Clinton: Debate analysis is a 'distraction'
(CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton described on Friday analysis of the presidential debates as a distraction, and said the Republicans - including presidential nominee Mitt Romney - are playing "hide and seek" with their proposals.
As the presidential campaign enters it's final stretches, voters tuned in this month by the millions to see and evaluate the candidates. The second presidential debate - held on Tuesday - was watched by over 65.6 million people, according to a Nielsen rating, which said that some 67.1 million watched the first debate held on October 3.
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But Clinton said the talk of "body language and who's grunting and who's smiling and all that" is irrelevant.
"Folks, that doesn't make a lick of difference in your life," he said in Green Bay, Wisconsin. "That's designed to distract you from what the impact of what these folks are advocating on real people is. That's all I care about."
Clinton spoke following what voters watching the debate saw as a draw, according to a CNN/ORC International poll conducted the evening of the debate. Those watching the earlier meeting of Obama and Romney said in a CNN survey that Romney emerged the clear winner.
Obama and Romney meet for their third and final debate on Monday in Florida with just over two weeks remaining until Election Day.
The former president said Republicans are playing "hide and seek" and digging a hole with their proposals.
"What if you got hired to fill in a hole," Clinton said. "I want you to fill in for me and I'll pay you $25 an hour to do it. So you get a shovel, and I assume you're gonna get some dirt and put it in the hole.
"But instead, you jump in the hole and dig it deeper," he continued. "And you say, 'I need to exercise. I just want to make it a little deeper before I start to fill it in.' That's the Romney budget. That's the Republican budget."
Clinton's event was attended by Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat. Two polls recent polls in the race - a NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist survey and a Marquette University sample - show a tight race between Baldwin and former Gov. Tommy Thompson within the surveys' sampling errors.
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Thank you for being out there working for us President Clinton! You guys make us feel like the American dream is still possible.
My favorite President of all time!
Sorry but Clinton is part of the problem. He said after a short while of being president that we had a surplus. Wrong. How could we have had such a big surplus after having had a deep debit. We could not have had that big of a surplus within a short time. Then suddenly the Republican got into office and we had to accept the fact that we had no surplus. Clinton is the one who wanted everybody to own a house whether they could afford it or not. He deregulate Wall Street. Or doesn't anybody recall the current events of that time.
The former president is right Romney hv no clear plan.
Slick Willy is giving us advice? And Republicians are hiding their real motives? You wouldn't try to sell us a Pig in a Poke, would you Bill? So who you voting for?
That is one of the most stupid remarks I have ever heard from Clinton........who has had some really stupid remarks in the past.
Wish this guy was running again. He knows the game these republicans r playing. Lies lies lies hoping we will vote against our own interests. Not this time. Never again! Obama/Biden 2012
Sorry! Pres. Clinton, at least the Romney/Ryan have a vision and proposals. With Obama/Biden, Americans get a continuation of the same ill planned play book, no vision or proposals. By 2016 with Obama we will be 20 trillion in barrowed debt. Obama/Biden = lack of leadership, governing, accounabliity, responsibility, and trustworthiness. Romney/Ryan + new vision, plan to change the economy, new hope for Americans. Obma latest flub foreign affairs and security, doesnot make this and many other American, feel safer. HIs boasting of Osama death, falsehood of Al-Quedea running away has caused more viaollent terrorist attacts of Americans in the middle east. I for one blame the Obama administration for the murder of 4 American in Libya, security was denied, just to make Obama policies look good before the election.