McDonnell: Obama is no Bill Clinton
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia crashed the Democratic National Convention Thursday to warn voters not to be fooled by former President Clinton's embrace of President Obama.
Obama, McDonnell said, is no Bill Clinton.
Clinton, the last Democrat to hold the office before Obama, presided over years of economic prosperity, federal budget surpluses and the creation of millions of new jobs. He argued Wednesday night that Obama inherited an economic disaster, and has made enough progress in fixing it to deserve four more years to finish the job.
"President Clinton gave a great speech, but he had to have a real hard time giving that speech," McDonnell told reporters at a Republican press conference held a stone's throw from the Democratic confab. "This administration is not the same party and not the same philosophy as President Bill Clinton."
Republicans reviled Clinton while he was president, but they are now holding him up as an example of what Obama is not: A fiscally responsible Democrat. And they insisted Thursday that Clinton's embrace of Obama this week doesn't change the differences between the two presidents.
"That was a heroic effort from team-player Bill Clinton," McDonnell said. "He doesn't believe it."
Breaking up is hard to do -- or is it?
The GOP has a new message for voters disappointed with the president they fell in love with four years ago: He's a cheater who just hasn't earned your love.
Like in the 2006 movie "The Break-Up," featuring marriage seeking Jennifer Aniston and immature Vince Vaughn, the Republican National Committee Thursday unveiled a new ad also called the "Break-Up" that urges voters to face the reality that President Obama didn't live up to the promise of his 2008 campaign.
The 30-second ad, first shown on NBC's "Today" show, goes right to the heart of one of the big issues the GOP believes is blocking a breakout by Mitt Romney: Voters are having a tough time admitting that the love of their political life just hasn't cut it as president.
"You're just not the person I thought you were," says a woman shown sitting at a restaurant table. "It's not me. It's you."
The ad asks viewers to "tell us why you are breaking up with President Obama" at the website breakupwithobama.com
Schieffer: Clinton's great, Obama's not, GOP is losing
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Wowed by Bill Clinton's "honor roll" speech endorsing President Obama here Wednesday, Bob Schieffer, host of CBS' "Face the Nation," gave the edge to the Democrats over Republicans for holding the better national convention.
Despite a floor fight over God and a venue change from the massive Carolina Panthers football stadium to the compact home of the Charlotte Bobcats and compared to a virtually flawless Republican convention, the newsman said "the Democrats are ahead at this point."
At a Thursday conference hosted by National Journal and the Atlantic, Schieffer called Clinton's address a "barn burner" that belongs in the "honor roll." What's more, he suggested that Clinton's speech might overshadow Obama's, "but I guess that's kind of a good problem to have."
The reason he liked it: Clinton made a better case for Obamanomics in 48 minutes than the White House has in four years.
"I don't care how good your message is, if you can't break it down and explain it to people in language that people can understand," he said, "then you are wasting your time."
By Paul Bedard, Brian Hughes
