Thursday, September 6, 2012

The King's Speech, Arkansas-style

THAT WAS SOME hootenanny last night in Charlotte. Perhaps you're still shaking off the political hangover. And if you're wondering why there are two vials of Snake Oil No.9 sitting on your kitchen countertop, you bought them from that silver-tongued devil they call the Big Dog. I am of course poking fun at William Jefferson Clinton -- whom the national press is unabashedly dubbing the Greatest Politician on Earth. (Daily Beast reporter Michael Tomasky: "Holy smokes. That was the best political speech ... ever!") By their telling, the man could sell a howitzer to a pacifist. It's embarrassing. But make no mistake: Elvis was definitely in the building last night. By all accounts, Bill Clinton -- in full Spencer Tracy Inherit the Wind mode -- was simply masterful (read the speech here). The only thing missing were suspenders and the rumbled white suit. Clinton didn't just dismantle every charge Team Romney has made against President Obama, he exploded them. His exposure of the lies and obfuscations at the core of the Republican argument was devastating. A few key lines cleared the air for all to see: "[Republicans] think government is always the enemy, they're always right, and compromise is weakness; Their number one priority was not to put America back to work -- it was to put the president out of work." And Clinton literally laughed at the argument against re-electing the president, saying: "We [Republicans] left him a total mess. He hasn’t cleaned it up fast enough. So fire him and put us back in." Again and again, Clinton said "We're all in this together." That is the Democratic way, and one Obama espouses. But if you want a "winner-take-all, you're-on-your-own society," Clinton said, then vote Romney. As they say in Hollywood, that's a wrap.

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