In keeping with a consistent pattern of poor decision-making, the incumbent’s come up with another whopper. Whereas it’s been announced that Bill Clinton will play a significant role at the upcoming Dem convention, including delivery of a major address.
I perceive this to be a campaign mistake because it provides the opposition an opportunity to highlight Clinton’s past, which he seems to have managed to bury or downplay in the last couple of years because he’s been relatively harmless to adversaries.
Beyond the likely rehash of Clinton’s foibles, it will also surely be pointed out by Republicans that he favored temporarily extending all of the tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year, including the Bush-era rates, which put him at odds with the president. Though he later apologized for those comments, the cat was long gone from the bag.
Along the same lines he stated that Romney was certainly qualified to be president, and supported his successful business record.
However, it’s Clinton's own history that presents the incumbent a problem because of the many past events that will now be dredged up such as Bill’s impeachment by the House of Representatives on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in December 1998.
Then there was the mysterious disappearance and death of Deputy White House counsel, Vince Foster, as well as the Whitewater scandal and jailing of close friends, James and Susan McDougal, while other situations lurk in the background such as those known as Travelgate and Filegate.
Aside from the preceding there’s the 1994 sexual harassment case brought by Paula Jones which resulted in the following decision: "As a consequence of his conduct in the Jones v. Clinton civil suit and before the federal grand jury, President Clinton incurred significant administrative sanctions. The Independent Counsel considered seven non-criminal alternative sanctions that were imposed in making his decision to decline prosecution: (1) President Clinton’s admission of providing false testimony that was knowingly misleading, evasive, and prejudicial to the administration of justice before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas; (2) his acknowledgement that his conduct violated the Rules of Professional Conduct of the Arkansas Supreme Court; (3) the five-year suspension of his license to practice law and $25,000 fine imposed on him by the Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Arkansas; (4) the civil contempt penalty of more than $90,000 imposed on President Clinton by the federal court for violating its orders; (5) the payment of more than $850,000 in settlement to Paula Jones; (6) the express finding by the federal court that President Clinton had engaged in contemptuous conduct; and (7) the substantial public condemnation of President Clinton arising from his impeachment."
Consequently, in view of what might happen if Bill Clinton is actually chosen to play a major convention role, perhaps the party leaders might reconsider and bring in some folks who have less baggage to bear. And two names that come to mind are Linda Tripp and Monica Lewinsky.
That’s it for today folks.
Adios
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