Rachel Maddow: "As a gay person, I did not feel Bill Clinton had my back."

Courtesy of Real Clear Politics:  

MADDOW: As a self-proclaimed liberal, people talk about the liberal media and they say the whole media is liberal and the whole establishment is liberal, it's not true. If you really are a liberal it's been a long time in this country that you felt that mainstream politics had nothing to say to you. That mainstream politics was just not about you. 

And I look at all the young people, particularly at this Bernie Sanders event. I was 19 in 1992 when Bill Clinton was running on the Democratic side and at the 1992 Republican convention, Pat Buchanan got up there and gave this culture war speech where he basically declared a crusade against minorities and particularly gay people. And as a gay person watching that in 1992 I didn't feel like Bill Clinton had my back. I didn't feel like the Democratic party had my back. 

He was talking about agreeing with Ronald Reagan that government was the problem and all that stuff. If you are a liberal, you are not in the majority in this country and you know it and it always feels that way. 

But this Democratic race with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders campaigning this way against each other, that happened because Bernie Sanders got into this race and all these kids who are enthused about this race, whether or not they're supporting Bernie Sanders directly are never going to feel like mainstream politics isn't about them.

I thought this was an interesting interview.

I have been a liberal my entire life, even though typically my demographic, middle aged white male, is supposedly most often attracted to the conservative mindset.

I guess I did not get the memo.

Anyhow I am often quite aware that there are uniquely American experiences that I will never partake in, nor will I really ever understand them completely.

Being female is one. Being a non-white minority another. And being gay yet another.

So for me the Clinton presidency was full of hope and possibilities, and it seemed to deliver on a great number of promises.

Now I am aware that my experience is by no means universal among my liberal fellow travelers.

So I am interested, these many years later what are YOUR feelings about the Clinton administration.

And secondly does it impact your view of a potential Hillary presidency either positively or negatively?

Apparently Jeb Bush believes that he can deal with his brother's deadly legacy by refusing to answer questions about his presidency.

Courtesy of Bloomberg: 

Florida Governor Jeb Bush said Friday that he has little interest in discussing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which started while his brother was president, as he aims to run a joyful campaign focused on outing a positive vision of the future. 

"I won't talk about the past," Bush said in response to a reporter's question about his foreign policy speech planned for next week in Chicago. "I'll talk about the future. If I'm in the process of considering the possibility of running, it's not about re-litigating anything in the past. It's about trying to create a set of ideas and principles that will help us move forward." 

Bush also declined to answer a question about how he would combat the Islamic State militant group, saying he'd talk more about foreign policy next week. The answers will help increase anticipation around his talk on Wednesday at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. A governor from 1999 to 2007, Bush is better known for views on domestic issues, such as his advocacy for charter schools and support for easing immigration laws.

Okay if the Jeb Bush, and the Republican party, think they can destroy Hillary by peppering her with  questions about Bill's infidelities while having their candidate dodge questions about the last Republican President's record then they have really not thought this whole thing through.

I think it is pretty clear that George W's record for destroying economies and starting unnecessary wars is far and away more pertinent to the conversation than who Bill Clinton did, or did not boink, while HE was in the White House.

And I have every confidence that the Democrats are absolutely NOT going to let Jebbie get away with avoiding these type of questions for long.

On the other hand I am sure they are more than willing to have Hillary answer questions about her husband's policy decisions while serving as President of these United States.

Bill Clinton praises President Obama's attempts to create jobs while condemning lack of support from Congress.

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Clinton carefully avoids discussing in detail some of the criticism voiced about the Obama administration in his book, even going so far as to admit he was wrong about the administration's failure to raise the debt ceiling in 2010, which (surprisingly enough) he did not realize was subject to a filibuster.

Clinton goes on to point out that the people who compare Obama's presidency to his are not being fair, and that he faced many of the same challenges that Obama is facing now in his first term as well. Continuing on to say that until the American people send a strong message to Congress things will not improve.

I have VERY mixed feelings when I think of Bill Clinton. On the one hand he was the first presidential candidate that I was excited to vote for, and did so twice. But he is also the politician who disappointed me the most, this during the Monica Lewinsky affair. I am not one to preach morality at anyone, but I just thought that for eight years he could manage to keep his dick in his pants for the good of the American people.

Having said that he is an extremely gifted politician, and Obama would be smart to seek his counsel occasionally. However I would caution Clinton, like I do everybody these days, to resist the urge to criticize the President too much, as it does provide ammunition to the GOP who are actively looking for every hint of disunity in order to capitalize on it and use it to defeat the Democrats in 2012.

Newsweek has already gleefully dissected the book searching for critical language directed at Obama, and then presenting it as proof of a fractious relationship between the Clinton's and our President.