I was getting coffee in Seattle's Capitol Hill district and was reading the front page of the free SEATTLE GAY NEWS, for lack of anything better to do. The article was titled "Former President Clinton Appears in Seattle to Raise Funds for Congressman Jim McDermott."
Read what Bill and Jim had to say. It's awesome.
At first I laughed, I mean "raise funds for McDermott?" One of life's little amusements is to see what horrible loser of a Republican candidate runs against him every two years. But anyway, here was the event:
Former President Bill Clinton made a fund-raising appearance for Congressman Jim McDermott on July 31st at Benaroya Hall, entitled "We the People."
Clinton:
Clinton talked about the differences in approach to government between the Republicans and the Democrats. He said that Republicans governed in a "secretive" and "unaccountable" way and that their methods are to "attack" to support their "ideology". They need a "divided" America to win and operate with a "tribal" mentality and sloganism. Newt Gingrich once told Clinton, "If we fought you fairly, you'd win all the time."
Clinton said that Democrats operated through "evidence" and "argument" and that they believe in government that is open, accountable and empowering with strong support of the middle class - unlike the Republicans who are determined to transfer wealth and power to the rich and corporations.
Clinton said that the Democrats had a more "philosophical" and "communal" approach. He spoke of the importance of revisiting global warming; "green" building; developing clean, renewable and affordable energy sources; raising the minimum wage; providing low-cost drugs; fighting childhood obesity and subsequent adult diabetes; the need for better, more efficient and affordable health care; the availability of college loans for all students; the empowerment of the ordinary citizen and the importance of the United States striving to live in the world in partnership and cooperation with the rest of the world.
Awesome. It's almost poetic in its clarity and vision. This is what Democrats need to run on in 2006. This is THE MESSAGE.
Jim I'm-so-fucking-glad-I-live-in-WA-district-7 McDermott goes on:
McDermott was even more scathing in his indictment of the Republicans. "After ten years of Republican rule, America has empty pockets, empty gas tanks, and broken promisesand they ignore the Constitution, toss aside the Geneva Convention, out an undercover agent, look over your shoulder at the library, tap the phones in your home, pick your pocket at the pump, and keep sending special interests on tax holidays paid for by the American people. Then, they go out for lunch and plot what they'll do to us in the afternoon!"
Maybe that's why the GOP has him under the gun:
He went on to talk about the whistle blowing he did back in 1996 about illegal Republican plotting and chicanery involving Newt Gingrich, which led to an ongoing, very expensive, law suit that the Republicans have been waging against McDermott ever since. "That's why we're here tonight. I'm trying to defend the people's right to know, and I need a little help from my friends."
This is pretty much the entire article but I needed to share it. I was so shocked by the clarity and simplicity of the message my hope is I will be hearing this coming from the mouth of every Democratic challenger and incumbent nation wide.
(PS - WE LOVE YOU BILLY....)