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Clinton to Obama: Talk optimistically on economy
WASHINGTON – Bill Clinton thinks Barack Obama should express more confidence he's going revive the economy. The White House says the president is trying to be realistic about how long it will take.
"I just want the American people to know that he's confident that we are going to get out of this and he feels good about the long run," Clinton told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday.
The former Democratic president mixed praise with a bit of second-guessing as he evaluated the new president's efforts to get the economy going again.
"I like trying to educate the American people about the dimensions and scope of this economic crisis," Clinton said. "I just would like him to end by saying that he is hopeful and completely convinced we're going to come through this."
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama tries to strike the right balance between being frank with the public about the nation's economic problems while moving to instill confidence that he is taking the right steps.
"I think he understands ... it's important to be straightforward with the American people about those challenges, to underscore the path that we're taking as being one that he feels will get us on a path toward sustained, long-term economic growth, and to ... give people confidence that those steps are being taken," Gibbs told reporters at his daily briefing later Friday.
Gibbs said he hadn't discussed Clinton's remarks with Obama.
Clinton praised Obama on two counts.
"I like the fact that he didn't come in and give us a bunch of happy talk," Clinton said. He also predicted "you will see some good economic news from the stimulus fairly soon."
Obama earlier this week signed a $787 billion package of tax cuts and government spending designed to pump money into the economy and help create jobs.
Obama has said many times that he thinks the country eventually will move beyond the recession but that it will take a long time.
WASHINGTON – Bill Clinton thinks Barack Obama should express more confidence he's going revive the economy. The White House says the president is trying to be realistic about how long it will take.
"I just want the American people to know that he's confident that we are going to get out of this and he feels good about the long run," Clinton told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday.
The former Democratic president mixed praise with a bit of second-guessing as he evaluated the new president's efforts to get the economy going again.
"I like trying to educate the American people about the dimensions and scope of this economic crisis," Clinton said. "I just would like him to end by saying that he is hopeful and completely convinced we're going to come through this."
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama tries to strike the right balance between being frank with the public about the nation's economic problems while moving to instill confidence that he is taking the right steps.
"I think he understands ... it's important to be straightforward with the American people about those challenges, to underscore the path that we're taking as being one that he feels will get us on a path toward sustained, long-term economic growth, and to ... give people confidence that those steps are being taken," Gibbs told reporters at his daily briefing later Friday.
Gibbs said he hadn't discussed Clinton's remarks with Obama.
Clinton praised Obama on two counts.
"I like the fact that he didn't come in and give us a bunch of happy talk," Clinton said. He also predicted "you will see some good economic news from the stimulus fairly soon."
Obama earlier this week signed a $787 billion package of tax cuts and government spending designed to pump money into the economy and help create jobs.
Obama has said many times that he thinks the country eventually will move beyond the recession but that it will take a long time.