Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

Rove: Clinton's speech made Obama look 'weaker'

Details

  • Description

    Karl Rove analyzes President Bill Clinton's RNC speech

  • Duration 6:10
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Editor's Picks

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

Dated average -- -- special coverage of the DNC were talking with Karl Rove is in Richmond Virginia tonight.

All right Bill Clinton's speech judge give me -- grade on it.

You don't presentation and energy.

A pretty good the fascination and everybody has -- -- and walk on the high wire seeing what would happen.

You know I'd say pretty good but substance.

Mixed.

He he did what Obama wanted him to do by saying okay it's gonna take longer nobody's ever gotten this done quickly.

But -- reflection -- thought they did the difference between Obama's record on the economy.

And Clinton's record on the economy.

Make it difficult for Democrats to say you know what this guy's doing the best he can after all Clinton did a heck of lot better that that there's a tension there that.

That that was evident just simply about bringing him onto the stage -- an amount.

-- -- -- -- -- The form for president framed it in a way that he had a lot worse than I did.

And if he hadn't spent all this money indicted did what he did we would've been -- depression not a recession.

So he framed it in -- way that the catastrophe was much deeper than anybody thought and nobody could have done it in three and a half years turn the economy around.

So I think it was effective in that message if you buy the message obviously about what the message -- -- Well I'm not certain a lot of people by their message people's patience is wearing thing they want to know what is you know why aren't you get better at it.

You know the other interesting thing -- he may have notices it was the one major speech of the commission for which there was no advance copy.

And if you saw the if you saw the the speech and a particularly if you saw the shots from behind Clinton and so you could see that big teleprompter at the back of the room.

It would go down and then stop Clinton would riff on his own for a few you know for 1015 seconds.

And then pick back up on the text and stop again later in riff on his on I mean that speech but the reason any governor invited advance copies because he was making it up as he went along.

Yeah I do that and I'm not saying that facetiously I -- I off single off the teleprompter I have a thought that it that appears.

But overall I thought Bill Clinton's speech was too long.

-- you saw the television ratings most people were watching the football game not Bill Clinton.

And but he did what he had to do he made President Obama sympathetic.

That's what I thought president Clinton's he didn't make him authoritative interestingly enough.

President Clinton did not make prison Obama authoritative.

This is a leader he's got it under control he didn't do that he made and sympathetic.

Why you've beaten a mop nobody could've done better.

That's Miami and I -- I maintain you know what.

I I made it -- -- -- right but I think it also made him look weaker which is he didn't understand how bad it was and once he got in there he has been.

In you know he hasn't been capable of resolving it -- -- -- need to give this -- longer and frankly look.

When you have high unemployment like we have eight point 3% above 8% now for a record period since world since the Great Depression.

When you got family household incomes the median household income.

Has dropped from 55000.

Dollars to 51000 dollars that's never happened before and recovery.

When you've got anemic growth 2.2 percent for three years after while the excuses Wear thin and when you say you know what.

He it was worse than he thought -- remember he was saying it was the worst since the Great Depression during the campaign.

And and warning that unless action was taken the economy was gone over the cliff and then when he got an office he said we pass a stimulus bill.

Unemployment will top out at 8% at the end of summer 2009 and would be roughly five point 2% today.

He made all these explicit promises that have not come to pass.

And soda excuse -- -- -- what you know what he would they did know he was getting into you and he really didn't know how ineffective his proposals and initiatives would be in resolving the problem.

Not exactly you know the strongest you know -- -- as expression of support.

I and that's right I mean I'd but he did he set the table to feel sorry for Barack Obama for people inherently like a -- you -- maybe that's Rogen -- -- Nobody is mentioning gas prices -- driving on the day.

But people are really getting hammered and and -- not even the Republicans are going there and I don't know why if I wore.

-- Iraq be going all over the place on the gas.

Well -- because it isn't now president.

Yeah in a battleground states are bunch of television ads by the outside groups including the you know full disclosure American crossroads.

Which are drawn attention this I think you know I think it is part of the Republican message it's why it's why Mitt Romney talks about affordable supplies of energy.

And guys it's a big animals directly.

Right it's not the -- radical that you're you're you're suffering.

And the president has no idea no idea how to deal what he -- in a talk about it.

Not -- think is gonna talk about tonight so let's get on to his speech tonight.

I think he's gonna do what Mitt Romney did.

Obviously different philosophies when he's not gonna get very specific.

He's gonna make all the promises he always makes we're gonna do this we're gonna do that without I tell you what he's gonna -- where he's gonna cut it.

Just like Romney didn't say that and I think that's Smart.

Because they don't want to get -- hammered this early two months before the vote they wanna -- a little wiggle room.

You could make that argument that that it's it's fine just to lay out the broad parameters tonight -- inflation and later.

What I'm take invited -- in the excerpts.

It's how many of these promises we've heard before and how he is downsizing its promises for example four years ago he said I'm going to cut the deficit in half and my first term in office.

And promising the roughly the deficit would be 580.

Billion dollars a year by the end of his first term -- will the deficits above a trillion dollar so what does he promised.

He promises he's gonna say four trillion dollars over the next decade.

But it is all budget forecasts that within four years the budget deficit is still going to be over a trillion dollar so I mean I was gonna cut it down to 500 billion billion dollars.

You know now I'm giving a promise it sounds better.

We hope we examine that -- little bit later but in reality is is up I'm gonna save -- -- -- -- -- -- trade basically where it is.

You know he said I'm gonna cut oil imports and uneasiness imminent cut oil imports in half by 21.

Last time around he said I'm gonna end of Middle Eastern oil within ten years we're going to have any imports from the middle yeah I think it is -- -- out.

All right we have to go to the go.

Load More