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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Certainly hope the president puts aside money in a stimulus to open some mental clinics for the repubs. Seems the most recent ones have gone Loony. Do they really believe they are the ONLY Americans and Only Americans who work? LOL
@timaahhyy-
P.S. The government can't technically take over the government. ...Just saying.
Any middle class person who votes for Romney and his lies is voting against his own best interests. It pains me to realize how many ignorant people there are out there. No one should be a one issue voter.
Not even Bill Clinton can save Obama from his 4 year record of failure, excuse making, class warfare and demonization. I can't believe that Bill Clinton would tarnish his reputation by backing Obama for another 4 years of this nightmare. It is clear he is all about his party and NOT about saving this country.
So the republicans are throwing out everything they can to scare the american public. A judge quoting civil war will break out if Obama is elected. Where does an elected official come off with this crap? Time magazine runs an ariticle which states "Why Obama should not be elected"! another piece of crap. They are scaring the public away (those stupid enough) to believe what is written. Romney and Ryan state they have "plans". Certinally have not seen them and whatever they come up with will set us back 200 years. I don't think our forefathers envisioned a Romney/Ryan type of administration, which i hope never happens, and the hatred that they have brought forth!
Thanks, I was overseas, Rome, India etc.
Mr. Clinton pushed me off the donkey but, having been indoctrinated since childhood, I climbed back on with Mr. Obama. Now, he's pushing me off. I'm not all that comfortable riding the elephant but I will ride the donkey no longer.
I'm not entirely comfortable on the elephant but I will no longer ride the donkey.
barry g- When Obama's entire campaign is being run on FEAR and SMEAR...and you think the GOP is trying to scare someone?
roro – we're supposed to be voting for who will best uphold the constitution – not who's best for us
Mitt loves to toss that "twelve million jobs" slogan out there, but has anyone seen the actual plan for this soundbite?
I'm betting not.
What strange bedfellows politics make?! Here, Obama in his 2008 campaign referred to Clinton as being "racist," and now Obama is using Bill Clinton as a surrogate for his re-election? That is how desperate Obama is and I have lost all respect for Bill Clinton jumping on the bandwagon with this idiot of a president we have!
barry g
So the republicans are throwing out everything they can to scare the american public. A judge quoting civil war will break out if Obama is elected.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
He should be impeached and arrested for inciting violence. These are the same type of sycophants and low information mouth breathers who assaulted two elderly women and a disabled man after they had the unmitigated gall to unfurl a banner unfavorable to the previous occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue while he was performing IN TAMPA NO LESS during his reign of error. The women and man were then arrested for inciting violence.
I support Obama all the way.GOP candidates are a bunch of uneducated fellas like Akin!.
Democrats are scary when the person runing for president need o rely so heavily on someone not running???? People get who they are voting for and it isnt Clinton GO ROMNEY
Bill & Hillary were the first "birthers", lol, what a joke this Obama ad is with Bill Clinton starring. LOL
Funny thing, I posted some stuff about what Obama has done for the USA and it never got to see the light of day. Why is it the scary truth is always withheld from the simple minded childern. Seeing as I am not an American I could care less who is voted in. If I were an American I would fight tooth and nail to make sure that Obama not see one more day in office. You can't get there form here folks, time to clean house.
Too bad the Republicans don't have a great, powerful, inspirational speaker like Pres. Clinton. They only have bloviators like the rotund governor of New Jersey.
@deb0155: I don't recall the President himself calling former President Clinton a racist, however others did. If I'm not mistaken, and I may be, but I recall the former president having an office in Harlem when he left office.
Wow when did Bill Clinton become Obama's patsy so sad.
never again I will vote for Obama. once is enough. he is a pure politicians and will ride the next 4 years smoothly, travel, spend money like water, collect more endorsement, write a book ( his/hers) collect 15/20 millions, speaking engagements
collect more and live a good life. he cares for middle class-- come on
A strong business background principally means you have one goal, and that is the bottom line. You can sell off divisions of jobs to anywhere else in the world, if the bottomline will show you will reduce headcount, people, pension operating costs, or generally pay anyone else, worldwide, to do the job of an americian for one third the wages of a middle class worker. That is what Mitt Romney has a sterling background in being able to do. He invented a great process to be successful at doing that – destroying good companies, and make millions of dollars for doing so. But those are not the skills for a good president. A president brings opportunity and jobs through good laws, policy on regulations to protect jobs and wealth, and does not measure his success by how wealthy the american 1% is better off than the rest of the world's 1% – which is what republicans and Romny use as a measure of their success. The presidents goal is a thriving and growing middle class, and republicans are standing in our way for political gain.
I guess that selling out his wife again is not harder as he gets older and sicker.
Saying that Pres. Obama has done this and that. So, he has had 3 yrs plus to get it done. Yawn – – – – we need a change and I believe that Romney is the answer.
Clinton claims that deregulation "got us in trouble in the first place". What a crock. He's the one that got us in trouble in the first place and was warned about it back in Sep 1999. Forcing banks to make sub-prime mortgage loans to unqualified borrowers set the stage for the housing collapse that was the main driver to get us into the mess we are in today. And now today Obama has done the same thing, forcing GM to make sub-prime loans with government bailout money (i.e. our taxes) to unqualified borrowers to increase GM sales. Sure, he's bragging now how he saved the auto industry; but this will also come crashing down when a large percentage of these borrowers don't pay and GM repos millions of cars.