I have a message from the Big Dog

[senseandsensibility]

My husband, a fellow DUer, and I met the Big Dog, the Honorable William Jeffereson Clinton, last night at a fancy, shmanzy fundraiser in California. Through contacts, we were able to gain entrance to this exclusive event of the Democratic Party elite. We dined on barbeque and enjoyed the view at a "hillrop retreat" in Santa Clara Valley.

We were interviewed by the media as we approached the grounds of the home. One reporter implied that my husband, who was carrying Mr, Clinton's book, had just bought it that morning to bring to the event. He launched into a tirade about how he'd had the book for days, and how Mr. Clinton was the best President of his lifetime,etc.

We waited out in the sun for an hour or so, eating and drinking, until the President made his appearance with Nancy Pelosi. Of course he was greeted like a rock star. I was about ten feet from him, and, if you will allow a personal comment, he was even more handsome than in phographs,and very svelte. He is really in good shape! His first move was to thank the jazz band that was playing. He shook every band member's hand and had a word with each of them. He thanked the firefighters who were manning the barbeques. Yay, firefighers!

But the President was in a serious mood, and he gave a serious speech. There were moments of humor, but the theme was urgency. He actually said that if, heaven forbid, the * wins this Fall, AND the repukes retain control of both houses again, our country will not the same. I think his exact words were "You won't recognize this great country." He ended with a plea to tell everyone we know what is happening and what is at stake in this election. He told us to talk to people in words that they can understand, and to explain to them what cuts are being made in education, health care, and after school programs just so that people like him can have a tax cut. He was particularly biting and sarcastic about tax policy and the deficit.
He made fun of the repukes selling themselves as the party of fiscal discipline. He said they were more like teenagers who had been given their inheritance too early and couldn't wait to blow it!

Brothers and Sisters, the Big Dog was serious last night. He did not smile during his speech. He KNOWS what's at stake and he was begging us to do EVERYTHING we can to stop *, and to win back the House, the Senate, or both. I'm just the messenger. Think of this man, of all he has endured and sacrificed on our behalf(knowing, of course, that he is not perfect). He is scared, and we should be, too. NOW LET'S DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

[theivoryqueen]

1. good for you! great to get to hear Clinton

I agree with him entirely.

[lancdem]

2. Thanks for posting this

and sharing his words. I'd love to meet him someday.

[whistle]

3. Thanks for the message, good post....

...don't forget next time to use the spell-check available on the tool-bar at the bottom of the post window.

[senseandsensibility]

4. *#*#*!!!!!

I tried the spell check, but it hasn't worked for me for the past two days. Feel free to tell me the misspelled words. I'tt try to edit them. Thanks.

[checks-n-balances]

19. Or if it happens again, copy your post, paste it onto a blank page in Word

or your computer's software for documents, the run the spellcheck on the document. Then you can make the corrections before you post it.

BTW, thanks for taking the time to type up his words. Sounds like the first part - seeing him in person - was fun, but his speech was sobering.

I'm glad he's getting his message out - hope everyone out there can eventually hear it.

[greekspeak]

5. I miss the Big Dog

People still listen to him, and I am glad that you got to do so first hand. Congrats and thanks for passing on Clinton's powerful words.

[jackstraw45]

6. I REALLY really hope he makes this type of speech at the convention.

A lot of Dems (DUers aside) still need to hear it and GET it.

[goclark]

7. Met him last week, he is AWESOME!

I totally agree. I took my mom, 86, to see him. She was thrilled beyond words.

She started crying the moment she saw him. She was in her wheelchair and he bent down to comfort her. She told him how much she loved him. Everyone in the book store was cheering for my mom.


Even the Secret Service was teary eyed. Howard Bingham, the official photographer for Mohammed Ali was cheering for my mom! It was so sweet. When Howard started cheering that touched me a lot because he must have seen a thousand touching moments and he was touched.
It was the experience of a life time.

Clinton cared enough to come to the Eso Won bookstore in Los Angeles.
It is owned by African Americans. There must have been 1900 people waiting to get their books signed.

[Karenina]

10. Thanx for your post...

:cry: :cry: :cry:
PLEASE give your Mom a REAL BIG :hug: and tell her you're just delivering a message to her from someone many thousands of away across a VERY BIG POND.

[goclark]

33. She loved your hug! n/t

[senseandsensibility]

13. Wow.

Great story. Give our love to your Mom. It's moments like this that show the true person. Clinton, for all his faults, is a caring, wonderful human being.

[PopSixSquish]

17. Your Post Just Gave Me Goosebumps

Regardless of what was happening in the world or what was happening in his life, Bill Clinton never lost the ability to connect with people and make them feel better if even for a moment.

[Carolina]

8. thanks so much for sharing this

The Big Dog is simply the best ... that's why the repukes worked so hard to destroy him. As amazing as he is on the tube, he is truly awesome in person.

Met him once, too, and gushed like a school girl :bounce:

[Mandate My Ass]

9. Thanks for your post

I think in his public appearances he's more upbeat but it doesn't surprise me that he knows the gravity of the situation and says so out of earshot of the media whores.

I was hoping to see him Monday here in Philly but there were only 1500 tickets available and they were gone in a heartbeat.

[senseandsensibility]

14. You're very perceptive

Clinton was different in this setting. I saw and heard an urgency that I've never seen in public speeches. Of course, he IS a politician (and a great one), so he was playing to his audience. They were powerful, rich people, with the exception of me, my husband, the firefighters, and the band. His tone was different. I think it was because he knew that these people have the money and the influence to change things, if they will just use it. And to their credit, most of them seemed motivated to do so.

[Mandate My Ass]

20. Thank you!

What a very nice thing to say, senseandsensibility. :hi:

I'd love to pick President Clinton's brain sometime. He was on Larry King one night recently (a rerun- back before his book came out) and he spoke so intelligently on so many subjects, recalling information with ease and speaking articulately that by the end of the show I was feeling choked up that this wonderfully able man has been treated with such disrespect and disdain.

Change is in the air, finally. Let's just hope there are no nasty surprises in store for us from the incompetents and thieves that run the show.

[PaDUer]

22. Who & When were they distributing them?

That sucks! When Hillary was in Phila for her booksigning, they handed them out.

[Catherine Vincent]

11. How I wish I could meet Mr. Clinton.

Thanks for the post.

[dubyaD40web]

23. I get to meet him this summer.....

in Kansas City. He's going to have an autograph session with everyone who bought his book at Rainy-Day books in KC. I can't wait to meet him!!

I'll post the pics on my web site when we get them.

[Cleita]

12. Thanks for posting this. I just got his book yesterday, and am

reading it every free moment I get.

[Catherine Vincent]

16. I'm reading his book too.

So far I am enjoying every minute of it.

[LondonReign2]

15. Ya think Chimpy ever thanks the band and servers?

Just shows the difference between the two.

[senseandsensibility]

27. Not unless

his handlers tell him to. They'd probably have to write it all out on index cards ahead of time, and it's just not worth it.

[SayitAintSo]

18. Good message - thanks so much for passing this on - n/t

[Catherine Vincent]

21. "and, if you will allow a personal comment, he was even more handsome.."

:loveya:

[senseandsensibility]

26. How is it possible

for someone to look better than he did four years ago? I think he's definitely thinner, but the lack of stress must account for some of it. Not that this is what matters, but he was fine!:-)

[Catherine Vincent]

30. A woman on cspan a couple of weeks ago made an interesting comment

regarding Clinton (still looking so handsome). She said as many times the right attack that man, he gets younger. She may be right.:-)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

24. Thanks for letting me be there vicariously - I miss the Big Dog real bad!

I will do all I can to unseat the Boy King!

[senseandsensibility]

28. You know

I'm definitely a working class, union girl. I used to wonder what went on at these exclusive fundraisers, even Democratic ones. So I'm happy to report that nothing untoward happens, and that these people are just like us in their political views. I will never live like them, but I do admire one thing about them: they have money, but they spend their money for the betterment of all, not themselves. They are against the * tax cuts. They hate * 's fiscal policy, and they are well informed enough to understand it in detail. Something I didn't mention in my post: although these were the richest Dems in a very rich area(Silicon Valley, CA), whites were in the minority. It was a minority-majority event. California is the future of our country, folks.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

29. AWESOME - good to hear!

Lets just make sure we don't ever have a replay of what happened to the congressional black caucus in 2000!

[Wind Dancer]

25. So glad you were able to see him

and hear this crucial message. Can you imagine the inside info he is privy to? I hope he delivers the same serious tone at the convention, there must be a change in our country or we are doomed.

[senseandsensibility]

31. Yes

I think the serious tone would be very effective.

[linazelle]

32. I just bought his book last night...maybe the lying reporter meant me

NOT.

Glad you got to meet him, glad I helped make THEM squirm by keeping his book at #1.

[senseandsensibility]

37. Yeah, it's really hard

for the mediawhores to accept that people like Clinton after they bashed him for eight years. It means they are not all powerful. Just like they can't accept that anyone doesn't like their little Dubya, when they've kissed his * for four years.

[eissa]

34. You're a lucky woman!

I've got his book and am up to chapter 15 (he just met Hillary). Honestly, if his life were to have stopped there, it would have been a meaningful and full life. This man absorbs life like no one else. He takes in everything around him and has such an interest in people and places and issues. Despite his humble background, he made it a mission to help others less fortunate and see the world. God, what a contrast with the current frat-boy "president." As much as I admired him before, I do so much more now.

And I concurr....he does seem to be aging quite gracefully
:loveya:

[Beaverhausen]

35. Thanks for this. Was Barbara Boxer there?

or did they mention how much support she needs?

Right now she is ahead in the polls but her campaign is worried about the Governator backing the repub challenger in Nov.

[senseandsensibility]

36. No, it would have been great to see Sen .Boxer

This was actually a fundraiser for the House Democrats. My Congressman, Mike Honda, sponsored it with the House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Just a funny aside: My hubby "cornered" Pelosi and told her to get tough with the Republicans, and that we would stand behind her. She took it well, kept smiling, and congratulated both of us on teaching in a very poor area. She was very nice, actually. She has a very safe seat in ultra-liberal San Francisco, and it is our opinion that she could be even more combative with the * administration.

[senseandsensibility]

38. kick

n/t