Clinton stars in new Obama ad
(CNN) – Former President Bill Clinton takes center stage in a new ad released by President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign on Thursday.
The former president, who’s been a top surrogate for Obama this year, largely praises Obama in the spot and attempts to draw a contrast between Republicans and Democrats this election year.
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"This is a clear choice. The Republican plan is to cut more taxes on upper income people and go back to deregulation. That's what got us in trouble in the first place,” Clinton says in the ad. "President Obama has a plan to rebuild America from the ground up, investing in innovation, education, and job training. It only works if there is a strong middle class."
He later adds: "That's what happened when I was President. We need to keep going with his plan."
The 30-second ad, "Clear Choice," will air in the battleground states of New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada.
Responding to the ad, Romney's campaign pointed to the Republican candidate's plan to spur economic growth.
"Mitt Romney's 'sterling' private sector experience and his Plan for a Stronger Middle Class offer a new direction. He will jumpstart economic growth, creating 12 million jobs and bringing hope to the middle class," said Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg.
Her statement referred to Clinton's praise of Romney's corporate experience, when he said on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" in May that Romney had a "sterling business career" as CEO of Bain Capital. Clinton faced strong criticism from Democrats who had been using Romney's corporate history as an attack line.
In his stump speeches, Obama frequently credits Clinton-era policies for the strong economy in the '90s, arguing the country fared well under Clinton because he "understood what it takes for this economy."
"Nobody has a better grasp and understanding of the issues than this man," Obama said at a June fundraiser in New York.
Clinton was used in another political ad recently, though much to his chagrin.
Mitt Romney’s team featured the former president positively in a recent spot that attacks Obama for “gutting” the work requirement in the welfare reform law signed off by Clinton in 1996. The ad was part of a weeks-long campaign by Team Romney that leveled charges at Obama over his administration’s welfare adjustments.
However, Clinton himself, as well as fact-check groups and several news outlets, including CNN, have all said the Romney claim that Obama ended the work requirement is untrue.
Clinton had a staring role in an Obama campaign video in late April, with the former president praising the current president's role in last year's military raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.
Clinton, who was set to headline a pro-Obama super PAC event this month, will further cement his role as a major player in this year's election when he delivers a prime time speech at the Democratic National Convention in September.
The former president also joined Obama at an April fundraiser in Virginia.
- CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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Why didn't you push to get your wife to run in 2012!!!!!!!
Mr. Clinton, simply TRAITOROUS behavior. America WILL remember when when Hillary goes after the presidency.
I am sending my special love and affection to you and your family. We love you so much. God bless you, obama and USA.
PS: Paul Ryan is Sarah Palin.
Bill Clinton can't save the Democrates, look at the hole the Democrats and Obama have dug themselves:
Here is what the Democratic Congress and Obama presidency gave us:
– 5 Straight Years of $1 Trillion Deficits!
– Unemployment increase of 50 % since 2007; hovers at 14% to 15%.
– Home foreclosures rise by 75 percent since 2007
– Down Grade of Americas Credit Rating for the first time.
– Poverty in America Hits 52-year High as Economy Worsens.
– 45.8 Million Americans On Food Stamps, increase of 80 percent since 2007 – (CBO).
– Nearly 15% of the U.S. population relied on food stamps in August 2011, as the number of recipients hit 45.8 million. Food stamp rolls have risen 8.1% in the past year.
– Food Stamp program spending has doubled since 2008 – (CBO and OMB)
– A record 5.4 million workers and their dependents have signed up to collect federal disability checks since President Obama took office, by April there were 10.8 million people on disability, that's up 53% from a decade ago – (Social Security Administration).
– Since 2009, under Obama, Fed’s Holdings of U.S. Debt Have Jumped 452%, (Federal Reserve)
– Debt Increased By $35,835 per Household.
– American taxpayers will lose $16 billion on the government $49.5 billion bailout of GM.
– 50% of new graduates are jobless or underemployed (AP).
– American public's dependence on the federal government shot up 23% in just two years, the biggest two-year jump since Jimmy Carter was president.
– Price of gasoline, increase of 50 % since 2008, up 83% since Obama took office.
I can see this. President Clinton is looking to keep his picture in the minds of people. This kind of exposure keeps him minds of Americans and position in the Democratic party. I can't blame him because he did what he could as president.
When I run for office, I want the disbarred, disgraced, adulterous sex offender to put in a good word for me too. What a great representative for this administration.
Of course, I am supposed to be mortally offended by the term "legitimate rape" rather than pay attention to the personal character of the Democrat's "elder statesmen"
In terms of this articles content the two paras re welfrae gutting are irrelevant and simply allowing others ( who do not read the whole but what they want to hear) to stoke a losing argument.
If you agree with fact check site tell your bloggers that. if you see a 70/30% truth ratio whatever the lead story will say XYZ facts are true or untrue and blogs ratios will be accepted accordingly not with rhetoric but facts only if at variance with our media opinion.
Regards,
Hodgson.
Great!!! Obama12.
Gurgyl ... so much love shown for a sell-out, two actually, Clinton and obama.
Here are the facts: Clinton will do anything to be in the limelight, so much so he would even sell out his own wife. obama has done more harm to America than any 3 presidents combined. Tell billy boy it is country before party.
P.s. I voted for clinton twice, but I now that his 'True Colors' are showing, I regret those votes.
I could add to John,PA's list but really, would it, yet, convince the blind Obama followers? Lou Pritchett has quite a list of reasons why NO ONE should vote for Obama. You can read it for yourself; just google Lou Pritchett's "An Open Letter to President Obama".
Paul Ryan is attempting to explain "forecable rape" vs Rape. Ok sure Paul..you are bad bad bad news... Ryan equals AKIN, heads up people!!!!
Looking forward too president Obama to debate former governor of MA mitt romney the cold hard facts about mitt romney shall be exposed he has never been middle class
since his dad paid for his ivy school with cash up front.
Give it to them BIll. The problem with the republicans they love to put their noses in other peoples private lives, but won't clean up their own backyards. Instead they want to hide behind God and pretend that they are the only true Christians in the world. Such losers. Obama/Biden 2012 is the only way forward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Show us YOUR taxes Bill, Clooney and the rest of you rich people. I bet you don't pay your fair share either!!
Gurgyl
I am sending my special love and affection to you and your family. We love you so much. God bless you, obama and USA.
PS: Paul Ryan is Sarah Palin.
------–
A sad commentary on the electorate, this is.
12 million new jobs? What kind of jobs? In the military, for when Mittens invades Iran? Along the Keystone Pipeline, which would send oil to global markets and won't impact the price of gas in the U.S.?
And as far as Mittens' "sterling" business record, that's an apt description, as in he lined his pockets with money while destroying American companies and outsourcing American jobs.
Mr. Clinton love you dearly, but like all Democrats you are spewing distortions and fabrications. I , personally,can not vote for a President I can not trust or respect, so after nearly 50 years as an Independent who voted mostly Democrat, it is not going to happen this year. Maybe in 2016, if Hillary runs, maybe then you will fight harder to get her elected then you did the last time she tried!
@Joh, PA: Your list includes the result of REPUBLICAN policies of deregulation, not funding two wars, not funding Medicare Part D, public sector layoffs by REPUBLICAN governors and an aging population.
And your party's solution to this mess they made? More of the same economic, military and foreign policies that are PROVEN FAILURES.
Let's face it. President Clinton is what every president aspires to. Hopefully Secretary of State Clinton will run for president someday. President Obama, in my opinion, is doing a crisp, clean, stellar job. Regarding the upcoming election, the republican party has almost a decade of corrupt hell to live down. They will never be able to overcome the things most Americans silently know embody their corrupt war mongering ways. From the political coup of the 2000 election, to what we all know was Americas darkest hour, the 911 conspiracy. Following this we all lived through the psi ops of the red, orange, yellow terror alerts, the invasions of Iraq, and Afganastan...remember WMD, The Patriot Act, project Echelon, and the voter suppression of 2000 and 2004. The republican party has nothing to offer the American people except ignorance, racism, hatred, war, corruption,in other countries people like the republican political figures of America past have to face the wrath of the people. Unlike Gaddafi our traitors here in America have the buffer of our so-called democracy to protect them. Here we don't impale people like George Bush, instead we learn from our mistakes and teach our children that they must never ever let it happen again. President Obama is Americas response to fascism and corruption. Four more years?...YES WE CAN. 🙂
Go to: "Clinton Disbarment One of Many Presidential Firsts" to find out why Clinton is such a star. (?)
I say equal time! Romney should use W Bush in an advertisem... Oh.
The moral compass of the liberal party on stage, clap clap clap
@Fair Is Fair: The sad commentary is folks like you who are incapable of accepting the FACT that Republican economic, military and foreign policies are PROVEN FAILURES.
Name one example of a Repub policy that isn't .... *crickets*
Under President Obama's leadership, our country has had 29 straight months of private sector job growth; we didn't go into a Great Depression; GM and the 1+ million supply chain jobs are here, with GM the top auto maker in the world; bin Laden is dead; the U.S. is now exporting oil; and the Dow is over 13,000.
Do we have debt? Yes – because you and your yahoo Repub cohorts put two wars and Medicare Part D on the nation's credit card! President Obama had the stones to put those costs on the books – and now you dolts are whining about how we owe!
Grow a pair, grow up and step up to HELP our country instead of hiding behind Rupert Murdoch's skirts!
One wonders whether, if he's elected, RawMoney would have Bush and Cheney and Brown and and Rumsfeld and Ashcroft and Wu and Bolton as his advisers.
They were SO successful.
I cant wait for Ted Nugent to go all "Obama" on himself
come November.
Should be fun.