If I could choose to meet three living people, Bill Clinton would be one of them. Now I can cross him off my list - I shook his hand Thursday evening at an Obama Fundraiser Event at the Lowe Gallery in Atlanta!
Dan and Sue (pictured with the President above) Lipson were very gracious to take me as their guest. I didn't get a picture with the President, but I did get inspired by the riveting talk Mr. Clinton gave. He made the most logical and compelling case for Obama I've heard yet. Here were a few of his talking points:
* Obama has the upper hand on the most important issues - the economy, the war, and health care. The Republicans have been notorious for clouding the issues with personal attacks over the last few years, but there has been less of that this year. Mr. Clinton contended voters won't stand for it - this election is too important. (McCain will supposedly go on the attack pretty soon, so we'll see how that holds.)
* We don't get anywhere by looking down our noses at Sarah Palin. She's weathered extraordinary family challenges, and we should not underestimate her. (Personally, that's tough to do for me following her inability to assemble anything resembling a rational thought in response to a few of the questions in Thursday's debate. If I were moderator, this would have been my response.)
* For the next couple of years, the President is going to need to hunker down and solve this economic crisis. The person in charge has to have the intellectual tools to understand very complicated systems. Barack Obama is that man. (By what he didn't say, Bill insinuated President Bush did not have these tools. The audience got a chuckle out of that, but Clinton was careful to qualify his statement by saying Mr. Bush has done what he thinks is right, and it's exactly what he said he'd do in his campaign in 2000.)
* Given the President's need to focus on the economy, the Vice President will have an unusually important role travelling and handling foreign relations, and we need someone with the knowledge and experience for the job: Joe Biden. (This seems a bit of a stretch to me, but Biden certainly could be trusted dealing with foreign dignitaries. I can't say the same for Palin.)
He made it all sound so simple - I wish he was speaking to an audience of undecideds rather than 80 of Obama's biggest supporters in the state. Clinton's ability to communicate his understanding of complex issues in a way that everyone can not only understand but feel creates a charisma unlike any I've ever encountered.
TAKE ACTION: Bill's always trying to put that charisma to use, whether it be in $1 million speeches for his own coffers, raising $400,000 for Obama as he did on Thursday, or working with Bush Sr. on hurricane relief. Watching Sunday football, the two ex-prezes reminded me of the massive rebuilding project we have on the gulf coast. Make a donation @ bushclintoncoastalfund.org.
