Posted by
Recovering Pol on Saturday, October 14, 2006 9:22:21 AM
Out here in the Real World, you get knocked down a notch if you brag too much in front of your friends. This never happens to Bill Clinton. For some reason his friends just eat it up.
Once again Clinton has demonstrated that in his world - and that means our world whenever he opens his mouth - it is all about him.
We are familiar with his stories about himself at other people's funerals.
We are familiar with his many attempts at legacy building.
However, his most often used form of self-congratulation is boasting about how much money he has.
Like a newly rich lottery winner stumbling into the most restrictive country club, he feels he has to prove he has money. He cannot resist any chance to talk about his recent financial windfalls.
His most recent babbling about this came on Thursday October 12th, 2006, when he was appearing in Nevada in support of some Democrat candidates. Their names are not important because they will all lose and he was there to talk about himself. Amid more legacy building and attempts to paint every elected Republican as far-right, he snuck in his money line.
Here, with attribution to the AP:
"Clinton also attacked Republican tax cuts, describing a repeal of the estate tax as the GOP's top legislative priority.
"They may think I should be able to give Chelsea every nickel, but I don't," Clinton said. "
Here are a couple more reminders from Bill:
In 2003, from an appearance in Chicago, thanks to CNSNews.com:
"We are going to put half-a-million [children] out on the street, so I can get my $80,000 [tax cut]," Clinton said, referring to the amount he expects to save under the Bush tax-cut plan.
In 2004, in front of the PUSH coalition, also thanks to CNSNews.com:
"They are paying for my tax cut by kicking 300,000 poor kids out of their after-school program," he added. ... "Hundreds of thousands of kids aren't getting food in school so I can, you know, buy another watch. I am telling you, that's what the deal is," ..."I like saying this now - 'cause I literally -- I didn't have any money ever. I had the lowest net worth of any modern president when I went in office..."
Back when Bill was President, I explained his wavering stances and attempts to co-opt issues (Welfare reform) as just a part of his personality, a personality that revolved around the wonderfulness of being President. Ever since that handshake with JFK, Bill was driving for the White House. He didn't have any particular allegiance to faith, ideas, policies, or people, unless they were temporarily useful to him.
I thought he pursued this for the prestige, the power, and the adulation. He did. But, now we know those things are further down the list than chicks and cash. He can't openly brag about the chicks, though he made sure we all found out, but he sure likes to brag about the cash.