Contrary to "The Ragin' Cajun"'s helpful advice, the former president said Obama should keep his economic team in place, "because he has a good economic plan," adding, "the president never does the country much good by panicking."
"Right now [Obama] is out there running against himself and against the American's disappointments and frustrations," Clinton said.
(Matt Bai in the New York Times on Sunday agreed with Clinton in his analysis, writing, "The problem with Mr. Carville’s prescription in this particular case, however, especially as it pertains to Mr.(William) Daley, is that it would directly undermine the foundation of the case that Mr. Obama and his Democratic allies have been trying so hard to make.")
Clinton appeared on ABC's This Week and CBS's Face The Nation in addition to his MTP appearance, where he maintained the perspective that President Obama came into a horrific economic situation and that he needs more time to make it better.
Clinton said he'd like to see the jobs plan that Obama unveiled two weeks ago enacted on Capitol Hill, but acknowledged that there's a worldwide shortage of jobs, and said he didn't believe that the country could return to the (relatively) low unemployment numbers enjoyed while he was in charge of the country until the housing crisis ends.
"In the meanwhile I think a combination of the payroll tax changes that Obama recommended, setting up an investment bank and doing more in infrastructure and then looking at areas of specific opportunities to put people to work can really create million of jobs and get us out of the worst of this doldrum.
"
On CBS, Clinton reacted positively to the news floated on the front page of the New York Times that part of the Obama plan to pay for his jobs plan is to tax millionaires. Clinton said he was cool with that:
"If you look at the group that has had the biggest income increases and the benefit of most of the tax cuts of the previous eight years before the Obama administration took office, those of us in that income group, we're in the best position to make a contribution to changing the debt structure of the country," Mr. Clinton said, "I don't think that's such a draconian thing."
Going back to the Democratic party discontent with their current standard bearer, Clinton laughed off Dick Cheney's recent comment that he thought Hillary Clinton is the "most competent" member of the cabinet and that it would be "interesting to speculate" about her challenging her boss for the party's nomination. Ever since Obama took office, there have been pundits (hello, Dick Morris!) who endlessly repeat that Clinton would take on Obama in 2012, undoubtedly dividing the Democrats and making it easier for a Republican to exploit that dissension.
Mrs. Clinton has repeated over and over that she would never do such a thing — in fact, she says she'll step down as Secretary of State if there is a second term for Obama. So else could there be? Liberals like Bernie Sanders and Dennis Kucinich say they'd like to see the president challenged in their own party, but haven't recommended anyone in particular (and have pointedly not said they would be running).
When asked about Cheney's comments by CBS' Bob Schieffer, the ex-prez enjoyed a good chuckle.
"Well, you know, I'm very proud of her, so I'm always gratified whenever anyone says anything nice about her. And I very much agree that she's done a good job."
"But I also have a high regard for Vice President Cheney's political skills, and I think one of those great skills is sowing discord among the opposition. So I think he's right that she's done a heck of a job. But she is a member of this administration, and committed to doing it. And I think he, by saying something nice about her in the way that he did, knew that it might cause a little trouble," Clinton continued.
"I don't want to help him succeed in his political strategy. But I admire that he's still out there hitting the ball."