You know, I do not discount Bill Clinton’s effectiveness on the stump or whenever he does some kind of townhall event in this campaign. He is an excellent speaker and his ability to connect with an audience is probably undiminished. But his effect on the national media narrative seems to me to be pretty near disastrous for his wife’s campaign. I keep seeing clips of him on the trail where he is disobeying his handlers and giving sound bites that come across as petulant, strident, and angry. I have many reasons to oppose a restoration of Clintonism, but Bill Clinton’s presence was not originally one of my reasons. That’s changing.
I really do feel some kind of visceral discomfort watching a former president campaigning against fellow Democrats. It seems like Bill Clinton needs to win this campaign to achieve some measure of redemption for having been impeached for perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice. I know he loves campaigning, but he doesn’t seem to be enjoying it. He seems desperate, almost like a cornered animal. I found the clip of him justifying the disenfranchisement of the Nevada culinary workers to be particularly troubling. He kept saying that the culinary workers were going to be given five times the weight of other voters. I have no idea where he got this idea or if it has any merit, but it seemed to be an example of rank dishonesty.
I confess that I oppose Hillary Clinton’s campaign less for her own record than for the record of the Clinton administration (as a whole) during the Bush years. But until recently I hadn’t really focused on the role of Bill himself. Yet, watching him in action I feel really uncomfortable about how he might inject himself into the governance of the country if his wife becomes the president.
I think he is debasing the office of the presidency by his insistence on actively campaigning. It seems wrong to me. And it certainly doesn’t help that he has been transparently engaging in hardball politics where he seeks to curtail the turnout for his opponents (Iowa students, Nevada casino workers) rather than focus on boosting the turnout for himself.
I’d never support Hillary’s campaign, but Bill Clinton’s prominent role in her campaign is making me more and more militantly opposed to their restoration.
In a way, I feel bad for Bill. He has stepped outside the bounds of what is appropriate for an ex-president and it will only make his eventual defeat all that more detrimental to his legacy.
Unless, of course, they win. In that case, how will anyone ever get him to shut up?
orange.
Totally agree with this post. I’m already suffering from Clinton Fatigue…and the thought of the Bill and Hillary Show for the next 8 years is very depressing.
I live in Nevada and I’m disgusted with what Bill and Hillary have been trying so hard to pull off.
Right now Bill and Hillary are all freaked out (and they should be) by the 527 group run by “Unite Here,” the union who represents the culinary workers and housekeepers and laundry workers, etc in Nevada. Today, after the court decided that the Clinton voter suppression lawsuit (caucus sites at Vegas strip workplaces) against the Dem Party should be dismissed without merit, Unite-Here launched a state-wide Spanish-language radio ad campaign declaring that “Hillary Clinton is shameless.”
Here is the English translation of the radio ad that is playing on Hispanic radio stations now thru Saturday:
Of course, her campaign is having a shit-fit over it, demanding that Obama renounce the ads. Funny thing is, she won’t renounce the ads of her (AFSCME) union 527 group. Here is their annoying primary TV ad which is run on every commercial break…
The Clinton campaign are demanding that Obama condemn the ads that Unite Here are running while their AFSCME friends are spending at least 10 times as much forcing us to watch these TV ads and sending flyers loaded with inaccuracies to our mailboxes.
We’re not stupid, Hill & Bill. You set yourselves up for it and you got it.
Wow, could that ad be any more pandering towards women?
As a corportist Neocon, whatelse has Hillary going for her except that she is a female?
Bill Clinton is absolutely losing it, and as the polls show dwindling leads, he becomes more and more prone to exaperated negativity.
Don’t you hate to watch TV during election week? Especially the news – at least that’s what it’s like around here. I keep waiting for the media buy for super tuesday to start hitting, but it probably won’t happen until after Florida.
And all the candidates should just stop criticizing 527’s. It’s dumb. The only people who should be able to complain are people like Kucinich who don’t have any 527’s running ads for him (at least I assume he doesn’t.) They all do it (and they’re all in on it even though the 527’s are supposed to be independent).
Booman, thanks for articulating one of my main worries. When I was still undecided I’d get upset listening to talking heads talking about Hillary and always (always) ending with a comment about Bill Clinton’s experience, brilliance &c. This isn’t about Bill. Thinking about this dynamic in the White House I thought about who The Decider first said “I’m The Decider” to.
And that’s real uncomfy. If you know what I mean.
Right on, Boo.
Whatever happened to dignity?
so our choice is a
debasing” the office OR destroying the Constitution! I know where my vote goes. On the one hand we have a man that still has the respect and possibly the love of millions of people around the world and on the other hand we have a group of candidates that all appear willing to continue a war forever; eliminate the concept of choice and believe in the concept of the benevolent dictatorship!
Who the hell would you vote for?
Sure he has a big mouth but don’t ever forget that this election is possibly that last election that this country will ever have!
Aside from the corporate nature of her candidacy, my whole concern with H. Clinton’s campaign has been B. Clinton. While I thought that impeachment was overkill for a guy who lied about an extramarital affair, I felt so miserable by the end of the whole Starr investigation, I just wanted all of them to disappear.
The right-wing has a salivating hatred toward the Clintons and this whole campaign will be even uglier if she is the candidate. I don’t want to hold hands and sing “Kumbaya” with the Republicans, but I would also like to avoid some of those ugly personal attacks that hitmen like Limbaugh regularly launched at the Clintons. I mean, Limbaugh will do what he does, but that hate might be less likely to trickle down to others if we aren’t reliving the nastier days of the Clinton administration
Bill has no choice but to go all out – he owes Hillary for sticking with him through bimbo after bimbo after super-sized bimbo. Especially after they cut her hair and turned Ms. Policy Wonk into Ms. Better Homes and Gardens for his re-election, he has to literally show his behind for the sake of his wife.
Not that he has a problem with that…
Slightly off topic, but probably related to Bill, I’m going to raise this again, somebody got to Chris Matthews. First he glowed over her performance post Las Vegas debate, now he gives an apology to Sen. Clinton and all women. There is no way this was of his own volition.
As a working hypothesis, I’d say that Mr. Clinton’s efforts on behalf of his wife are an attempt to make up to her for past wrongs. Maybe she demands it of him. Oh, I’m being too personal, getting involved in their personal life? Well, it they’d stop their marital exhibitionism and keep their marriage out of the political contest for the White House, everything would be much clearer and everyone much happier. Mrs. Clinton insists on having it two ways: free of Bill and Bill and Hill. He’s damaging the Democratic Party and, in turn, the country by acting like such a silly, vain, old man.
I’ve been pounding the 3rd term thing. His speeches freak me out; where he just throws shit out there, hoping it sticks, or the speeches are all about him and not so much about the candidate, and yes, having a former president attack candidates is extremely disturbing. The thing is, that facade of nice-Bill is crumbling fast and people are seeing the blind ambition more. When has a former president ever got involved in a presidential campaign to this degree? At least even George and Barbara gave pro-Shrub speeches instead of attacking his opponents.
I agree with you that Bill Clinton is off his game. I thought having him campaign would be a net asset for her but now I’m not so sure. He’s a draw for her – I think more people come out to see her because of him and that helps fundraising. But he really is making verbal missteps that he wouldn’t have made before. And he doesn’t seem like the sunny Bill Clinton of old.
Maybe it was the heart attack. They change people.
Agreed — the fact that he’s doing this during the primary part of the election process is very disturbing. It would be understandable and reasonable for a former President to support the party’s nominee. It is also perfectly understandable for a candidate’s spouse (as Michelle Obama and Elizabeth Edwards are doing) to support their spouse’s campaign. But Bill Clinton isn’t just Hillary’s husband, he’s the former President.
I’d rather see Hillary stand on her own — which she’s proven she’s capable of doing — and run on HER merits and qualifications, intelligence and experience, which are quite formidable enough. I don’t think Bill was quite as strong a presence earlier in the campaign — maybe now that she’s less certain of her ultimate victory, that’s why Bill is a stronger and more vocal presence?
But I still don’t feel comfortable with it — wish he would have waited to become such a strong feature of her campaign until she earned the nomination under her own name. A former President on the attack against other Democratic candidates for his former office is a force for further division in the party — when we will ultimately need to unite behind our nominee and all the other candidates down the ticket. Makes it sound as though winning the top slot is all that matters – that it’s more important that Hillary get that nomination status and the Oval Office than we maintain or increase control of Congress or put more Democrats in elected offices at the state and local level.
And that’s not a good message to send to the rest of the party, not at all… I want a nominee that will UNITE the party, not split it into the “Our” camp and “Those guys who will have to vote for us now or else suffer through another Republican Administration…”
I agree with Janet. I would have liked to see her run on her own record. I won’t say that I will never support a Hillary candidacy, because if she wins the nomination she will have my support. I also hate to see dirty campaigning, no matter who it comes from.
I don’t recall any former President taking an active role in his party following his term.
Granted, historically ex-presidents tend to be older and closer to true retirement, but Bush 41 did squat for 43’s campaign. Carter has done nothing with the party and stays focused on his own causes. Nixon did nothing, for obvious reasons, but Ford did nothing. I recall Reagan only giving videotaped speeches at the convention and did not endorse any candidate.
In fact, the unwritten rule, which Carter was the first to break, is former presidents NEVER criticize or comments in public on a sitting president of either party . Presidents form their own club, based on the unique shared experience, and tend to be supportive and sympathetic.
Exactly. And I don’t blame Carter for speaking out, but it is unfortunate that he felt compelled to do so.
‘Pushin’ through the crowd, tryin’ to get to where she’s at
I was campaign-shouting like a Southern diplomat’
He’s channeling Chuck Berry.
Bill has gradually insinuated himself more and more heavily into Hillary’s campaign. If you took a snapshot today of his presence vs 6 mos ago vs the initial storyline that he would defer to her by standing behind her, it would become obvious that he’s addressing his frustration of just how tough a campaign this is by stepping in with both feet.
Hillary is well informed and dynamic in her own right but in the battle to make this a hybrid campaign Bill is burning her candle at both ends and she’s allowing him to do it.
I really do feel some kind of visceral discomfort watching a former president campaigning against fellow Democrats.
Thanks for pointing that out. I hadn’t pinned down the bad feeling that came from watching him campaign. He has broken a long standard of former presidents staying above intra-party fights. As far as I recall, not even the worst of them stooped to this. His attacks on Democrats reinforce the fear that this campaign is really about him, with Hillary as a proxy. If he’s co-partner in her campaign, why would we think he wouldn’t be co-president?
I think he will ultimately hurt her campaign by reminding everybody that he could have done all the things he now says she’ll do, if he hadn’t been animated by childish arrogance instead of political passion. All his presence does for me is to remind me of the great gifts that he squandered for nothing. I doubt that voters at this moment will prove eager to do a rerun of an American tragedy.
I just got back from a business lunch and one of the people was an older (in his early 70’s) white man who tends to vote Democratic. While we were waiting for others we talked about the election in general terms. Then he suddenly said, “I don’t know what’s gotten into Bill Clinton, I think he’s gone crazy. Did you see how angry he was on television the other day?”
So it’s not just bloggers who are seeing this.