Former president Bill Clinton offers his thoughts on anger and government attitudes:
In advance of a symposium on Friday about the attack on the Oklahoma City federal building and its current relevance, Mr. Clinton, who was in his first term at the time of the bombing, warned that attempts to incite opposition by demonizing the government can provoke responses beyond what political figures intend.
“There can be real consequences when what you say animates people who do things you would never do,” Mr. Clinton said in an interview, saying that Timothy McVeigh, who carried out the Oklahoma City bombing, and those who assisted him, “were profoundly alienated, disconnected people who bought into this militant antigovernment line.”
Hmm. What could someone in public life say, about a highly charged, emotional public-policy issue, that would animate others to do something they would never otherwise do?
September 22, 2009: Clinton predicted “the minute health care reform passed, President Obama’s approval ratings would go up 10 points.”