CGI Live Blog: Bill Clinton, President Obama Kickoff CGI 2009 | Tonic

CGI Opening Session (Bill Clinton)

(09/22/2009)

3:51	Steve Enders: Hi folks – we’ll be with you shortly. The session is about to begin…

3:54

Steve Enders: Tough event to get into today!

3:55

caroline: Hi all… It’s Erin. I’m blogging from inside the ballroom. Pretty crazy in here. A little of the scene: presumably crystal chandaliers hanging from the ceiling. Press fighting for standing-room (or is it “sitting room” if you have a laptop?). And dignitaries crawling the joint. I practically tripped over Muhammad Yunus on the way in.

3:55

Erin: It really is Erin. Ha!

3:56

Erin: Chris Moore (movie partner to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) seems to be looking for a seat.

3:56

Erin: Here we go…

3:59

Erin: An announcer just came on essentially asking for respect as heads of state enter the room

3:59

Erin: The music is kind of hysterical. Very movie.

4:00

Erin: And now a little Coldplay to go with a slideshow of accomplishments. Time to pull at some heartstrings.

4:02

Erin: And now silence as people mill about… ooh, Terry McAuliffe of Bill Clinton political fame is saying hi to people.

4:03

Erin: An observational note about the times: even the invited guests have their heads ducked as they smack away at their BlackBerries.

4:04

Erin: And here’s Bill…

4:04

Erin: Everyone is on their feet but the feeling is not… intense.

4:05

Erin: A first joke re: Clinton time. It was well-known in the Clinton era that the 42nd POTUS was always running late… to everything. He says he’ll be on time today because the current POTUS has a schedule to keep.

4:06

Erin: No joke: one of the press is starting to do his live-shot in the middle of Clinton speaking.

4:06

Erin: Clinton: We help match people with time, skills, ideas and money. Yup. That’s the idea.

4:07

Erin: Clinton: Since 2005 more than 1400 committments have been made. 1/4 completed. (There are multi-year committments.)

4:09

Erin: He’s listing accomplishments now. I cannot list them all. (Time for you to check out our site: http://www.tonic.com/article/clinton-global-initiative-2009-preview/) But an interesting note: He listed as one accomplishment: CGI is responsible for some people drinking clean water for the firs time in their lives.

4:10

Erin: Another joke: This is the only conference that you’ll attend where a gift bag is just that: a bag.

4:10

Erin: See, instead of getting gifts, you give them. Ta-da.

4:11

Erin: I want to take a minute to introduce some of our other bloggers. Caroline tells me she’s seeing some celebs on the TV feed… do your thing Caroline.

4:11

Erin: Clinton: For goodness sake, go back to the giving back center and DO IT. (He said “for goodness sake.” Still a southern boy.)

4:12

Erin: I also want to point out that those following along on their computer have an opportunity to write in. We can’t promise that we’ll get to all your comments, but thanks for writing in in advance.

4:12

caroline: Thanks, Erin! Getting a close-up peek thanks to the video feed. Seems the guest-list is Hollywood-approved: Jessica Alba, husband Cash Warren, model Christy Turlington and former Nanny Fran Drescher are in the room …

4:12	[Comment From Thomas] Is Bill Clinton as attractive in person as he is on TV?

4:12	[Comment From Thomas] I love a southern man.

4:13

Erin: Clinton: We never discussed more than how much money does it cost… This initiative is in the “how” business.

4:13	[Comment From Newmanium] Is Bill Clinton wearing the bat cape?

4:14

Erin: Thomas: he is not wearing a bat cape but he looks just like he does on TV: a little red, very knowledgable, and probably saying about 1/4 of what his brain actually holds.

4:14

Erin: HEY!

That’s Matt Damon!

4:14

Erin: Water.org announcement…

4:14

caroline: (photo of sea of people courtesy of Miss Erin Green)

4:15

Erin: Ooh, the natives are getting restless… Damon just showed up and even the powerful are craning their necks to get a better look

4:15

Erin: Apparently Matt Damon takes notes in meetings and Bill Clinton admires that

4:15	[Comment From Lucas] Is Hillary on stage with Bill? Where’s Obama?

4:15

Erin: I feel bad for Matt Damon’s partner. No one knows his name right now. But he’s talking now…

4:15	[Comment From Lucas] Wow. That’s a packed house. It must be hot.

4:16

Erin: The cofounder’s name is…. Caroline, help me out here…

4:17

Erin: The cofounder of Water.org is explaining how water credit works at water.org

4:17

Erin: Essentially, they get people to lend money so people without clean water can build pipes

4:17

Erin: The idea is that once they have running water, they don’t have to spend their whole day “scavanging for water”

4:17

Erin: They can go work or go to school, make money and pay it all back

4:17

caroline:

Gary White at the mic, guys

4:18

Erin: Enter Matt….applause…

4:18

caroline: and I s’pose you all know who this guy is …

4:18

Erin: Joke: Thank you for whipping the crowd into a frenzy

4:18

Erin: Committment: Water.org is extending its org to Haiti

4:19

Erin: Only 51% have access to water… that barely seems possible

4:19

Erin: (Sorry for the editorial comment, but that blows my mind.)

4:19

Erin: Damon is wearing a double-flagged pin it looks like… one US and one… can anybody make that out?

4:20

Erin: That was quick. Oooh and Matt unleashes the power of his smile on Bill…

4:20

Erin: Bye boys…

4:20

Erin: (Another side note: I know I’m supposed to be a professional, but Matt Damon is sitting, maybe 10 people away from me. I’m distracted…)

4:21

Erin: Okay, now a progress report from a woman with a fantastic necklace!

4:21

Erin: She created a program for disadvantaged girls in Kenya.

4:21	[Comment From Will] Paraguay?

4:21	[Comment From glenndimes] it sounds like a good cause, water.org

4:22

Erin: We’re figuring out who this woman is… stay tuned…

4:23

Erin: But she’s telling us that they’ve exceeded their goals in giving these girls a voice…

4:23

Erin: Ooh and now a video…

4:23

Erin: Linda Lockhart, I believe this is her…

4:24

Erin: Microsoft apparently got involved and threw in some resources

4:24

Erin: The video is showing girls in school there…

4:24

Erin: A girl interviewed says she believes she can do anything… talks about giving clothes back… she says she’s focused

4:25

Erin: The video is over and hey, the girls are on the stage holding hands

4:25

Erin: They say they are telling their story. Dude, they practicied. They’re talking in sync. No mistakes. Wow.

4:26	[Comment From DanNation] When does Obama show up?

4:26

Erin: DanNation, pipe down. He’s closes the session. (Hee, hee. I work with Dan. I’m allowed to say that.)

4:27

Erin: Enthusiastic applause for the girls’ story. Big hug from Bill and a nice photo op. Good moment.

4:28

Erin: A panelist is making a committment: CEO of Coca Cola… Welcome Muktar Khent (spelling, anybody? Help!)

4:28

Erin: I know he’s a turkish businessman but I cannot spell his name. Google will help me.

4:28

Erin: Steve found it: Muhtar Kent

4:28

Erin: Sorry Mr. Kent!

4:29

Erin: Bill says Coke is a leader in sustainable development.

4:30

Erin: Continuing with the introductions… Michelle Bachelet, the president of Chile. Apparently she has fans — lots of whistles (in a good way) when she got introduced.

4:30	[Comment From Lucas] Is Michelle coming to this year’s too?

4:31

Erin: Mike Duke of Walmart is getting intro’d…

4:32

Erin: First mention of health care stuff involving Walmart and their healthcare plan. Bill says they are supporting reform.

4:32

Steve Enders: Demi Moore sighting – she’s at the plenary.

4:33

Erin: Says when Walmart reduced their packaging by 5% (if I caught that right) was like taking 210,000 diesel powered cars off the road

4:34

Erin: Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia being introduced now. I think Bill said he was one of the most well-read people he knows. I think that’s probably saying a lot.

4:35

Erin: Speaking of Demi… Ashton just had to escorted to his seat.

4:36

Erin: Er, “Ashton had to be escorted to his seat.” Sorry, got ahead of myself there.

4:36

Erin: The panel is starting…

4:37

Steve Enders: Off topic: If you’ve never seen Kevin Rudd’s apology to the aboriginal people of Australia, you should watch it. Very powerful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XtUJTbQaN0

4:38

Erin: The Chilean president says in the 80s Chile had a horrible financial crises, partly due to lack of regulation.

4:41

Erin: There is a lot of policy here. And typical to Bill Clinton, he looks like he’s understanding all of it. The crowd, however…

4:41

Steve Enders: President Bachelet: recovering from its financial crisis because of good partnerships with its people, workers and private sector. Oh, and health care reform in Chile.

4:41

Erin: Ah, a joke. The Chilean President says that they reformed their health care system but acknowledged that’s hard to talk about in the US. She did end her statement by saying that she thought you should have both public and private plans. She got lots of applause on that.

4:42

Erin: Per capita income of Chile: 13,500. Bill says if he were an American congressman he’d be embarassed that American couldn’t cover everybody.

4:43

Erin: Ooooh… we’re getting personal now. Bill’s taking a stab at people critizing Obama over health care… we’ll have to pull the transcript to hear exaclty what he said. He kind of swallowed it as he said it.

4:43

Erin: It’s going to get real wonky now guys. The question is regard to the G-20.

4:45

Steve Enders: Can the G-20 be relied on and can it help influence progress on climate change negotiations? Amazing that all these meetings are happening at the same time this week.

4:45

Erin: Kevin Rudd is fielding the question: Essentially, he’s saying it’s important to have everyone at the table because it changes the nature of the conversation.

4:49

Erin: Bill tells a story about the asian financial crisis and a meeting of a group that preceeded the G-20… Clinton says it was a great meeting. The case needs to be made in America, Europe and Japan — it’s an intelligent recognition of how the world works today.

4:49	[Comment From Katherine Gustafson] Kevin Rudd giving props to Bill Clinton for some long-ago governance.

4:50

Erin: Katie, Kevin Rudd seems to be obviously dropping compliments. He’s said “under President Obama’s leadership” about three times already.

4:51

caroline: Oooh, he’s loving the American presidents.

4:51

Erin: Clinton to Mike Duke: What does it say that a huge number of people in our country say that you cannot grow the economy and reduce greenhouse gas emmissions?

4:51

Erin: Clinton’s point is that Walmart’s stock went up when they did it.

4:52

Erin: Mike Duke: It just took listening to those who gave us advice — we looked at sustainability through a different set of eyes.

4:53

Erin: Duke: What if we could operate at zero waste? What if we could deliver great-value, sustainable products? Save money, live better. (Erin: Yeah, I just dropped the Walmart tagline.)

4:54

Erin: Ultimately Duke says green/sustainability: It’s the right thing to do. It’s the right thing for business.

4:54

Erin: He’s getting applause for that.

4:55	[Comment From Katherine Gustafson] I’m always trying to hate Wal-mart, but then they do good things. . . .

4:56

Erin: ”No doubt about it.” — Duke’s response to whether or not you can grow the economy at the same time as reduce emissions.

4:56

Steve Enders: Clinton just gave a shout-out to Israel which is putting 100k electric cars on its roads (and won’t crush its economy while it does it)

4:57

Erin: (Editorial note: You gotta give it to Bill. He’s choosing WALMART as the face of making his case. You can’t deny that he’s still plugged into non-urban sensibilities.)

4:58

caroline: (Not to mention his Arkansas roots …)

4:59

Erin: Muhtar Kent: We [Coca Cola] will become water neutral by 2020.

5:00

Steve Enders: trying to wrap my head around the concept of Coke using (and replacing) 300 billion liters of water each year

5:01

caroline: (Aside: the film “Food, Inc.” shows some super strong examples of how the consumer demand – our humble choices!! – for more greener, more socially responsible products are driving the buying choices WALMART make. Pretty cool.)

5:01

Erin: From http://www.waterneutral.org/:
The ‘water neutral’ concept shows some similarities, and differences, to carbon offset initiatives. Our approach to water neutrality does not mean zero use. Water neutrality means reducing the water footprint of an individual (or entity), and where appropriate, balancing (off-setting) the remaining use in a meaningful way.

5:02

Erin: Muhtar Kent: We just made a commitmment to CGI that we will raise our percentage of women working for us (in a certain region) from %30 to %50

5:03

Erin: He’s also making the point that it’s all connected: Water in the home helps get women into the workforce and the world is a better place economically for it. (You’ll hear this theme a lot over the next three days.)

5:03

Steve Enders: Congrats Coke for switching its bottles to plant-based materials. Kent says they’ll make the switch over the next year.

5:03

Erin: Bill explains it all: There’s a water shortage already. If we don’t figure out how to use our water better, “we’re toast.”

5:05

Erin: Clinton: How can we convince Congress this is a good thing economically? Mike Duke says this is a question he was not prepared for. (He got some laughs for that.)

5:05

Erin: Duke’s real answer: One thing, one day at a time. In other words, one foot in front of the other. Success breeds success.

5:06

Erin: Sustainability index: Term of the day, no? Duke is saying he thinks it should be part of the product. (Does that mean like a calorie count on packaging? Now you see a sustainability index instead?)

5:07

Erin: Duke: 256 million enviro lightbulbs sold. That’s a lot of light.

5:08	[Comment From Katherine Gustafson] Clinton asks how can we convince skeptical skeptical people in both parties how we can grow our economy by using energy in an different way?

5:09

Erin: The Chilean Prez is answering that question, Katie. She says start with convincing developing countries.

5:10

Erin: (Did Bill get a note passed to him in class? What is that in his hand?)

5:11

Erin: That’s startling. Four countries (out of fourty or so) that signed the Kyoto treaty are fulfilling the committment. Clinton’s point: They all had economic growth. Clinton says the sustainability-hurts-the-economy storyline is a myth.

5:12

Erin: Rudd’s point: The economy changes. Technology changes it. How many of you knew a Web designer 50 years ago?

5:13

Erin: They say “politics of fear” in Australia too. Boy, it gets around.

5:13

Steve Enders: Obama is in the building.

5:14

Erin: Re Steve’s note: Is that why the mood in the room changed? You can tell everyone is only half paying attention…

5:14

Erin: The natives are restless…

5:16	[Comment From glenndimes] snap!

5:17

Erin: Jesse Jackson was the first one on his feet when Clinton said “We have to prove this is good business.”

5:17

Steve Enders: cue the teleprompter at the podium

5:17

Erin: Bill says we finished three minutes too soon…. and we wait for POTUS

5:19

Steve Enders: My takeaway from the session: Wal-Mart and Coke endorse sustainable business practices and 80% greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Are you listening over at the UN?

5:20

Erin: A follow-up to Steve teleprompter comment: I feel for POTUS today, man. If you had gone to as much of NYC as he has, you’d want something to read from too.

5:20

Steve Enders: oops – 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

5:20

Steve Enders: Ben Stiller in the audience

5:21

Erin: Decider-In-Chief. Haven’t heard that in a while.

5:21

caroline: Is Bill Clinton just winging this? Pretty nice . . .

5:21

Erin: Bill says the team only gives you the hard questions. Your job is to decide the stuff that no one brilliant can figure out so they give it to you. Very funny.

5:22

caroline: And for you Top Gun (or ER) fans: Anthony Edwards in the house.

5:22

Erin: While we wait, let’s ask the group Bill’s question… Look for a poll to pop up on your screen soon…

5:22	Will sustainability help or hurt the economy? Help ( 100% ) Hurt ( 0% ) It’ll All Wash Out In The End ( 0% )

5:23

Steve Enders: President Clinton: Please take the stage and ad lib for a few minutes. He’s riveting the crowd, now talking about the issues taxing Obama and what’s going on over at the UN

5:23

Erin: And, yes, Caroline, he’s winging it… Remember this is the guy that “read” his State of the Union speech for 45 minutes while the teleprompter was down…

5:24

Erin: Heh. A funny comment about missing dinner with Hillary because he was too busy working.

5:24

Erin: Okay, it’s name-that-celeb time. Either the new Spock just walked in or a guy in the secret service is his doppleganger. Can’t tell. Hmmmm….

5:25

caroline:

Maybe Spock joined the secret service?

5:25

Erin: And the video is here to save Bill… and he’s off!

5:26

Erin: It’s the same video as before. A list of things achieved. Nine million new jobs. Impressive.

5:26

Steve Enders: lots of Coldplay music today, included in the various video reels.

5:26

caroline: Not that he needed saving. The man was in his element … (Maybe Obama planned this to give the audience a little extra suspense??)

5:27

Erin: An ominous silence… with background music…elevator music… can’t believe POTUS will be walking out to this

5:27

Erin: Okay, time for the results of the poll. Did everyone vote?

5:27

Steve Enders: Not sure if he was there before, but Ashton Kutcher is indeed sitting next to Demi now.

5:28

caroline: phew

5:30

Erin: Somebody is getting Matt Damon’s digits. (Not kidding. They’re exchanging biz cards… oh and he’s an older fellow.)

5:30

Steve Enders: Clinton: I’m gonna follow protocol. It’s my high honor to present the president of the united states.

5:30

Erin: He BOUNDED on stage.

5:31

Erin: POTUS got jokes: Thanks Bill for the short intro.

5:31

Erin: (Sorry and by “he” I mean POTUS.)

5:32

Erin: More jokes: Bill told me, “Will you pass the parmasean?” (Which is hysterical cause the foreign press sitting next to me doesn’t get the joke.)

5:32

Steve Enders: press is giggling over the clinton “feels your pain” joke

5:33	[Comment From Katherine Gustafson] POTUS!

5:33	[Comment From Katherine Gustafson] My word, POTUS is funny.

5:33

Erin: Obama: I was vulnerable. (He means vulnerable to the power of the Clinton stare and request to speak.) Another joke.

5:33

caroline:

Referring to Clinton asking him to give this address, Obama says: “He looks you in the eye, he feels your pian, he makes you feel like the only person in the room. What can I say? I was vulnerable, just like you have all been vulnerable, to his charms.”

5:34

Erin: Obama: A thank you to Bill. He brought prosperity to citizens… After a lifetime of service, he would have been forgiven if he had retired to a life of improved golf scores. (More jokes! What is this, the correspondent’s dinner?)

5:35

Erin: Obama: He [Clinton] has saved the lives of millions.

5:35

Erin: Obama: You don’t have to hold public office to be of public service. Anyone can do it and everyone should try.

5:36

Erin: He’s talking about his mom now and her work. “She championed the cause of women’s welfare.”

5:37

Erin: Is something wrong with the prompter? He sounded lost for a sec.

5:37

Erin: Obama: Real progress does not come from the top down, but from the bottom up. (Lots of applause at that.)

5:38

Erin: You can’t preach lofty goals and wait for someone else to act.

5:38

Erin: He’s now talking about Michelle and Americorps and that spirit being here tonight.

5:39

Erin: We stand at a transformational point in history. Interconnectedness empowers building but empowers those who would destroy.

5:41

Erin: I gotta believe Al Gore is sitting down in front cause all the cameras moved that way when he got his shout out.

5:41

caroline: Obama: Real progress does not just come from the top down, from government. It comes form the bottom up, from people.

5:42

Erin: Dude, he’s on a roll… just said Bill Clinton felt his pain.

5:42

Katherine Gustafson: Obama: We’ve launched new beginnings with the Muslim world based on mutual respect.

5:43

Erin: Interesting note: People may not be aware of it, but when Hillary goes abroad she does local press as to “speak directly” to the people.

5:46

Erin: ”Standing together, working together, building together.” — May sound hackneyed but that’s the point of CGI. Bringing different parts of society together to solve problems.

5:46

Katherine Gustafson: Obama says: The spirit I see here tonight is the spirit that says we can rise above the barriers that too often divide us. We can come together. We can leave this world even better, even more hopeful than we found it.

5:46

Erin: And… scene. POTUS is done.

5:46

Steve Enders: rallying the CGI troops

5:47

Steve Enders: thanks all for playing. More live blogging to come tomorrow!

5:47

Erin: Thanks everyone for reading! See you at the next one!

5:49

Steve Enders: tomorrow morning we’ll be back with our session on investing in women and girls. good panelists including diane sawyer and many more

5:49

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