Another Clinton friend bolts to Barack Obama

New York magazine reports this morning that another former member of Bill Clinton's cabinet plans to announce his endorsement of Barack Obama today, joining Bill Richardson on the list of high-profile defections among the Clintons' longtime personal and political friends.

This time it's Robert Reich, Bill Clinton's former Labor secretary, current Berkeley professor and self-described friend of the Clintons for 40 years. Reich, who has been critical of the Clintons before, despite the friendship, reportedly will announce the endorsement at 10 a.m. PDT on his blog (cue James Carville).

Reich told reporter John Heilemann that he initially intended to stay out of the fray, primarily out of loyalty to the long friendship. But Clinton's post-"bitter" ads in Pennsylvania moved him to action.

"I've come to the point, after seeing those ads, where I can't in good conscience not say out loud what I believe about who should be president. Those ads are nothing but Republicanism. They're lending legitimacy to a Republican message that's wrong to begin with, and they harken back to the past 20 years of demagoguery on guns and religion. It's old politics at its worst — and old Republican politics, not even old Democratic politics. It's just so deeply cynical."

-- Scott Martelle

Comments

[rgrafos]

It appears that my mother's words:

Be Honest and truthful in what you do,
Respect others so that they respect you, and
Never be a school yard bully

have no resonance with one of the candidates.

[Maril]

This is great news. I remember Mr Reich from the Clinton days, but I've been seeing him a bit more lately because I believe he has a new book coming out.

What an intelligent guy and this takes real courage.

Obama '08

[Frank]

Bill Clinton is bitter because his fairy tale of returning to the oval office is bursting.

[s.marfatia]

robert reich and gov.richardson know the clintons better

[Novella Moore]

The MEDIA, YOUTUBE, HANINITY - Get a life, your thoughts are not as smart as a kindergarder; let alone a third grader - you're so in the gutter. Prayers are needed for ALL OF YOU!!!! Your lives must be in shambles....etc. etc. etc.

[Tom J]

Congratulations to Reich for bolting. Let's hope he won't have to dodge any Clinton shrapnel for doing so. It's time for Team Clinton to lay down their arms and give up the fight for the nomination.

[RE: Robert Reich]

I am so glad that a former Clinton cabinet member had the moral courage to stand up for what is right. I wish the Dem super-delegates could find the same "testicular fortitude" as the honorable Robert Reich.

Vote Obama !!!!!

[tlsmith1963]

Glad to see another prominent person supporting Obama. I am so sick of mean-spirited Republicans, & I'm tired of the fact that Hillary wants to act like one. Let's stop the bullies. Then we can get to the real issues.

[jennifer potenciano]

what's come with these so-called 'superdelegates'? what happened to mr. reich? are they like some extra-terrestrial creatures that don't know a thing about what's happening on the (american) political scene?

they talk as if nothing has happened in san francisco lately & obama didn't utter his insulting "bitter" remarks & diatribe against the little people of pennsylvania & other smalltown fellows.

they continue to rant about what for them is the seeming irrelevance of the philly debate, where obama was put on the hot seat for the many inconsistencies & flaws in his character & deeds.

they quibble on what's for them is the unimportance of the negative attacks on obama, even faulting hillary for it, as if it's hillary who's the guilty party, when it's obama who committed those misdemeanors & who's the cause of all those unfavorable discussions about his unsavory quips & habits.

to cap it all, they take a leaf from obama & then segue on what's for them--just like for obama--is the most important issue in these elections: jobs. everything else they treat as mere 'campaign minutiae.'

oh, so. & i thought these people are 'superdelegates' because they are endowed with an intelligence far better than those possessed by ordinary voters. from what presently obtains, compared to these 'superdels,' it's the ordinary mortals, the ordinary americans who are even more perceptive, more observant, more thoughtful of what's really happening around, moreso of late.

why, we ask these superdels & mr. reich , should legitimate plaints about obama's quirks of character be treated as a mere 'negative' thing or, worse, just one of those 'campaign minutiae'? i thought character is the man. then, by this rule, anything else that obama speaks of is suspect, because he, himself, is suspect.

questions about obama's flawed character isn't mere whining, or a sub-topic to the issue on electability.

the concern about obama's quirks of character should be paramount to all other concerns in this campaign. everything else becomes secondary, jobs, iraq, the american economy, america's tattered world image, etc., etc.

for how can obama inspire the american people with a questioned character? how can he lead the american nation with lingering & serious doubts about his entire being? how can he face other world leaders when he's bogged down by persistent attacks on his political persona?

it will definitely be a sorry sight when people wouldn't take him seriously,& even laugh behind obama's back, for he'd be seen nothing less than the legendary king "without clothes."

if this very valid concern is irrelevant to the superdels, if you want the american leader to be the world's laughing stock, then you aren't just worthy of your seats.

now that obama has been unhinged from his self-constructed pedestal, now that he's been unmasked as a phony crusader, a two-timing reformer, we hope these superdels will cease to regard him like some sort of an aztec god.

i have a 'tip' for these superdels, to guide them in their ultimate choice.

let us first restate obama's tactic on how he rebuts his critics' attack on his character & his past associations with some shady characters.

what obama does is to label these criticisms as being 'part of washington politics,' a 'republican rollout,' 'politics of division,' 'traditional politics of knife-twisting'--which the american voters are now tired of & would want to do away with. in sum, obama tries to sidestep piercing questions about his character & past deeds by dismissing these issues altogether--& then segueing to the people's aspirations, hopes & dreams for a better life, more jobs, lower gas prices at the pump, more affordable foods in the kitchen for most americans, etc., etc.

in short, what's obama's saying is this: never mind my quirks of character, ignore my associations with questionable people, gloss over my serious misdeeds--& just concentrate on my plan on how to generate jobs for you, how to bring about lower gasoline prices & health care cost, etc.

but this is the political tactic long being employed by the de facto philippine president gloria macapagal arroyo, who has also a serious credibility problem, just like obama.

arroyo is seen in the philippines as an illegitimate president for having wrested power in 2001 from a duly elected president (joseph estrada) via a philippine supreme court newfangled theory on (estrada's alleged) 'constructive resignation,' which does not form part of any of the four constitutional grounds for removing the president. Arroyo is also viewed in our country as having stolen the 2004 elections from the hugely popular movie icon fernando poe , jr.(whose mother was a full-blooded american) through massive vote rigging. arroyo is also seen here as the most corrupt & most brutal philippine president ever.

to take the heat away from her, to parry off the filipino people's incessant demands for her resignation or toppling down, gloria argues that all these events are water under the bridge, so let's move on. she consequently points to her job in allegedly 'growing the philippine economy, improving its basic fundamentals, micro & macro, so as to build a better future for the filipinos.' or so she claims. but the fact remains that the poor in the philippines get poorer & poorer, & only gloria & her ilk & the few rich families get to grow financially.

yet, the nagging question about gloria's legitimacy remains, and aspersions about her 'lying, cheating & stealing presidency' continue to be cast.

obama has excellently appropriated arroyo's political tactic in his campaign. he thinks it is serving him well, as even the superdels are enamored of it, ignorant as they are of its historical precedent.

i just hope that, for their decision, this piece has informed them properly about it.

[PuWeiTa]

In my mind the worst insult from one person to another is "Did your Mom ever teach you manners?".

The answer would clearly have been NO from the Clintons had I asked. But I have better things to do.

[goldenstate]

With friends like Robert Reich, who needs enemies?

[Richard S'Chevalier]

How is it that anybody can actually believe anything the Clintons say. They have proven themselves liars time after time. Just read the Great Whitewater Fiasco, the body counts, the Clintons believe Americans have too many freedoms, they disgraced the office of their co-presidency as well he our total Nation. Other nations see our Nation as the Clintons are, filled with greed and dishonesty. Of course we understand the liberal news media loves the Clinton, and that tells us how far the new media and the politicians in the Nation have sank, yes tp eat like pigs at a slop trough. grunt, grunt, grunt and give me more. Its a true horror story beyond words to express. And we also have McCain, who is just another George W Bush. I will vote for Obama and be proud of doing so. The man has true courage and wants the Republic to again be a proud and wonderful nation. He want equality for all of us. He want far better schools, jobs and opportunity for all of us. The Clintons just want more and more money, power and to bring about the destruction of our Nation.