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Bill Clinton: All These 'Paranoid' People 'Scream at Me Everywhere'

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March 12, 2008 3:29 PM

ABC News' Sarah Amos Reports: Former President Bill Clinton was stumping for his wife at a high school in Erie, Pennsylvania when he encountered a very passionate heckler Wednesday.

Watch the VIDEO HERE.

The young man began screaming at the President about going to the Bilderberg Group meeting in 1991, when he was a candidate for President. He was shouting "1991 Bilderberg" repeatedly to get Clinton's attention and implying that discussions there led to unfair trade policies like NAFTA. 

He ended his heckling with the promise that he would leave if Clinton addressed his question. It took a bit of time to get the guy to be quiet enough for Clinton to answer and for the crowd to stop booing the man.

"What'd you say? You'll go what?  Yeah what about it?  Wait - wait -wait," Bill Clinton said as the man interrupted him and the crowd booed the man. "Look, this is the deal folks. All these people that are paranoid about the world come and scream at me everywhere."

Eventually Clinton was able to answer.

"You said you would go if I answered the question. Alright so here's the answer," Bill Clinton said. "I happened to be in Europe then on my way to Russia. I was invited to Bilderberg by Vern Jordan, a friend of mine and a genuine hero of the civil rights movement. And to the best of my knowledge NAFTA was not discussed by anybody in my presence. I was talking to people who happen to be from Europe who did not give a rip about NAFTA."

Clinton then defended his role in the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement -- which has become a controversial topic in the 2008 race with many voters blaming the agreement for lost jobs.

"I tried to get labor and environmental and labor standards into that agreement but I couldn't because it was already negotiated when I got there," Clinton said. "When I was President we reinforced our trade laws five times as much as the Bush administration did...They've lost manufacturing jobs in every year. We had 22.9 million new jobs they've had five. Family incomes went up $7,500 dollars a year when I was President. They are down $1000 now."

Clinton finished: "I had a very good time talking to those Europeans about European affairs and what was happening in Russia. But I was not somehow polluted by it into sacrificing America's economic interest. America did a lot better when I was President than they have in this decade and that is the truth. Now goodbye."

Clinton waved goodbye to the heckler and the man stuck to his promise and promptly left.

March 12, 2008 in Bush, George W., Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (28)

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CLINTON has to put up with a lot of nonsense but obviously can hold his own against shallow, narrow-minded people. All the name callers in these campaigns should not be entitled to the free air that they rest of us enjoy.

Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | Mar 12, 2008 3:39:18 PM

I find it hard to believe that Clinton is getting heckled every day by paranoid people. Presumably all of them are pushing this Bilderberg conspiracy. Unless its the same guy everyday, following him around, I suspect Clinton is stretching the truth again.

Posted by: Paul | Mar 12, 2008 3:40:25 PM

Great response by Bill Clinton.

Posted by: Traci | Mar 12, 2008 3:43:23 PM

NAFTA was negotiated by GH Bush but was signed by Clinton, that is the reality, he was the president and should have said NO I have not negotiated, then I will not sign, that was not the case. He can run but he cannot hide.

Posted by: BKMC | Mar 12, 2008 3:52:31 PM

Is Bill a liability for Hillary? His supposed influence makes her unattractive for a lot of voters.

Posted by: Alox | Mar 12, 2008 3:58:18 PM

The Hecklers are coming!

Posted by: scvlptr | Mar 12, 2008 4:10:55 PM

Speaking of shallow, narrow-minded people, does the name Geraldine Ferraro come to mind?

Posted by: Don | Mar 12, 2008 4:20:49 PM

35 years of experience claim Hillary and that includes NAFTA, HillaryCare, Eliane Gonzales back to CASTRO at 2:00 am, Lincolm Bedroom as a hotel room for donors, pardons for library money, whitewatergate, filegate, travelgate, etc.,etc.

Posted by: BKMC | Mar 12, 2008 4:22:38 PM

HILLARY AND ACTIVIST FOR WOMEN???

Posted by: vanchava | Mar 12, 2008 4:30:19 PM

We Clinton supporters are sorry for those posting here who are simply republicans whom are deeply sorry they voted for Bush. Perhaps you should have voted for Gore you dummies and we wouldnt be in this mess.

No point in whining about it now. No point in trying to spite Clinton to make up for your stupid Bush vote.

Posted by: tomdavie | Mar 12, 2008 4:36:51 PM

Dear Tomdavie,
Remeber Gore did win the election.

Posted by: scvlptr | Mar 12, 2008 4:42:20 PM

Bill Clinton has just admitted on tape that he violated the logan act. The act forbids members of government negotiating with foriegn heads of state. A criminal act ( a felony, punishable by upto three years in prison) has just been brought out in the public record and for that you have "these people" and NOT your mainstream media to thank. A reasonable person would find this to be more than troubling and worthy of an investigation. But since when have the laws ever been allowed to get in the Clintons way of doing buisness. (Oh and yes Hilliary has attended these same meetings just before she decided to run for Senate; Google it for yourself, and don't be afraid of the truth)

Posted by: cba | Mar 12, 2008 4:57:18 PM

I love it…one of the complaints listed above about Clinton was he had the humanity to return a 10 year old boy to his father who by all indications loved him and wanted him. Classic - Repubs would steal a boy from his father because they don't like the political system the man (by no fault of his own) lived under.

I suggest maybe we should take all children away from conservatives…I mean how could we possibly allow our youth to be forced to live under such awful conditions.

Posted by: Jeff Bernius | Mar 12, 2008 5:04:39 PM

Hey Bill are these guys on YOUR payroll, to make you look like a REAL tough guy every time you get to bully them in public and tell them to "SHUT UP"; Or are they still part of that "vast right wing conspiracy" you love and cherish so much??? I'm confused. Which is it Billy, Hilly??? Care to explain a little bit? This farce is so that Bill can look strong while playing the victim; And it's getting really, kinda OLD now!!!

Posted by: klintoon | Mar 12, 2008 5:08:36 PM

On NPR they just did a story about Hillary Clinton's Foreign Policy experience. They interviewed people who said she talked to some women in some countries and made a couple of speeches, no negotiations or decisions. Then the NPR commentator said "Isn't it ironic that Hillary Clinton says that all Barack Obama does is make speeches, like the one against the war in Iraq. Since that's what her foreign policy experience involved, maybe words do matter." Interesting.

Posted by: Mary | Mar 12, 2008 5:14:34 PM

Paranoid people? Try angry people. People that are angry at the lies and embarresment handed to them by Bill Clinton when he was President. Now he wants his wife in that job...the same job that he was holding when the House of Representives empeached him. The same job he had when he was accused of rape and pay offed Gennifer Flowers. The same job he had when he did indeed approve NAFTA. I could go on here but won't as this is really a mess of his own making. He should never had thought he could go back to the same American public that he treated to his lies and act like nothing happened. It happened and many angry people remember. Shame on YOU that you don't.

Posted by: Brian | Mar 12, 2008 5:15:09 PM

Actually, despite his "protests" to the contrary (does everyone recall "I did not have sex with that woman"?), I honestly believe the the Clintons and the Bushes are part of some unholy, shadowy, behind-the-scenes alliance dedicated to undermining our Constitution and sovereignty, and usurping our freedoms and liberties.

Problem is, if I'm right, we won't know it until it's too late.

Be vigilant, America. They're counting on your ever-shortening attention span, prescription-drug addictions and mass obsession with "celebrities" to keep you dim, dumb and docile....

Posted by: Miggy Zarley | Mar 12, 2008 5:40:10 PM

We already know what it's like to have a second Bush in office. Let's not make a similar mistake of putting a second Clinton in office. It's a time for change.

Posted by: Brad | Mar 12, 2008 5:41:21 PM

That was nearly 20 years ago and Bill remembers all of the details- not bad. It seems the only time his steel trap mind fails him is in front of the grand jury. Still though, bright guy- extremely bright guy. So is his wife by the way. All of which goes to show it takes more than gray matter to make a good President, (though dubya has ably demonstrated that neither is a famine-like dearth of gray matter a recipe for success).

Posted by: Majorajam | Mar 12, 2008 6:07:57 PM

Obama voted for war funding???....Oh yeah, that was after Hillary and McCain voted to go to war. Once the chicken's in the fryer you have to add the salt. You can't leave troops without gear and money in a war zone like Iraq. I oppose any and all war, it's unnecessary, but once we were in, even I would have voted YES to funding the war (i.e. equipment, food, gear). America is not scared by Obama, they are encouraged by his movement for change.

Posted by: dalostprophet | Mar 12, 2008 7:08:37 PM

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