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Bill Clinton Has 'Never Seen a Candidate Treated So Disrespectfully Just for Running'

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May 25, 2008 2:25 PM

ABC News' Sarah Amos reports: Former President Bill Clinton in South Dakota today delivered a harsh critique of how his wife has been treated during her presidential bid, telling the crowd that he has "never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully just for running," and that, "she will win the general election if you nominate her. They're just trying to make sure you don't."

Clinton spent more than six minutes calmly discussing what he called a "frantic effort to push her out" of this race, saying that no one asked Ted Kennedy, Jesse Jackson or Gary Hart to end their presidential campaigns early. 

Clinton also spoke against bullying superdelegates to make up their minds, saying, "I cant believe it. It is just frantic the way they are trying to push and pressure and bully all these superdelegates to come out. 'Oh, this is so terrible: The people they want her. Oh, this is so terrible: She is winning the general election, and he is not. Oh my goodness, we have to cover this up.'"

Speaking to a crowd of about 200 in Fort Thompson, S.D., Clinton seemed slightly subdued during his 30-minute speech, which largely focused on the issues important to the Native American community.  As he wrapped up his remarks, a woman in the audience asked him a question about voting for Hillary Clinton. 

"If you vote for her and she does well in Montana and she does well in Puerto Rico, when this is over she will be ahead in the popular vote," Clinton said. "And they're trying to get her to cry uncle before the Democratic Party has to decide what to do in Florida and Michigan because they are claiming that it only takes 2029 votes on the first ballot to win, and it takes a lot more than that if you put Florida and Michigan back in. Well, they will have to unless we want to lose the election. I mean, look, so there is that that is going on."

The former president was strong in his assertion that his wife has the best chance to win against Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, arguing that many electoral map predictions have his wife winning more electoral votes than Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., the Democratic frontrunner, in a general election.

"She is winning the general election today and he is not, according to all the evidence," Clinton said. "And I have never seen anything like it. I have never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully just for running. Her only position was, "Look, if I lose I'll be a good team player. We will all try to win but let's let everybody vote and count every vote.'"

Clinton also strongly criticized the media, saying that ever since Iowa they have been against his wife, making him feel as though he was living in a "fun house."  As he concluded his thoughts on how this election has been handled, he again went back to the media's choice of coverage. 

"If you notice, there hasn't been a lot of publicity on these polls I just told you about," Clinton said. "It is the first time you've heard it? Why do you think that is? Why do you think?  Don't you think if the polls were the reverse and he was winning the electoral college against Sen. McCain and Hillary was losing it, it would be blasted on every television station? You would know it wouldn't you? It wouldn't be a little secret. And there is another Electoral College poll that I saw yesterday had her over 300 electoral votes, yeah. She will win the general election is you nominate her. They're just trying to make sure you don't."

May 25, 2008 in Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (1001)

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dem38

i repeat, i am a democrat and i will vote for the democratic nominee

i supported hillary at the beginning of this race but when she went negative i was completley turned off from her

i started to listen to obama and i really like him and his message, and i am going with his vision of hte future

i voted for him and will vote for him in hte GE

if hillary somehow was able to take the nomination, i wouldnt be happy and i would feel she stole it somehow, but i would indeed vote for her, or whomever the democratic nominee is

Posted by: bhrandon | May 25, 2008 3:03:50 PM

She has proven numerous times that just does not have the emotional stability to run this great country.

The Clintons are still trying to milk the maximum out of whatever is left from the goodwill from President Clinton associations as President and after that, as well as play the racial divisions in this country.

Posted by: Jim, Texas | May 25, 2008 3:05:20 PM

It hard to believe Bill Clinton ruled the country with this kind of judgment for 8 years, clearly they didn’t make it I will advice them to accept defeat and work well for the party after this. I believe he wipe out his legacy badly after all this.

Posted by: Dave | May 25, 2008 3:07:23 PM

jim-tx

Obama has the emotional intelligence of a piece of dry toast... wheat ofcourse because he is neither white nor black!

Posted by: dem38 | May 25, 2008 3:07:33 PM

dave

BO wont be nominated and you will accept it!

Posted by: dem38 | May 25, 2008 3:08:10 PM

kerry - Too bad Clinton can't raise any hey? $20+ million in debt? LOL LOL LOL

Posted by: shows had bad of acampaigner she is | May 25, 2008 3:08:12 PM

scott

I will never vote for Obama because hes not qualified he doesnt hold down jobs too long!

Posted by: dem38 | May 25, 2008 3:09:01 PM

Will429 - That is not more information regarding those statistics, that's a blog with a heavily moderated comment section that only allows pro-hillary comments and nowhere could I find detailed information behind those statistics. For all I know, they were made up by Bill.

This all is more wagging the dog. When you can't win legitimately, go back on your word and argue for states who broke the rules to be counted when you agreed they shouldn't, signed off that they shouldn't, and didn't care less until you felt you needed them to win.

If that doesn't work, put together phoney statistics and try to convince everyone there is a vast right wing conspiracy against you(in the form of that idiot who keeps posting all over the net that republicans are voting for Obama, rather than the fact that their operation chaos was about voting for Hillary and answering Hillary in any polls they get questioned in). For good measure, claim a sexist conspiracy too.

In the end, who wants a victim as a leader? I'm not following someone who CONSTANTLY and NON-STOP whines about being a victim and can't talk straight to save her life. She once mocked Obama over his comments about how difficult the primary process has been, laughing and making light of his comments implying that he doesn't have what it takes to face the much more difficult process of the general election. I wonder if she or Bill have ever stopped to think about how they look to those of us who wonder that if she's so whiney and victimized now, will she be able to survive what the republicans would do to her in the fall? Objectively speaking, Obama has gone easy on her and been a perfect gentlemen compared to what the republicans would do to her.

Posted by: Benjamin | May 25, 2008 3:10:00 PM

Don't worry guys; the end is near. Every single day this family of liars are closer and closer to the exit door. America has done what is right: bury the clintons' years once for all. The future looks brighter than ever before. Democracy is making its comeback. Did you see today's Montana Poll?

Obama 52%, Clinton 35%

Look at this:

Obama is ahead Clinton among men by 58 percent to 33 percent, and among women by 48 percent to 36 percent, the poll showed.

Voters younger than age 50 favor Obama by 56 percent to 30 percent, while those 50 and older back Obama 49 percent to 39 percent.

Fantastic!!!! Bill has been "succesfully" campaigning in the state.

Posted by: carl29 | May 25, 2008 3:10:03 PM

When Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992, all the other democratic candidates DROPPED OUT IN EARLY APRIL 1992!! All the world can see that Bill and Hillary are pushing a pack of lies. They are both unstable personalities.

Posted by: Sallie | May 25, 2008 3:10:16 PM

The Clintons' arrogance appalls me. Hillary apparently thought is was her God given right to have the prsidency. Unfortunately history got in her way.

Posted by: John | May 25, 2008 3:10:53 PM

look who is talking now....no one was more disrespectful in the campaign than bill and hillary, and their surrogates like james carville, and geraldine ferraro.

Posted by: sharman | May 25, 2008 3:11:09 PM

All polls I see show that HRC is the stronger candidate in the GE. The only reason BHO is ahead today is because of the "bandwagon" effect. Everyone was pro - Hillary until they saw that BHO won Iowa and it was just so much more fun to manipulate all of you obamobots for the past six months.....wait, when the fun is over you will all be blamed for being so naive

Posted by: Chipo1965 | May 25, 2008 3:11:27 PM

OK margi - that's why all of her supers are moving to HIM

ROTFLMAO . not 1 has moved to her

June 3rd it's OVER

Posted by: bye bye | May 25, 2008 3:12:32 PM

Look out how passionate Clinton and Obama's supporters are when discussing their candidate's issue. If we can turn this heat on the Republicans, I tell you they will have no hiding places.

Posted by: vuzous | May 25, 2008 3:12:37 PM

lyn

i respectuflly disagree with you that if hillary were a man peopel wouldnt be asking her to get out...

if she were a white male, she would be out...they would have conceded. This is a historic race and she has every right to stay in the race, but most people would have bowed out, or stopped running as if it were competitive.

her one argument is, the super d's should take the nomination from obama, who is winning according to the rules, and give her the nomination because she feels she is better as a candidate...

i feel this is an issue of reverse sexism. i am all for her staying in, but she should change her tone, and so should bill.

let every vote count.. but to argue popular vote is the new deciding factor when a month ago it was super d;s
and before that was delegates
it just is hurtful to the party and they know exactly what they are doing

Posted by: bhrandon | May 25, 2008 3:12:40 PM

margi

oh but they do tear her down every day and leave Obama out of it so he doesnt have to say anythign the Obama people are the shameless thugs!

Posted by: dem38 | May 25, 2008 3:12:41 PM

One more thing... anyone with an once of intellect can see that BHO has been playing the race and gender card this whole time.... he is masterful, just not in a good way.

Posted by: Chipo1965 | May 25, 2008 3:13:05 PM

Quote of the Day
"I think a lot of the superdelegates will make a decision quite, announced quite rapidly, after the final primary on June 3... I have not yet announced publicly, but I think at that point it will be time for her to give it up."

-- Jimmy Carter, in an interview with Sky News.

Posted by: bye bye | May 25, 2008 3:13:44 PM

bhrandon

she has the popular voter and havign it will allow her to continue fighting till the convention dont be dissapointed when she does!

Posted by: dem38 | May 25, 2008 3:13:47 PM

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