Former President Clinton Says He “Worries” About Threats To Obama From “Far Right”

Following comments earlier today in which former President Bill Clinton compared Tea Party anger to the extremism that led to the Oklahoma City bombing, Clinton gave an interview to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in which he expressed concern for President Obama’s safety.

“He’s had all these attacks from the birthers and others. I do think – and he’s had a lot of threats.  And also the members of Congress have had a lot of threats against them… President Obama is different and symbolizes the increasing diversity of America. And both of them – and for him it’s like a symbol of – he symbolizes the loss of control, of predictability, of certainty, of clarity, that a lot of people need for their psychic well-being. And so I worry about it.”

Clinton also explained that while Republicans sometimes receive threats, Democrats are targeted far more often.

“Look, George W. Bush had some threats against him from people who strongly disagreed with his policies. Some – Eric Cantor got a threat here. The governor of New Jersey has been at least jokingly threatened by some interest groups, the Republican governor of New Jersey. But by and large… these have been systematically coming out of the far right.”

The former president suggested that overheated rhetoric is at the root of the threats.

“All of us who have any responsibility have to exercise that responsibility so that we’re intellectually honest about our political positions, but we’re also intellectually honest about what certain words might do to people who are less stable.”

By: Joel