Bill Clinton Opens Up On ’08 Election

Former President Bill Clinton opened up about the 2008 election Tuesday evening, stating that he never doubted a Democrat would win the Presidency.

“I remember on the morning of the [2006 mid-term elections] I told Hillary ‘if we don’t nominate a convicted felon, we’re going to win’. The Democratic nominee will be the president of the United States,” said Clinton during a gala honoring retiring Democratic Leadership Council founder Al From.

The former President credited the shift in U.S. culture as an important aspect of President Barack Obama’s 2008 victory.

“We’re not a bi-racial country anymore, we’re a multi-racial country. We don’t have time to do anything or celebrate our differences,” Clinton explained. “We are wholly intolerant now of the staples of American politics for much of the last 40 years.”

He expressed his gratitude for Obama’s acceptance of a number of projects from the Clinton era, including extending the community service group AmeriCorp and providing a national loan program to make college more accessible. He also touched upon the challenges facing the Obama administration.

“I think we’re going to get a health reform bill. I’ve been waiting all my life for this. I think we’ll be able to get one that has some republican support that won’t be filibustered. But if we just have universal coverage without doing something to break the cost spiral, five years from now we won’t have universal coverage anymore because we won’t be able to afford it,” said Clinton.

Congress working to prevent the dead from voting

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on lessons learned from the 2004 Presidential election that can be used to improve the upcoming election. Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) said the past two Presidential elections depleted the American people's trust in the fairness of elections.

Congressman Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) said the election process is the "lifeblood of democracy" and without its legitimacy, there can be no leaders. With a record turnout of voters expected, Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich.) said the Department of Justice should work to assure that the next election is the fairest in years.

Dan Tokaji, Associate Professor of Law and Associate Director of Election Law at the Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz School of Law, said there is significant room for improvement in elections fairness. He said that clear rules on transparency must be established before the elections. Despite admitting existent fraud, he said that legislation against it is often fueled by hyperbolic claims. Cleta Mitchell, a partner at Foley & Lardner cited the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) as the largest perpetrator of elections fraud, fictionalizing voter registrations for underage voters and dead people. She said that voter fraud is widespread and not taken seriously, threatening the accuracy and legitimacy of elections.

McCain's pro-Bush policies won't fly in Ohio

Echoing Barack Obama's recent attack on John McCain's economic policy, Todd Book and Chillicothe Mayor Joe Sulzer agreed that a McCain White House would extend the failed Bush economics in southern Ohio.

On a conference call, Todd Book, Ohio State House Assistant Minority Leader, said he approved of Barack Obama's $50 billion stimulus package for Ohio. McCain has ratified the Bush tax cut that provides breaks to the wealthiest 3 percent of Ohioans, Mayor Sulzer said. If McCain tries to distance himself from the Bush Administration during the general election, the people of Ohio will see through it, Book said.

Sen. Obama's plan would provide tax cuts for families that earn less than $250,000 per year, Mayor Sulzer said. According to book, Gov. Ted Strickland (D-Ohio) will continue to actively support Obama during the general election as he did during the primary. The people of Ohio listen to Gov. Strickland, so his endorsement is crucial for Obama, Book said.