Bill Clinton: We Can Have 40 Years of Progressive Politics

Ex-prez says stars now aligned for health care reform

Former President Bill Clinton urged a gathering of liberal bloggers and activists to unite behind President Obama and Democrats on health care and climate change legislation if they want a new progressive era to last up to 40 years. 

Back in the spotlight after returning from a successful mission to North Korea that won release of two American journalists, Clinton delivered an hour-long keynote at the Netroots Nation convention Thursday in Pittsburgh, Pa. He told the group that as president he never had a Democratic filibuster-proof majority in Congress to push through health care reform, and pleaded for activists to seize the current moment. 

"We canโ€™t be in the peanut gallery," Clinton said. "We have to be actors. Donโ€™t lose your energy because things donโ€™t work out the way you want."

While most of his speech reportedly went over well with the liberal audience, the ex-president received heckles for past positions on gay marriage and the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. โ€œNobody regrets how this was implemented any more than I do. I hated what happened,โ€ Clinton said.

Get More: Politico, New York Times

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