Campaign speeches that ought to be watched and read are rare, but here is one. Bill Clinton is proud of his country’s “liberal”, “conservative”, and bi-partisan achievements alike, and he has a message for Republicans who purge Republican politicians who might be prepared to cooperate on crucial issues:
Democracy doesn’t have to be a blood sport, it can be an honorable enterprise that advances the public interest.
The central message was his endorsement for president Obama. But to me as an outsider, Clinton’s remarks about democracy are important.
His speech also seemed to explain why Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan couldn’t really take off in the opinion polls after Republican convention in Tampa. It probably wasn’t because people “didn’t get to know Romney personally” – it was because they didn’t get to know from Tampa what Romney/Ryan actually intend to do.
Can’t judge if Clinton fills the gaps – left open by the Republicans – accurately. But he seems to make sense of them.