Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and the Cracker Vote

Last night, Bill Clinton was interviewed by Larry King.

Unlike with Clinton's appearance on Late Night with David Letterman, Chris Rock did not follow with a rebuttal.

Anyway, Clinton didn't disappoint. He delivered up a number of gems.

Transcript

KING: And you're going to vigorously campaign -- is that a correct word, vigorous?

CLINTON: Yes, I think that's fair. I wanted to get, first to after Hillary concluded her campaign, except for the convention. I needed to go back to work for my foundation. You know, we had this Global Initiative coming up and I have projects all over the world.

I just got back from my annual trip to Africa. And so I needed to go back to work. And I wanted to really deal with the Global Initiative in the context of all of these economic challenges, to try to make it non-political.

I invited Senator McCain and Senator Obama to both come. They are both making appearances there.

And I've done everything I could to try to get everybody there without regard to party or philosophy to think about what we should all be doing in America and around the world.

But when this is over, and after the Jewish holidays, which follow close on it, I intend to go to Florida, to Ohio, to Northeast Pennsylvania and to Nevada, at a minimum. I may do events in Arkansas, depending on what the Democratic Party does down there. And I have some fundraising for them in California and New York.

KING: Do they ask you, go here, go there?

CLINTON: Yes.

KING: All right. (INAUDIBLE). Why are you -- are you kind of feeling Jewish, that you're waiting until after the Jewish holidays?

CLINTON: No. But I think it would be -- if we're trying to win in Florida, it may be that -- you know, they think that because of who I am and where my politic base has traditionally been, they may want me to go sort of hustle up what Lawton Chiles used to call the cracker vote there.

But Senator Obama also has a big stake in doing well in the Jewish community in Florida, where Hillary did very well, and where I did very well. And I just think respecting the holidays is a good thing to do.

KING: I was just having a little fun.

CLINTON: I know.

Clinton's not feeling Jewish, but Obama's camp will want to use him to appeal to Florida's Jewish community.

Plus, Clinton thinks the Obama campaign may want him to go to Florida to hustle up the "cracker vote."

OK.

I'm not really comfortable with a former president of the United States using terms like "cracker vote."

It seems a bit inappropriate, doesn't it?