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Cooper thinks Obama should steer clear of Clintons
U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper is strongly advising against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama picking Sen. Hillary Clinton as a running mate, saying Clinton being vice president would be a “demotion” and put a “distracting” Bill Clinton inside the Obama White House.
Cooper (D-Nashville), a longtime Obama supporter, said Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.) is a “great U.S. senator” and should not be taken out of the U.S. Senate.
“For her to be vice president is almost a demotion,” Cooper said in an interview with The City Paper on Tuesday. “The Supreme Court — that might be a promotion. She’s already been vice president basically, when she was first lady.”
As a second and perhaps more compelling reason, Cooper asked rhetorically if a President Obama wanted former President “Bill Clinton around the White House?”
Cooper pointed to a recent Vanity Fair article, in which Clinton’s post-White House business dealings and social life — including allegations of seeing “a lot of women” while traveling — were discussed in-length among other unflattering details concerning his recent years since leaving 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
“It’s amazing,” Cooper said of the article, which the Clinton camp denounced. “I think that it’s much better for Bill Clinton to remain a private citizen and doing his good charitable work and not having to worry about government disclosure because you know he’s refused to say who contributed to his presidential library and all of those things. There are a lot of issues there.”
“I think Bill Clinton is a great president, but ya know, you’re limited to two terms.”
On the other hand, Cooper said Obama (D-Ill.) is a “new era” and doesn’t need the “baggage of the past” coming back through a “distracting” Bill Clinton.
Cooper says he’s not picking up the phone to express his views to the Obama campaign, saying it was “above his pay grade.”
Back in the nascent days of the Clinton administration, Hillary Clinton and Cooper engaged in a policy war over health care as the first lady proposed a universal health care plan.
Cooper said Hillary Clinton has “put that aside.”
“Now there are many good things about the past, and I’m not blaming Hillary for any of those things,” Cooper said. “It’s Bill’s fault, but read that Vanity Fair article and see if you want him walking around the White House.”
Bob Tuke, Obama’s state political director and a Democratic hopeful for the U.S. Senate, said Clinton should stay on Obama’s short list of possible vice presidential nominees but he’s not giving advice for whom specifically should be picked.
“I think that Sen. Obama has to consider two separate but related issues — one is with whom would he best campaign and then the second one is with whom would he best govern,” Tuke said, adding that from what he knows of Obama he would be more focused on governing than campaigning.
After Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee, Gov. Phil Bredesen and Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Gray Sasser hosted a unity breakfast in which Bredesen said right now Tennessee would likely go into McCain’s column in the general election. He couched that though by saying it was “very, very changeable.”
While acknowledging that Tennessee is “not a sure thing,” Cooper said Democrats have an “excellent chance” for Obama to win the Volunteer State in November.
Cooper said the Tennessee Democratic Party should be working precinct to precinct to make the state a battleground between the two candidates.
“I would agree that I think Republicans have some advantages in Tennessee, but most Republicans I know have long since peeled off their “W” bumper stickers,” Cooper said. “There are a lot of square sticky patches on the back of SUVs all across Tennessee.”
In polls of prospective general election match-ups in the state, McCain had a double-digit lead versus Obama.
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I wonder what Al Gore thinks of Mr. Cooper's comment that Mrs. Clinton was basically already Vice President as First Lady?
It's no secret that when Hilary was pushing health care n 1993 Rep. Cooper tried to work with her on a compromise proposal which he knew would be able to pass. She basically told him to go frak himself and he was persona non grata for the rest of the Clinton era.
I am ready for the Clintons to go crawl in a hole and be gone. In fact, new blood is what Obama's campaign is all about and bringing in the old guard defeats the purpose.
Cooper should be worrying about letting us get our own oil before the economy collapses.
“The Supreme Court — that might be a promotion."Cooper just lost my vote because of sheer idiocy. Clinton has absolutely NO qualification for the Supreme Court.
Id, even if they started drilling tomorrow, do you really think that would affect prices?It has nothing to do with supply.
Stay away from Clinton and stay away from Obama. These two jerks are lethal to say the least.Democrap Congress has helped a lot in the last yr with the gas saga now haven't they.Can you say morons?
Yeah, I can say 'moron'...MCCAIN
Dragon, while I am by no means a Clintonista, you're flat out wrong when you say that Hillary has "absolutely no qualification for the Supreme Court".She has plenty of qualifications. She is a licensed attorney who has years of experience practicing law in private- and public-sector settings.Many previous Supreme Court justices have had similar credentials. Just like when she was running for president, Hillary is just as qualified (not more, not less) than other would-be contenders to the Supreme Court.
Dragon, you're calling a Rhodes Scholar and Harvard Law grad an idiot? Cooper has one of the more brilliant minds in Congress. Give me a break.
Jim Cooper is such a do-nothing boob, he can't even bring in federal funds for mass transit. And don't expect him to fund the new (long overdue) federal courthouse. What a bump on a log!
I found Cooper's remarks to be remarkably candid and right on the money. While the Clinton Presidency was a ray of sunshine compared to the dark cloud of idiocy that has hung over this nation for eight years, their time has come and gone to hang around the White House. I agree with those who are aware of Cooper's strengths as one of our better Congressmen and certainly the best of the Tennessee delegation. He worked hard to keep our sales tax exemption while Billy Frist was fixated on killing the inheritance tax so he could keep all of daddy's money. Cooper has uncovered fraud, waste and pork in both the Congressional and Pentagon budgets. Those who think Cooper is ineffective probably think Marsha 'Ditzy Blonde' Blackburn is a statesperson.
Dragon, if you want to look at a weak resume, look at Clarence Thomas. Aside from being a pervert, his judicial qualifications were minimal. It's almost as if George the First told his staff to find 'a black guy with a law degree who thinks like a neanderthal' as qualifications for the bench.
I never called her an idiot, those are your words, Deacon19. And I will concede that she (and her husband) are lawyers.Hillary Clinton has no expertise in constitutional law. She has no experience sitting on any bench as a judge.But if being a judge and having expertise in constitutional law is irrelevant, any lawyer in America is qualified to sit as a judge on the Supreme Court, whose sole function is to interpret the US Constitution and it's applicability to current law.
the constitution does not list any qualifications to sit on the court,so anybody could be nominated.
OK, she has no experience or expertise. But, since she's liberal, she should be a Supreme Court Justice. Welcome to the Obama era.
Actually Dragon, that is Cooper's opinion, not Obama's. “For her to be vice president is almost a demotion,” Cooper said in an interview with The City Paper on Tuesday. “The Supreme Court — that might be a promotion. She’s already been vice president basically, when she was first lady.”I don't see any mention of Obama or his camp expressing the same opinion. Thanks.
Dragon, I was referring to your comment of "Cooper lost my vote because of sheer idiocy
In re-reading my Clarence Thomas post, I need to clarify that I am not citing being a perv as qualification for the High Court.I think Hillary is qualified. However the partisan war machines are so finely tuned these days that Presidents are looking at the actuarial tables to pick court nominees. Somebody in the Dark Fortress aka White House noticed that Rehnquist had been around since Richard Nixon was President. The man was in his forties when appointed. I think alot more judges in their forties are going to be appointed in the future to assure longevity on the bench. Hillary, although only 60, may be viewed as too old.
"Jim Cooper is such a do-nothing boob, he can't even bring in federal funds for mass transit. And don't expect him to fund the new (long overdue) federal courthouse. What a bump on a log!"------------------That sort of funding is commonly called "earmarked" funds and Cooper has sworn not to seek any. Funny, when it's someone else getting earmarks it's wrong but when Nashville wants a handout it's aok.
But Clarence Thomas is ethically qualified because he holds conservative views?
I think Clinton will lay low and pop up at next opportunity to run for President. Her's and Bill's egos would not allow them do anything else.
We'd be better off with no government. Let's just not have an election this year, no President, no Congress, no nothing. See if it doesn't improve things.
It might in Idaho. It would be safer to go into a men's room......
Why doesn't she have the qualifications Dragon ? She's a lawyer just like the rest of them but a good one . We already have some on the USSC that are not even good lawyers and only vote partyline instead of the law .
OMG! I'm gorgeous.
While far removed from the mainstream of this string, TfT inserted a whack at former Senator Frist's focus on killing the oppressive death tax. It needed serious amending, as a minimum, and obliteration would be justified. It has caused many a small business, including farms to be sold by the heirs to pay the tax. Often, the inherited assets have already been taxed.Liberals have a penchant for proposing schemes to supposedly help the middle-class, while punishing those evil capitalists, or anyone considered unworthy of wealth, excluding themselves. (Can anyone say Kennedy, and trust funds to escape taxes?)But suppose one has a fortune, variously defined, and wants to pass it down to children, grandchildren, etc. Why should the government be entitled to a cent? It is remarkable how so many politicians invoke class hatred to perpetuate their socialistic agendas.
Yeah, never mind that you didn’t have that money before, and that it is now at 1 million dollars before they start taxing you on it, and that you could gift it before you die up to a million dollars also (depending on every ones marital status), we shouldn’t have to pay any tax on anything! Damn government!
Only the rich revo, tax the hell out of everyone else.
Cooper is absolutely right about the Clintons' ability to drag any campaign into the gutter. He dealt first hand with HC when he tried to broker a bi-partisan compromise on health care, and she and the DNC made him a pariah for it. Cooper is a real public servant, who refuses to play the earmark game in favor of trying to enact good policy. Obama could learn a lot from his bi-partisanship, intellect, and hard work. Maybe he can appoint him to his cabinet in 2009.
I think you Clinton-haters should all shut up. All you do is continue to rub salt in the wounds of us that support and love her. You wonder why we're thinking about voting Republican this year? Read your hate diatribes and there's your answer.
Love her? How is that possible?
Hillary is a dangerous person.No one will be safe around her. If she gets the nomination as VP, Obama had better put a secret service detail on her to keep himself safe.The clintons have had their time. Lets move on.There is no growing economy for her to claim.And she will make the military weak just like Bill did.