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Bill Compares Hillary to RFK

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April 02, 2008 6:53 PM

ABC News' Sarah Amos Reports: Former President Bill Clinton spent the day in Central Indiana, convincing voters at four different stops why his wife was the best choice for President.

Clinton has strong memories of the state, especially the Indianapolis area, where he remembers watching Bobby Kennedy speak the night Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

"You know, 40 years ago, two days from today, Robert Kennedy was in Indiana campaigning for president when Martin Luther King was killed. I was 21 years old. I was a senior at Georgetown. I was supporting Robert Kennedy. And it was a really interesting thing," Clinton told the crowd who had waited two and half hours to hear him speak. .

"I remember so well watching Bobby Kennedy here the night Martin Luther King was killed. Then, I was in Washington at Georgetown, the city exploded into flames and I turned my car into an ambulance and I took supplies to the African Americans that were burned out of their homes and were hiding in church basements basically trying to stay alive, and surrounded by national guardsmen protecting them. It was a long time ago. But I always thought America would have been a very different place if Robert Kennedy had lived, because he wanted to be the candidate of people who had hopes and dreams, and also the candidate of people who could barely keep body and soul together."

The former President went on to draw a parallel he has drawn many times before, explaining how some view his wife as the heir to Senator Robert Kennedy, while others view Senator Barack Obama as the heir to President John F. Kennedy.

"Ted Kennedy's for Senator Obama, Bobby Kennedy's kids are for Hillary. It's fascinating. But if you listen to them, and listen why each made the choice they did, you will see what your choice is. Cause Senator Kennedy said, my candidate's like my brother, he is symbolizes change, he gives us a feeling that we've begun again. And that's true. And Bobby Kennedy's kids said yes, but we're glad Hillary has our father's seat in the Senate because she's more like him. She makes change in other people's lives," said Clinton.

Clinton also spoke about the similarities between Robert F Kennedy’s race against Gene McCarthy and the one currently involving Hillary.

"There are lots of interesting parallels between Bobby Kennedy and Gene McCarthy, and this current race. And some that were different. But most of the blue collar folks that knew they needed a president were for Kennedy. Most of the university students who wanted a feeling of change were for McCarthy and they thought he had a purer position on the Vietnam War," said Clinton, who added that even though he was at Georgetown at the time, he considered himself blue-collar.

The theme of Hillary supporting hard-working rural and blue-collar families is one that has resonated very well whenever Bill Clinton has come to Indiana, and so it is no surprise that it was a focal point of Clinton’s speech today. While the venue may have been Indiana University, the crowd that filled the basketball arena was largely made up of residents from the Bloomington community.

But while the issues effecting middle-class American's made up a majority of his speech, it was the memory of Robert Kennedy that Clinton came back to at the end of his talk.

"And I want you to know you matter a lot to me, because when I was the age of a lot of you I sat with tears in my eyes and watched bobby Kennedy give that speech here in Indianapolis, when Martin Luther King was dead and I didn’t know what in the living day lights had become of my country. Now, we got all these terrible problems, I know it, but you wanna talk about terrible, that was terrible. We all also have an opportunity buried in every single problem we’ve got today. And what kind of a country is this, how can it be that bad, we are going to nominate either the first African-American or the first woman we’ve ever nominated for President how can that be bad, you know? We’re breaking barriers all over," Clinton told the crowd, adding "what you have to decide is not which is the most historic candidate, but who will make the best future, I believe the answer is Hillary and I hope Indiana will say yes to her."

April 2, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (29)

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Given how the issue of credibility has been creeping up on the Clinton Campaign, a Hillary supporter has to hope that the following statement by Bill is true, and I must say, I am skeptical:

"I remember so well watching Bobby Kennedy here (Indianapolis) the night Martin Luther King was killed. Then, I was in Washington at Georgetown, the city exploded into flames and I turned my car into an ambulance and I took supplies to the African Americans that were burned out of their homes and were hiding in church basements basically trying to stay alive, and surrounded by national guardsmen protecting them. It was a long time ago."

Posted by: will | Apr 3, 2008 6:40:22 PM

People of IN. please use your search engines to look up the Peter Paul federal trial in California and the Pellicano federal trial in California .Both Clintons have had theeir names bouht out in these trials .Look at the web links and scroll down to see which president and his wife use this manm to discredit Ms Flowers and others.Do you really want someone who would stoop that low in the whitehouse.Why hasn't the media caught up on both these trials

Posted by: jojobo1 | Apr 3, 2008 6:48:30 PM

I am should that the only comparison Bill Clinton can make regarding Hillary Clinton is his comparison between Monica and Hillary. He should know they all shared the same White House.

To think that Bill Cinton or anyone would try to caompare Hillary to Robert Kenndy is disrepectful to the Kenndy's and the nation.

Posted by: MEL | Apr 3, 2008 7:12:52 PM

Rev, Wright, Tony Rezko, Black Panthers, James Meeks= Obama 2008!!

Oh what a world this will be!

Posted by: James | Apr 3, 2008 7:53:49 PM

Wait what did Obama do to deserve the hardest job in the world? Oh that's right nothing!

Posted by: Sammy | Apr 3, 2008 7:56:08 PM

I am 67 years old. When Bobby was running, I was in a poli sci class and the instructor was highly critical of him. I found myself nodding in agreement sometimes because I found Bobby's reputation for meanness too like the streak that runs in my mother's family, and I was very cautious about him.

I was attending college in LA County area when RFK was murdered. I was so shocked I still cannot remember who else was running for the nomination. I still don't.

All of Bobby's children are not Hillary Supporters that's true. How they who are not can compare the Bobby who was finally introduced to the world by the MSM that for many years prior had been so hard on him. They were the ones who called him a carpetbagger, and wrote so much about his "fits of anger" and his animosity against those he didn't like. That is the image I knew until I heard his brother's Eulogy at the funeral for Bobby. I woke up to the awareness that he had another side. The years have shown that, and I made my ammends to him in prayer so I'm ok wiht my change.

I hope you who are so infatuated with the "savior from Illinois" will keep an open mind about what the MSM has created. Just remember who they work for. Republicans own the major news outlets. They decide the slant that is given on their shows, papers, magazines, web sites, etc. KO, Blitzer, and Ailes toadies, as well as Retch Limbag, work for Repubs and are doing the Rovenstein two step. MSM is the ones who put down Dr. King, John Sr and John Jr, Robert, and even Ted. Axelrod is using the Rovenstein methods, doing dirty deeds and then either blaming the other side or diverting attention so they aren't discovered.

Obama does not have that deep understanding of the suffering of others. He only pretends to have it. He is so busy covering up his messes, his flim flaming past, his half truths, his dealings over his house, his running off to the Virgin Islands because he "vanted to be alone" as Garbo once said. He is so good at quoting others without proper attribution and when he gets found out MSM ignores his wrongs or makes light of them. The MSM treatment you are seeing is the same given Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmie Carter, and Bill Clinton. MSM also lit into the spouses of the aforementioned. Michelle Obama is going to have to face her actions and words as well if they are nominated.

If you Obama supporters think that he will stand against McCain, you are so mistaken. He will be taken down because of his love of the anti-US positions by his leftover hippy crowd, and his Church Fellowships, and his denial of his being from a nice looking family. He hides his "white" side and that's so foolish. Just one look at the picture of his grandparents and mother gives away whos family he takes after. His father and he do not resemble each other at all. Nor does he look like his grandmothers. But he sure does his grandfather and mother in that picture on Cannonfire.com

I hope you are not too disappointed in your choice of candidate. I considered Obama, volunteered for his campaign, but resigned after the second debate. My gut feeling told me he was too phoney and he needs a lesson in "what goes around comes around" to knock some of that Lil George Arrogance that shows his true self.

Karen KB

Posted by: Karen Kohr-Blinn | Apr 3, 2008 8:59:11 PM

I think Obama will unite the country in November. Everyone will unite to defeat him.

Posted by: Kansas | Apr 3, 2008 9:43:22 PM

Garg: You missed the latest one!
Now Hillary says she feels like
Paulette Revere! ROFLMAO!
You can't make this stuff up!

Posted by: reaganfan | Apr 3, 2008 11:49:39 PM

I think anybody that can remember the sixty and seventy when bobby kenndy died what a sad day that was. He was a good guy. Well I think if Obama get in it will be another Nixon years all over again. You think Obama wants you to have freedom your wrong. When he says jump us american will have to jump unless you are one of his people. He won't know any of you when he get into office he will forget all that he promise he would do. Hillary has worked for the USA for a lot of years. I remember when she was first lady and all the worked she done I think Bill was a smart guy but Hillary is smarter. You know women how it takes us to clean after men that what HIllary has to do in the white house. Sometimes we don't even get a thank you from them. Obama doesn't like to get his hand dirty how can he be president. He put me in min of a little puppy dog with his trail between his legs. lost someplace don't know where to go. poor thing.

Posted by: sharon | Apr 4, 2008 1:27:42 AM

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