.

If it were true that Richardson did assure him 5 times then he has the right to be upset. That is just plain terrible, may be that is why Carville calls Richardson a Judas.

It must be hard for him to see the double standard that nobody could criticize Obama without being called either a racist or ''old politic'', while Obama has blank checks to bash Clinton''s legacy. Despite the many scandals, the Clinton''s years were peaceful with plenty of jobs.; Reply to this comment


by rjudy3 April 2, 2008 6:05 PM EDT: RIGHT ON BILL!!!!!! Us REAL democrats know what the Obama campaign has done with the HELP of the biased media. Keep jabbin'' that finger at them! Hillary''s fight is OUR fight!
NO WAY Obama is our next nominee let alone our next president. Good lord the last time we put an inexperianced idiot in the white house, well you know what happened, 9/11, Iraq war, 4000+ dead, 30000 wounded, 500,000,000 billion and counting, 47 million uninsured, civil rights violated, companies took billions of our money in Iraq.
WE cannot afford another novice "on-the-job-training"president. We need Sen Clinton with her smarts, toughness(this campaign has truly showed me how tough she is) her ability to grasp the reality of our problems and explain(in detail) what she will do about it.
I am a 48yr old white male,high school graduate,former airline worker(union man)and a veteran. I have been a card-carying democratic voter for thirty years and have voted democratic on every ballot,every issue. IF the DNC does not count the votes in Fla and Mich I will quit the party and vote for McCain in the fall. It''s Hillary or McCain. We cannot trust our country to a man who lied about his church,his racist pastor, his wife whom has never been proud of America,or his slimy, shady dealings with Rezco.
Hillary, WE KNOW! We know pretty much what the republican playbook will be. He will be landslided by McCain by the millions. Hillary on the other hand will easily beat him. Thats the REAL math. Not Obamath!; Reply to this comment