Hillary Clinton is so dreamy to Ed Schultz. More accurately, Hillary Clinton is so dreamy to Ed Schultz ... now.
The braying left-wing radio host and MSNBC weekend parolee is surely hoping that Clinton has a short memory. Clinton and her lesser half are many things, but they aren't possessed of short memories. With speculation already on the rise about the 2016 campaign, Schultz is wasting no time declaring that Clinton's the candidate for him. (Audio clips after the jump)
Here's Schultz cutting loose against Hillary and Bill Clinton in December 2007 (audio) --
I am absolutely perplexed as to how Hillary Clinton can stand up and say that (sarcastically) we're so concerned about the right-wing sound machine and Rush Limbaugh and Hannity and all these other people with microphones. Where's our people?! Well you know what, Hillary? Here we are! You know, here we are! Name one place, Carl (caller), that you can go in the media today that you can get Hillary Clinton unedited. The answer is, you can't find it.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, had called into his radio show the day before and Schultz would soon endorse him (audio) --
I'm done with the Clintons. I'm done with the cheap shots. I'm done with the innuendos. I'm done with the blaming it on the Des Moine Register. Hillary, I do not want you to be the nominee. Biden, I do not want you to be the nominee. (Biden also declining to appear on Schultz's show). I'm, I'm, I'm taking a stand here and I'm being self-serving, OK? Just like there are Americans out there who are being self-serving about health care!
Days before the New Hampshire primary in early January 2008, Schultz accused Hillary Clinton of stealing "Dick Cheney's playbook" by suggesting America would be more vulnerable to terrorism if Obama was elected (audio) --
The point is is that I don't think this is going to be the last time we're going to hear Hillary Clinton say this -- oh, holy smokes, vote for me or we're gonna get hit again! Hillary Clinton playing the 9/11 card, the legacy card, the trial by fire card. Just after landing in New Hampshire, she holds a quick press conference, impromptu with some reporters. In a hangar this morning she said, "We have people who are plotting against us right now, getting ready to repeat the atrocity of September 11. We know it. I see the intelligence reports. I don't think there has ever been a more important decision for the citizens of New Hampshire." Hillary! Did you steal Dick Cheney's playbook!? She's playing the security card!
A few weeks later, Schultz caused a dustup on the left when he appeared on future MSNBC colleague Chris Matthews' "Hardball" show and accused Bill Clinton of lying about Obama ... "and picking on a brother!" (audio) (video) --
MATTHEWS: Let's start with, is he a plus or a minus for Hillary?
SCHULTZ: Well, I think he's a minus for Hillary because he's lying on the campaign trial, Chris. I'm gonna lay it right on the Clintons' doorstep right now. Bill Clinton is lying about Barack Obama's record when it comes to the war and when it comes to this comment about Republicans and Reagan. And you know what Democrats are being reminded of when Clinton gets out on the stump? He lied 10 years ago about Monica Lewinsky and he's lying about a very viable candidate and somebody who could really bring change to this country. He is embarrassing poor Democrats and another thing is, I think that African-Americans are saying, you know what, he's picking on a brother! That's why Hillary's going down as far as the rating approval with the African-Americans in South Carolina. Bill, get off the campaign trail if you want Hillary to get the nomination.
A conservative saying the same things as Clinton about Obama and how would Schultz respond? Lying racist!
In the five months that followed before Hillary Clinton finally conceded the nomination to Obama, Schultz grew to tolerate her for the same reason that most other Obama supporters did -- their sobering realization that Obama probably would not win without her support.
Fast forward to the early stirrings of the 2016 campaign and all his forgiven when it comes to Hillary, at least as far as Schultz is concerned. He's now become one of her biggest fans, as revealed on his radio show Wednesday, Schultz praising her criticism of new GOP-pushed voting laws in North Carolina (audio) --
Never backing off, never backing down, always advocating for the greater good. That's what I think of Hillary Clinton. I was, I guess you could say, not a financial but a supporter of Hillary Clinton. I was won over by Barack Obama. I thought Obama brought a special and new and vibrant demographic and push to the Democratic Party as opposed to the Clintons. It would be very hard for me to say that Hillary Clinton would not be perfect as president. I think she would be. That's where I stand on it early on.
Yup, that's where Schultz stands ... providing that Clinton doesn't turn him down for an interview this time around.
