From The Road
February 10, 2008 5:04 PM

Obama Says Clinton Presidency Could Be Another '94

By
Maria Gavrilovic
Topics
Barack Obama
(CBS)
From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- Barack Obama said that Senator Clinton will have a difficult time breaking out the politics of the last 15 years, if she is president. Obama compared Clinton to her husband, saying that she will have a difficult time keeping a majority in Congress just as President Clinton did in 1994.

"Keep in mind we had Bill Clinton as president when in '94 we lost the House, we lost the Senate, we lost the governorship, we lost state houses and so regardless of what policies they wanted to promote, they didn't have a working majority to bring change about," Obama told the crowd of over 3,000.

Obama repeatedly said that he is more capable of beating John McCain than Clinton is, citing polls which show that he beats McCain in a hypothetical general election matchup.

"I can get more independent votes and more Republican votes and offset whatever advantages he may have and actually succeed," Obama said referring to McCain. "I think that Senator Clinton starts off with 47% of the country against her, that's a hard place to start if you want to win an election."

Obama also accused Clinton of raising more money from special interests than McCain.

"We have funded our campaign with $25, $50, $100 donations from people in this audience. And so that means that I am answerable to the public in a way that Senator Clinton who's raised more money from PACs and special interests than John McCain has, hasn't."

Add a Comment See all 13 Comments
by hopeful08 February 11, 2008 6:39 PM EST
Obama''s core difference with every president we have had since JFK, is his ability to get the population actively engaged in our democracy. This is is why thousands of non-politicos like me are reading/writing here. An active populace obsoletes the labels of Conservative, Liberal, Left, Right, Red, Blue.... These are coarse simplifications developed by special-interests to create artificial divisions to advance their agenda. The best politics happen in heterogeneous communities all over the country where people see each other for what they are and make win-win compromises. Obama''s mission is to kick-start this process at a national level and he is succeeding even within the context of this campaign. This CAN fundamentally break Washington grid-locks for a generation IF the momentum keeps building bottom-up.
But its up to us. Either way, we WILL get the president we deserve and the politics we deserve.
Reply to this comment
by hopeful08 February 11, 2008 6:34 PM EST
Obama''s core difference with every president we have had since JFK, is his ability to get the population actively engaged in our democracy. This is is why thousands of non-politicos like me are reading/writing here. An active populace obsoletes the labels of Conservative, Liberal, Left, Right, Red, Blue.... These are coarse simplifications developed by special-interests to create artificial divisions to advance their agenda. The best politics happen in heterogeneous communities all over the country where people see each other for what they are and make win-win compromises. Obama''s mission is to kick-start this process at a national level and he is succeeding even within the context of this campaign. This CAN fundamentally break Washington grid-locks for a generation IF the momentum keeps building bottom-up.
But its up to us. Either way, we WILL get the president we deserve and the politics we deserve.
Reply to this comment
by eacarlson3 February 11, 2008 2:36 AM EST
Different Delegate totals - Emily Carlson
Lots of different delegate totals, yes. Confusing, yes. Important, YES! There is just not sure way to calculate those delegate totals right now. It''s neck and neck. Clinton and Obama will duke it out all the way to the National Convention. Let''s not jump the gun, and let''s REALLY not get wrapped up in the specifics of the delegate total right now. The numbers will most certainly change. This could be the tightest race for the Democratic nomination of all time. It''s going to be a LONG time before the numbers will declare a winner.

More:
http://clearblogs.com/emilycarlson/
http://emilyannecarlson.tblog.com/
http://eacarlson3.bravejournal.com/
Reply to this comment
by mh4cbs1 February 10, 2008 11:13 PM EST
x32792 says: "Clinton and McCain are phantom choices. Both serve and protect the Special Interests which have been running this country since the end of WWII."

Absolutely! Clinton the first gave us NAFTA, Telecom deregulation, banking/wall street deregulation, and no progress on environment, alternative energy, ending corporate welfare, ending corporate lobbyists writing our laws, ending bloated military budgets...

Sen Clinton and McCain are not all the different. Both are status quo, big business loyalists who want to continue the empire and to h*ll with the middleclass.

Dems should have supported Edwards. But with Obama at least we have a shot at peace and economic justice - though he hasn''t the courage to campaign on it like Edwards and Kucinich.

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by croft777 February 10, 2008 10:28 PM EST
Mrs Clinton has an estimated personal worth of $41 million dollars. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, "How does a humble and honest public servant amass that amount of money?" MG1220

The same way Obama does, but at least she admits it.
Reply to this comment
by mg1220 February 10, 2008 10:20 PM EST
Wether it''s Obama or Clinton, America would usually have a Republican congress for check and balance. Having an idealist Obama and an idealist Republican spells more of a gridlock. At least a pragmatic Clinton has shown she can work with Republicans.
Reply to this comment
by x32792 February 10, 2008 10:20 PM EST
geisemann,

You also wrote, "...the press is so nasty and does anything to make money..."

Mrs Clinton has an estimated personal worth of $41 million dollars. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, "How does a humble and honest public servant amass that amount of money?"
Reply to this comment
by x32792 February 10, 2008 10:11 PM EST
"...I am feeling more and more because of the press I am voting clintion..."

So you are casting your vote against the Press?

Sweet mother of gawd, no wonder this country is in the mess with sort of fuzzy logic being applied to presidential voting.
Reply to this comment
by geisemann99 February 10, 2008 9:32 PM EST
Obama = Carter 2.0
HE is very fluffy and wants world piece just like carter did.

Carter was not a good president. Once in the White house Obama wont be crafty enough to work the red tape in Washington.

In my opinion now. I used to like obama but the press is so nasty and does anything to make money.

They cover Clintons in a poor light and never give hillary any press coverage.

I am feeling more and more because of the press I am voting clintion. I dont want the press to decide for America I want to decide.
Reply to this comment
by jonkelvey February 10, 2008 9:27 PM EST
I agree with Obama. The Clinton Presidency was over-rated. I must admit I don''t get the appeal among progressives; this was a president who admittedly could not stand up to the pentagon and get the U.S. to join the civilized world in banning land mines. Continued cold war era trade policies with Japan that patronized the Japanese people and hollowed out America''s industrial base, harming the the working class. Who presided over the heavy handed and reckless handling of the WACO standoff, failed to bring about health care reform, and took the credit for the economic prosperity of the late 90''s that was due silicon valley...

Bill Balanced the budget and that is the only thing he did worth taking note of. His was a quiet, mediocre presidency that obviously looks great in comparison with the disastrous Bush Whitehouse, but Bill''s tenure was still nothing great. If Hillary is anything like bill, if this is where she gained her "experience" then I would rather have John McCain as President than her. This country needs to be shaken up, we''ve lost the courage to face the new and unkown. Hillary is known, Barack is not, John McCain is Maverick enough to be unpredictable...I would rather see a bad fours years than another eight mediocre ones...
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