Former President Bill Clinton told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in an interview aired today that he doesn’t believe there is a problem in a growing number of Americans relying on various government subsidies or benefits.
“Do I think there are some Americans who are trapped in a cycle of dependency? Yes, I think that is a problem,” Clinton said. “That’s why I supported welfare reform, to change it from an entitlement system to a work-based system, to an empowerment system.”
He said that U.S. entitlement spending is “not out of line with other advanced countries.”
“And the 47 percent, those that are adults, they do pay taxes. They pay Social Security taxes. They pay Medicare taxes. They pay state and local taxes,” he added. “…A lot of those people who don’t pay ordinary income tax would love to be back paying ordinary income tax. They’d love to have a full-time job instead of a part-time job or any job at all or be able to get a pay raise.”
When asked is the comments caught on secret video are a “game-changer” for Mitt Romney, Clinton said “it puts a heavier burden on him in the debates to talk about what he meant.”
“I do think a lot of the Tea Party believe that. They think it’s the government versus the private sector,” he said. “The problem with their paradigm, as I’ve said many times, is that if you look at every successful economy, if you measure the economy by per capita income, declining inequality, increasing social mobility, your chance of getting a pay raise year-end and year-out and doing better than your parents, there is no evidence that anywhere that’s going on, and it is going on, that they have a weak government and even lower taxes than we do.”
“Of the 33 countries in the biggest economies in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, richer countries, we rank 31st in the percentage of our income we devote to taxes. So their theory doesn’t work,” he added.
Clinton also gave a clever hat tip to his own performance in Charlotte.
“I think the president has the advantage now. We did have a very good convention. He got a good boost out of it,” the former president said. “I think people kind of get that we were so damaged that we couldn’t be back to full health in four years.”
We may be at the tipping point of demagoguery. Decide how you want history to remember how you responded.
What the hell did anyone expect the Great Intern Chaser to say? Slick Willie knew how to turn a personal defeat to his advantage long before David Axelrod or Rahm Emanuel came along. The Cigar King would have us believe he was in favor of decreased gubmint dependency, work for welfare, and a balanced budget. Truth is the Republican Class of 1994 drug him kicking and screaming into all those things. The Arkansas Thug went along only because he wanted a 2nd term.
Bubba is America’s favorite dirty old man. Letterman is a distant second.
The appalling lack of responsibility by the Democrats for the havoc and destruction they have caused is only matched by the despicable lack of honesty and accountability that their co-conspiratorial media has propagandized upon the public.
Clinton, the convicted perjurer speaking to Fareed Zakaria the plagiarist, discussing what matters in assessing leftist extremist monetary disasters on CNN, the coverup network…would be a cosmic joke of epic proportions in any information stream that wasn’t a complete farce.
What a bore. Prediction: fifty years from now the only thing Americans will remember about this man is Monica’s dress.
He said that U.S. entitlement spending is “not out of line with other advanced countries.”
Those other advanced countries like Greece and Spain?
“Of the 33 countries in the biggest economies in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, richer countries, we rank 31st in the percentage of our income we devote to taxes. So their theory doesn’t work,” he added.
Yes, the US is still just about the richest country excepting small nations swimming in oil or small tax shelters like Luxembourg. The model of the Eurotrash doesn’t work alright. but don’t worry, we’re getting ,more and more like those sophist, I mean sophisticated Eurotrash now with a debt crisis, persistent high youth unemployment and stagnant, increasingly hopeless economies.
Really, what self-respecting person admires Bubba Clinton these days? I can sort of understand journos and political hacks who are getting paid, but the rest are such ridiculous losers.
…that are also about to go swirling down the fiscal toilet. So we’re not in an especially bad situation. Depending on what your definition of “especially” is.
“He doesn’t believe there is a problem in a growing number of Americans relying on various government subsidies or benefits.”
Until we run out of money, Clinton is correct. After all NOTHING matters until it does.
The problem is once we have a failed treasury auction due to Bernanke’s endless printing money via QE3 and Washington’s refusal to get the spending under control (no budget for 3+ years!!!) the infinite free money tap will either HAVE to be shut off OR hyper-inflationary collapse will do it for us anyway.
What’s even better is a failed auction WILL occur sometime within Obama’s second term. We have had 2 downgrades on his watch so far, it took 3 before Greece fell off the cliff.
Change is coming…
– and pillage, what’s the diff, eh Bill?
Bill Clinton with 70% approval rating? Jimmy Carter and Obama in the same camp???
What gives??
American’s have forgotten how corrupt President Clinton’s administration was. He was the first sitting President to have been Impeached for corruption and violation of campaign finance regulations (receiving donations from foreign governments and individuals).
Clinton signed HR4655, authorizing “Regime change” in Iraq – ousting Sadam Hussein. Later, it was called “Operation Desert Fox.” He and Kofi Anan (then head of the U.N.) were caught in an “oil-for-food” program scandal in Iraq.
Clinton presided over eight years of the selling of American highly classified technology to communist China.
1) Stealth technology
2) The J-20 Fighter a replica of US’s F-22
3) Radiation Hardened Nuclear chips
4) Missile technology
5) Multiple Re-Entry Warhead Technology
The waivers Mr. Clinton granted to Loral Space & Communications and Hughes Electronics for having shared missile, super computer, machine tool, oscilloscope, and other technological deals laid bare both U.S. Business and political “We The Elite People of culture of corruption in Washington DC” willing to bargain away US’s National Security…with President Clinton’s approval and donations to his re-election coffers. Not to mention the “midnight” pardons he gave to all his crony friends indicted for corruption.
Now, China has 13 missiles (or more) positioned at the U.S., thanks to Mr. Clinton, with US technology. Nuclear tests performed during Clinton’s Presidency by India and Pakistan were a product of US assistance.
Supercomputers, Clinton sold to China, will enable it to conduct virtual nuclear tests.
Clinton reclassified “turbine engines,” aircraft and other dual use technology as “commercial” thus passing easily to Chinese hands.
Then there’s Clinton’s allowing Chinese leasing of California’s Long Beach Naval Base to “China Ocean Shipping Company- COSCO.” ThIs same company, was caught smuggling AK-47’s to California’s street gangs. Precursor to Obama’s “Fast-and-Furious.”
In ’96, China exported nuclear technology to Pakistan and Iran, Clinton’s Administration just stood by.
All this illegal activity had it’s corresponding “payments-in-kind” to President Clinton’s candidacy and campaign. Later, Congress acted to file a complaint for violation of campaign finance regulations.
And Bill Clinton’s popularity is the highest ever???? What’s wrong with We The People??? God Bless America. Amen.