Bill Clinton on Letterman was wrong about one thing tonite.

[LiberalFighter]

He said those with higher incomes should pay a higher income tax but not until the economy has recovered. Bullshit! They can afford to pay more taxes now.

[Rhiannon12866]

1. I heard that, too... I was hoping that Letterman would call him on it.

But Letterman usually acknowledges that Bill Clinton is the smartest man in the room, and he's usually right... :(

[cui bono]

16. Um... maybe in THAT room. NAFTA wasn't so smart was it?

DADT wasn't that smart.

...

[Beacool]

18. NAFTA was already a done deal and DADT was in response

to a proposed Constitutional amendment to declare marriage a union between a man and a woman. Different times, different needs.

:shrug:

[former9thward]

26. You are re-writing history.

NAFTA was not a done deal. The basics were negotiated during the Bush I administration but it was Clinton who pushed it through Congress. He then signed it. He owns it. Clinton even had Gore go out and debate Perot on it. A debate which Perot won easily.

[dsc]

31. No DADT was a response to the fact that Congress was

not going to let gays serve and that sodomy was still against the law (this was pre Lawerence).

[Beacool]

32. You're correct.

I was referring to DOMA, but DADT was an attempt to compromise since at the time the military and the public at large were against gays in the military. Neither one was great, but it was what could be passed at the time.

[CreekDog]

34. DADT is not DOMA --in fact they were 3 years apart.

you shouldn't be confusing them if you're trying to make a larger point.

[Amonester]

2. If that is so, the 1% will keep the economy from ever recovering...

Ain't Bill one of the 1% now?

[LiberalAndProud]

3. Bill Clinton and Ben Nelson agree.

It seems to me that Mr. Big Money will interpret that as a disincentive to create jobs.

This is how I understand the economic philosophy -- it is a both a threat and a promise: "If the economy doesn't improve, you will continue to enjoy the low-low taxes on your ever-expanding income that you enjoy today. However, your tax bill will go up if the economy improves."

Yep, that's a formula for job creation if I ever saw one. /sarcasm

[Hutzpa]

4. Seems to me that Bill is working overtime to maintain his legacy. n/t

[MessiahRp]

5. Everyone and their mother has reported that corporations are just sitting on their cash.

Top paid executives however get bigger bonuses by the year especially because they keep those companies from spending a dime on labor. Fuck them. Why should they benefit from freezing everyone else out?

Rp

[Arctic Dave]

6. You mean the Bill Clinton that fucked over working America with nafta?

That motherfucker?

[Rageneau]

8. NAFTA was a done deal before Clinton became President.

If he did anything, it was to try to improve it to protect American jobs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement

[AtomicKitten]

9. Correct. GHW Bush negotiated NAFTA but BClinton signed it into law. /nt

[former9thward]

27. Incorrect. It was not a done deal.

Clinton had to pressure a Democratic Congress to pass it. He then signed it. He owns it. Don't deflect. NAFTA has cost this country millions of jobs.

[AtomicKitten]

30. If he had to pressure Congress to pass it, he takes ownership of it. /nt

[Arctic Dave]

10. He does have veto power.

Plus he also signed off on CAFTA. I can't remeber the other one off the top of my head will post back with that one.

[blm]

13. Hardly...he withheld WH support of Kerry's amendment to NAFTA adding protections for labor and

the environment.

[Beacool]

21. Shhhh, they don't want to know that.

It's easier to crap on Clinton at every opportunity.

:(

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

25. When he's wrong, he's wrong. When Obama's wrong, he's wrong. There should be no double standards!!

[Mimosa]

7. Clinton is the 1%

He is in the club. As are his friends, family and heirs from now on.

[mod mom]

17. and he sold out working people to get there.

[flpoljunkie]

11. Clinton supports the AJA which raises taxes on higher incomes in 2013

[Proud Liberal Dem]

12. By the time the economy has "recovered"

the apologists and warriors for the 1% will be arguing that to raise taxes now would risk driving us back into a recession and/or that the "crisis" has already passed and their additional "contribution" is no longer needed. :shrug:

[AtomicKitten]

14. Not helpful, Bubba.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

15. I noticed how so many here on DU are silent on this because it's Bill Clinton

Imagine if Barack Obama had made this statement.

Proves MHP is right!!

[Beacool]

22. Who the hell is silent?

If people used the same terms against Obama that they constantly use against Clinton, their messages would be deleted.

:eyes:

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

24. Please! You know damn well that had Obama made this statement all hell would break loose

on DU. Without question!

The bottom line is that it was a idiotic statement to make. The wealthy have not been asked to sacrifice ANYTHING!! To assert that they shouldn't have to endure the recovery by paying a little more in taxes is ludicrous. Bill knows better than this! He ought to be ashamed of himself, especially since the tax rate that these rich assholes are complaining about is 39% -- the exact rate that he himself pushed for!

What's wrong with Bill?

:eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes:

[frylock]

28. are you reading the same thread i am?

wtf are you talking about?!

[harun]

29. I think most are not surprised by Obama or BC saying it.

BC was DLC and Obama was a DLC trojan horse.

[treestar]

33. +1

Obama has already been accused of god knows what for agreeing to extend the tax cuts, even when it included middle class tax cuts !

[libinnyandia]

19. Shut up, Bill

Please shut up, Bill, you bear some responsibility for the mess we're in.

[Canuckistanian]

20. What's he talking about? The economy is GREAT - for them

I don't see any cutbacks or layoffs of CEOs and Hedge Fund managers. They're doing brisk business right now.

[Umbral]

23. Only one thing? It must have been an off night for him. nt