Obama: Bill on his best behavior
Posted: Thursday, October 02, 2008 9:22 AM by Carrie Dann
How did the Bill Clinton-campaigning-for-Obama story get so little play? Short answers: The economy and Palin. In his first campaign event for Obama, Bill Clinton laid out the argument for Obama. He "praised Obama's 'good ideas' for the economy, energy independence, and healthcare. 'He's got a better philosophy, he's got better answers,' Clinton told voters at the University of Central Florida in Orlando."
Video: Attending his first campaign rally for Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton tells the crowd that Obama has better understanding, advisors and instincts on the economy.
Bloomberg News: "The awkward personal relationship aside, Clinton's potential political value to Obama showed in the fact that the former president's campaign debut was set in Florida -- where opinion polls show a competitive race for the state's 27 Electoral College votes, the fourth-most in the country. Florida's electoral votes decided the 2000 election between Bush and then-Vice President Al Gore. Floridians backed Bush in 2004 over Democrat John Kerry.”
“In another potentially decisive political battleground, Ohio's Democratic Governor Ted Strickland advised Obama's tacticians to deploy Bill Clinton heavily in parts of the state. In Orlando yesterday, Clinton focused on the economy. Obama's priorities, when consulting his economic advisers about the financial crisis, show what kind of president he will be, Clinton said. ‘You know what he said? “Tell me what the problem is and how to fix it, and don't bother me with politics. Let's do the right thing, and we'll sell it to America,”’ Clinton said."
The Los Angeles Times notes Clinton was "warmer than the tepid backing Clinton has expressed in recent days while making the rounds on late night and Sunday news shows promoting his philanthropic summit. Words of praise for Republican John McCain fairly rolled off his tongue -- ‘a great man’ who ‘stood up to his party.’ But when it came to Obama's attributes, ‘much closer to what Hillary and I want’ was about as good as it got."
The New York Post fact-checks Obama’s tax claims.
