Following former President Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic Nation Convention Tuesday evening CNN’s America’s Choice 2016 panel was overcome with exuberance from his words. “First of all, let's just stipulate, this guy's one of a kind,” David Axelrod proclaimed with delight, “There's nobody else who can turn an auditorium like this into as intimate a place as he did tonight.” Almost every panelist had something glowing to say about Bill Clinton’s address.
Or as Bill’s former speech writer, Paul Begala, says he calls them, “talks.” “He never calls it a speech, not an address, not an oration, it's a talk. Let's give a talk,” Begala reminisced. Begala fawned over how Bill’s style was better than most debaters. “He's Mark Twain. You think he's going to take you on a little lazy trip down the river and by the end, he's explained the meaning of life,” he gush, “It’s really a remarkable gift. And you know I love the guy.”
CNN Political Commentator Van Jones had one of the most bizarre comments about Bill’s speech, glorifying it as a complete remastering of Hillary Clinton:
Hillary Clinton is just like a bunch of dots until tonight. She's this, she's that, she's this, she's that and she's kind of allowed herself to be interpreted by her enemies way too much…
I never actually heard the dots put together in a way where I do, “oh, that's who she is, she's kind of like this workaholic do-gooder chick. Like, hey great! I know people like that.” Up until now she's been like this mystery and almost you're able to project what you want to on her. This is the most—Tonight was the first time I actually saw the dots put together in the right way.
Donald Trump supporter and NewsBusters contributor Jeffrey Lord rained on their parade by reminding them all that people still don’t trust Hillary. “Tonight in Politico, there's a story that Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, a Clinton friend, is on record saying that Hillary Clinton will flip on TPP,” Lord reported to the gaggle of liberals, “Headlines like this reinforce that notion and that is going to be part of the problem here ongoing for her. Is she's not trusted by a lot of the American people. They don't believe her.”
Partial Transcript below:
CNN
Anderson Cooper 360
July 26, 2016
11:16:59 PM EasternANDERSON COOPER: David, it was interesting, you know, starting out it was interwoven, their relationship with also her resume.
DAVID AXELROD: Yes, yes. First of all, let's just stipulate, this guy's one of a kind. There's nobody else who can turn an auditorium like this into as intimate a place as he did tonight. I think the first 25 minutes of the speech were the most important. John talks about what he can sell. I think he did best when he wasn't selling. I think he did best when he was telling and relating the story of their lives together and giving a sense of dimensionality that frankly she's not good at doing. She's the very sort of defended person in many ways and she doesn't, you know, share these stories in that way.
…
COOPER: Paul, you worked for the President Clinton, I mean, you’ve heard a lot of his speeches.
PAUL BEGALA: I kind of like the guy. I had nothing to do with the speech but I'll give you an idea of the process. The way he comes at this. He has never—And 25 years I’ve been doing speeches for him— He never calls it a speech, not an address, not an oration, it's a talk. Let's give a talk. It's like sitting around the nail bend at the hardware store where people would sit around and talk. And I think what Axe said is really important. It’s like sitting around the nail bin at the hardware show I used to walk at as a kid, where people would just sit around and talk.
That's the first thing. Part of the secret to doing that is he doesn't rebut, he reframes. Those of us who had high school debate, we're taught very classically, they say a, I say not a. He doesn't like to do that as much. He likes to reframe, it’s much more subtle, it’s more general, it’s more respectful actually of the other opposition and of your audience. And he loves the power of narrative and a story and he is a southerner to his cord. And he's Mark Twain. You think he's going to take you on a little lazy trip down the river and by the end, he's explained the meaning of life. It’s really a remarkable gift. And you know I love the guy. That’s how he gets to that place.
…
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JEFFREY LORD: I almost badly. You know, like the Grinch here, or—
[Laughter]
AXELROD: I think that’s why you’re here. That’s your job.
LORD: Or I’m about to steal the lollipop from all my happy liberal friends. Tonight in Politico, there's a story that Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, a Clinton friend, is on record saying that Hillary Clinton will flip on TPP. And he's had to walk it back apparently. My point is, what that speech was designed to accomplish in part was to say that the view of Hillary Clinton as not a cynical politician, et cetera. Headlines like this reinforce that notion and that is going to be part of the problem here ongoing for her. Is she's not trusted by a lot of the American people. They don't believe her. You can go back through all the Clinton things et cetera. That’s going to be a problem for her.
VAN JONES: What's so remarkable, though, is that -- there's going to be some people -- Hillary Clinton is just like a bunch of dots until tonight. She's this, she's that, she's this, she's that and she's kind of allowed herself to be interpreted by her enemies way too much. Can you cherry pick some dots. I never actually heard the dots put together in a way where I do, “oh, that's who she is, she's kind of like this workaholic do-gooder chick. Like, hey great! I know people like that.” Up until now she's been like this mystery and almost you're able to project what you want to on her. This is the most—Tonight was the first time I actually saw the dots put together in the right way.
