SEATTLE – Former President Bill Clinton on Monday provided Democrats with the political juice they’ve been seeking, laying out an agenda for capturing election victories this fall.
“I’m frankly tired of people saying Democrats don’t stand for anything. I know what we stand for,” he told a thrilled crowd at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.
“We stand for an open, accountable and empowering government,” he said, contending that President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress lead in a “fundamentally self-indulgent and irresponsible” way.
Clinton’s speech was part of a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. Cantwell did not attend because the Senate was in session and taking votes. She did appear in a two-minute video leading up to Clinton’s appearance.
Though Cantwell couldn’t make it, nearly 1,500 people did. They paid from $250 to $1,000 to dine on a three-course meal of salad, smoked salmon and a fruit tart made with Wenatchee-grown apples, then hear Clinton speak.
Upon his introduction by U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., the crowd rose in a standing ovation.
Throughout Clinton’s 42-minute address, they applauded and sometimes cheered, offering a vocal reminder that King County is Clinton country.
Clinton captured Washington’s popular vote in both of his presidential elections, and each time, King County provided slightly more than one-third of all the votes he received.
He thanked the crowd, then apologized for wanting to speak about something serious – the state of the nation.
One by one, Clinton critiqued the Republicans’ handling of issues such as energy, the economy, education, health care and national security, and in each case he said, “Democrats have a plan” for reversing course.
He called for pursuing clean energy, expanding access to college, raising the minimum wage and creating new high-wage jobs. He talked about providing health care to more people at a lower cost.
He took special aim at President Bush’s decision to cut taxes in a time of war, which he said is one cause of a large deficit that will hurt the future of the very soldiers now serving in Iraq.
Clinton did not criticize Cantwell for voting to support the war in Iraq, a vote that continues to repel some progressive Democrats from her campaign.
But he seemed to be sending a message to those who have been upset with and spoken against the first-term incumbent senator over that vote. Democrats, he said, can debate the war vigorously amongst themselves as long as everyone unites behind Cantwell come Election Day.
“Whatever your position was in the beginning – and I personally felt it was a mistake – no Democrat is responsible” for the problems in Iraq today, he said. “It is very important that this issue alone not be allowed to divide the Democrats.”
Clinton never mentioned Cantwell’s chief Republican opponent, Mike McGavick, by name, though he more than once said that if her “opponent” wins, it would be a vote for the policies of the current Republican administration.
Following his appearance, Clinton headed to a fundraising event for Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle.
Elliot Bundy, spokesman for McGavick, said the Republican candidate planned no events Monday. McGavick will be in Everett on Friday to speak to the South Everett-Mukilteo Rotary Club.
Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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