NoMyths
06-01-2008, 10:43 AM
For those of us who actually enjoy a well-written article of some length, here is a Sunday treat (http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/07/clinton200807): one heck of a profile of post-presidential Bill Clinton which spends the first thousand words loading up for a quote summing up my thoughts about one aspect of the modern Democratic Party:
The sensitivity among Clinton’s staff to these questions is such that, after I posed some queries about Clinton’s relationship with Burkle and Co., a spokesman, Jay Carson, e-mailed me this comment: “The ills of the Democratic Party can be seen perfectly in the willingness of fellow Democrats to say bad things about President Clinton. If you ask any Republican about Reagan they will say he still makes the sun rise in the morning, but if you ask Democrats about their only two-term president in 80 years, a man who took the party from the wilderness of loserdom to the White House and created the strongest economy in American history, they’d rather be quoted saying what a reporter wants to hear than protect a strong brand for the party. Republicans look at this behavior and laugh at us.”
A fascinating (if gossipy, but hey, it's Vanity Fair -- and besides, it's this kind of discussion which part of Clinton's presidency certainly fathered) article in a number of ways, and which certainly has made for some consideration. It also is written by the husband of President Clinton's first press secretary, Dee Dee Myers (though he reports she was not a source for the article). I'd be interested in hearing others' thoughts.
Link: The Comeback Id (http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/07/clinton200807)
The best way to read it may be to click the "Print" link, which takes you to a page on which the article is complete, without having to click through pages.
The sensitivity among Clinton’s staff to these questions is such that, after I posed some queries about Clinton’s relationship with Burkle and Co., a spokesman, Jay Carson, e-mailed me this comment: “The ills of the Democratic Party can be seen perfectly in the willingness of fellow Democrats to say bad things about President Clinton. If you ask any Republican about Reagan they will say he still makes the sun rise in the morning, but if you ask Democrats about their only two-term president in 80 years, a man who took the party from the wilderness of loserdom to the White House and created the strongest economy in American history, they’d rather be quoted saying what a reporter wants to hear than protect a strong brand for the party. Republicans look at this behavior and laugh at us.”
A fascinating (if gossipy, but hey, it's Vanity Fair -- and besides, it's this kind of discussion which part of Clinton's presidency certainly fathered) article in a number of ways, and which certainly has made for some consideration. It also is written by the husband of President Clinton's first press secretary, Dee Dee Myers (though he reports she was not a source for the article). I'd be interested in hearing others' thoughts.
Link: The Comeback Id (http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/07/clinton200807)
The best way to read it may be to click the "Print" link, which takes you to a page on which the article is complete, without having to click through pages.