goldmonkey
16th April 2010, 10:51 AM
Former President Bill Clinton on Friday said that “legitimate†comparisons can be drawn between today's grassroots anger and resentment toward the government and the right-wing extremism that bubbled up prior to the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City 15 years ago.
Commemorating the anniversary of one of the most traumatic domestic events of his presidency during a speech at the Center for American Progress, Clinton judged the “fever†of anti-government sentiment in the mid 1990s as similar in some respects to the current political environment.
Making comparisons between the two times is “a legitimate thing to do, but I think it’s important to draw the contrast between what happened then and what’s happening to America,†Clinton said.
Like today, the former president pointed out, many Americans were out of work and trying to figure out “where they fit in.â€
“Before the bombing occurred, there was a sort of fever,†Clinton recalled. “The fabric of American life had been unraveling. There was a lot of violence in our cities – gang violence in particular.â€
“The structure of the Cold War – the clear bipolar world – was coming to an end…there was no bipolar world anymore, just a lot of fist fights around the world,†he continued. “There were more and more people having trouble figuring out where they fit it…it is true that we see some of that today.â€
The current climate in Washington, Clinton warned, is building the same kind of anger that bubbled up prior to the Oklahoma City attack – though he firmly declared that the energy that built the tea party movement does not have to lead to violence.
“This tea party movement can be a healthy thing if they are making us justify every dollar of taxes we raise and every dollar of money we’ve spent,†he said. “But when you get mad, sometimes you end up producing the exact opposite result of what you say you are for.â€
“What we learned from Oklahoma City is not that we should gag each other or that we should hold less passion for the positions we hold, but that our words really do matter. There is this vast echo chamber, and the words fall on the serious and delirious alike,†the former president warned. “Have at it. Go fight. Do whatever you want. You don’t have to be nice. But be careful with what you say and do not advocate violence.â€
Clinton said the same kind of "disorientation" that riled Americans during his term is apparent today in "the idea that we ought to bring back Confederate month in Virginia without talking anything about slavery" and "the fact that you ought to be able to pack a six gun into Starbucks and order a Cowboy Latte."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/35916.html
Commemorating the anniversary of one of the most traumatic domestic events of his presidency during a speech at the Center for American Progress, Clinton judged the “fever†of anti-government sentiment in the mid 1990s as similar in some respects to the current political environment.
Making comparisons between the two times is “a legitimate thing to do, but I think it’s important to draw the contrast between what happened then and what’s happening to America,†Clinton said.
Like today, the former president pointed out, many Americans were out of work and trying to figure out “where they fit in.â€
“Before the bombing occurred, there was a sort of fever,†Clinton recalled. “The fabric of American life had been unraveling. There was a lot of violence in our cities – gang violence in particular.â€
“The structure of the Cold War – the clear bipolar world – was coming to an end…there was no bipolar world anymore, just a lot of fist fights around the world,†he continued. “There were more and more people having trouble figuring out where they fit it…it is true that we see some of that today.â€
The current climate in Washington, Clinton warned, is building the same kind of anger that bubbled up prior to the Oklahoma City attack – though he firmly declared that the energy that built the tea party movement does not have to lead to violence.
“This tea party movement can be a healthy thing if they are making us justify every dollar of taxes we raise and every dollar of money we’ve spent,†he said. “But when you get mad, sometimes you end up producing the exact opposite result of what you say you are for.â€
“What we learned from Oklahoma City is not that we should gag each other or that we should hold less passion for the positions we hold, but that our words really do matter. There is this vast echo chamber, and the words fall on the serious and delirious alike,†the former president warned. “Have at it. Go fight. Do whatever you want. You don’t have to be nice. But be careful with what you say and do not advocate violence.â€
Clinton said the same kind of "disorientation" that riled Americans during his term is apparent today in "the idea that we ought to bring back Confederate month in Virginia without talking anything about slavery" and "the fact that you ought to be able to pack a six gun into Starbucks and order a Cowboy Latte."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/35916.html