A 'Kinder, Gentler' Bill Clinton Visits Stockton

(Stockton, California)

He's been coming out swinging since New Hampshire, upsetting a lot of people in the process.

Today, Bill Clinton was transformed. This was the "kinder, gentler" person, that his predecessor George H.W. Bush always talked about.

After weeks of "body slamming" Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton never even mentioned his name in a 30 minutes speech in Stockton, California today. Clinton even praised Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), for working in a bipartisan fashion with his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, (D-NY).

Nice to McCain, and not a mean word about Obama. I know, its sounds like a "fairy tale," the phase that got the former President in hot water in the first place.

But here in San Joaquin County, California folks got a whole lot more to be concerned about than a Democratic Party "family feud."

People in Stockton just want to keep the family house! San Joaquin County has the 13th worst foreclosure rate of any county in the nation. Stockton, Tracy and the "pop up" community of Mountain House have been devasted. San Joaquin County is due east of the Bay Area, and became hugely popular for commuters who could not (or would not) pay the "out-of-site" real estate prices in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Walnut Creek, Pleasanton and even Oakland.


Drive 40 miles to Mountain House and you could get a big, new house for your money! That is, until the adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) kicked in, or you lost your job and could not pay the mortgage. Real estate speculators bit the dust too!

So why is this important on "Super Tuesday?" Because Bill Clinton talked about his wife's plan to bail out homeowners, if she's elected President. And because the housing mess threatens to plunge the nation into a recession, it matters. Remember the Clinton election "mantra" he rode to the White House in 1992? "It's the economy, stupid!"

The Clinton plan would "freeze" all foreclosures for 90 days. Those who refuse to pay or who skipped town, would be foreclosed upon. Those with late payments, but a job and a willingness to keep paying to save their home would get help. They would have five years to get locked-in and caught up on their payments.

The former President admitted it would be costly, with taxpayers footing the bill for $30 billion dollars. The alternative, though, he said was worse. Unemployment, foreclosures and a decline in property values would hurt the economy even more. He said his wife's very expensive plan was designed to “stave off a calamity in the real estate market.”


The Clinton faitful loved it. Catherine Rivera of Stockton and Bernie Giva of Modesto spoke to me after the rally.

They are supporting Hillary Clinton. Rivera said, "Number one, because of universal health care. Plus she's a woman. It's her time." Rivera admits being very tempted to vote for Barack Obama. "Obama's time will come." she said, noting he's only been in the U.S. Senate 2 years.

Join me Tuesday morning at 7:45, "live" with Ross McGowan on KTVU's "Mornings on Two."

Then on Tuesday night, I will be doing "live" commentary nationwide on the Pacifica Radio Network. Pacific is based at KPFA-FM 94.1 in Berkeley, CA, with sister stations in Los Angeles, Houston, New York and Washington, DC. Pacifica also has 84 affiliates around the country. For affiliate listings go to: www.pacificanetwork.org.

I will be on at Midnight Eastern Standard Time, 9 P.M. on the East Coast!