Please note that I am talking about Bill Clinton, former President as opposed to Hillary Clinton, current Senator and Presidential candidate. This diary is about him and the impact of his actions and comments – not those of Hillary nor of her campaign.
That being said, this is not about whether Bill Clinton should be out on the campaign trail for his spouse – as many spouses do when their husbands run for President. There is a big difference between campaigning for your spouse and crossing the line – especially when you are a former President.. For better or for worse, Bill Clinton is still, to many people, the face of the Democratic Party and the one person who many people think of when they think of “the Democratic Party, personified”.
He is the immediate former President, he is the only Democratic President in more than 25 years, and he has used his time since leaving office doing some very high profile humanitarian work. A lot of this recent work has actually raised the view of him by people whose view was not so favorable while he was in office as well as people who had already viewed him favorably.
That all being said, as a former President and the de facto face of the Democratic Party (to a good number of people), he does have a bigger responsibility than “just a spouse who is aggressively campaigning” for their husband or wife. Yes, there is loyalty to your spouse, but for Bill Clinton, there should be a loyalty and a responsibility to the Democratic Party as a whole.
Sadly, he is failing miserably here, and his “aggressive campaigning” is not only making him look bad, but it is making Hillary look bad (possibly hurting her campaign), making Obama look bad, and fracturing the Democratic Party.
I received an email right after the New Hampshire primaries from someone that I have been in regular contact with for the past year or so. This individual was involved in a number of campaigns, political organizations (both on the Democratic and republican and “bipartisan” side), and knows former and current Congressional officials, staffers and consultants that he used to work with who are still “in the business”. While he is not necessarily a fan of Hillary, he was impressed with the way that she was running her campaign.
He met with some PR people who were also working with Mark Penn, and the relevant text of his email to me is below (take it however you want, but he has proven to be pretty reliable in the past and the part I snipped out talked about Hillary in the diner, and the “Iron my shirt” idiots):
I was meeting 2 days ago in NJ with a PR firm I am working with who do a lot of work for Corzine and also do a lot with Mark Penn – Hillary’s top strategist. Before the meet we were just talking about what happened in New Hampshire.
—snip—
The Bill Clinton speech where he not so subtely used the race card against Obama was not planned – he winged it – and the campaign is extremely concerned over repercussions from it.
These guys said that if they were advising Hillary they would tell her to keep Bill home because he is no longer an asset.
Again, this is just one individual’s opinion who I happen to agree with on this issue. But even since NH, Bill has made a fool out of himself in Nevada on a good number of issues, and there has been more than a bit of hand-wringing by prominent Congressional Democrats as well as Hillary campaign “insiders”:
In recent weeks, Sen. Edward Kennedy and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, both currently neutral in the Democratic contest, have told their old friend heatedly on the phone that he needs to change his tone and stop attacking Sen. Barack Obama, according to two sources familiar with the conversations.
The Newsweek article goes on to indicate that while Kennedy is not yet endorsing Obama or Clinton, he is pointing the finger at Bill for injecting race into the campaign, and Hillary’s campaign had some concerns that this could lead to Kennedy endorsing Obama over her.
What makes this even more concerning to the Democratic Party is that the “win at all costs” approach that some have accused the Clinton campaign of running shows through in comments made by people connected with Bill:
“History will judge the impact on the Clinton legacy, not daily or weekly political reporters,” says Matt McKenna, Bill Clinton’s press secretary.
While this isn’t necessarily the same situation, George H.W. Bush stayed out of the fray and didn’t get nasty during the 2000 republican primary – even though his son was in the race – one small thing to actually give Poppa Bush credit for.
When a former President cares more about his legacy than the long term goals and path of his party, it is a big problem. When he is damaging the campaign of his spouse by taking the spotlight – and in a negative way that unfairly (and in some instances willfully inaccurately) attacks another candidate –that damages the party as well.
A former President – especially one that was the only President from that party in the past 25+ years, and is still generally the face of that party has a much bigger legacy to look out for than his own – the legacy of what he (or she) can do to keep that party moving in the right direction and also to achieve electoral victories.
Bill Clinton has proven that he can’t do either and is more concerned with his own “family legacy” than the one of the party that got him elected in the first place.
this is kind of generous, in that it portrays him as kind of a rogue agent.
good point, although to focus on this as part of the overall Hillary campaign MO will kind of get lost in the mix.
There is enough (see the work that thereisnospoon and hekebolos and a few others have done w/r/t Nevada) that is worse than this from a clean campaign perspective – why isn’t that getting more legs?
But this is also an indictment on how selfish and shortsighted Bill is. Not as big picture, but also worth noting.
Headline on the front page: “Bill Clinton: ‘Screw it, I’m running for president.'”
Priceless: http://www.theonion.com/content/news/bill_clinton_screw_it_im_running
One of the good things about living in Mad City (even though the schmoes moved to NYC). Sometimes I just cackle at “Onion” stories. This is one of them.
I’m not so sure this is about his legacy. I think it’s about his restoration to the White House. Or at least that’s how the GOP will spin it if Hillary is the nominee. The polls mean nothing at this point. I absolutely believe that when voters see that they’re in for a rerun of the Bill&Hill soap opera, it’s all over. All it will take is for the GOP to paint that picture.
Bill has already supplied all the ammo necessary for the Republicans to remain in the White House. Once the GOP points out how Hillary can’t even control Bigfoot Bill, she’ll be lucky to get 40 percent.
the GOP will spin it however way they want to. But I am concerned less for that, and more for why HE is doing this, or really what the impact is.
Not just on Hillary’s campaign or Obama’s campaign, but on the bigger picture.
Expect, not Hillary’s Swiftboating, but Bill’s: the Lewinsky affair is not over. Would you want a child molester of a student your child’s age in the Whitehouse, married to a president?
Bill just doesn’t appreciate the extent of slime that Republican dirty tricks are capable decending to. And they work.
Respectfully, anyone that gives a damn about Bill’s BJ at this point in time isn’t voting for a Democrat anyway, regardless of who that Democrat is.
It is all about the independents. Registered Democrats are so few that they couldn’t vote anyone into any office. And they are the ones wanting to be swayed. A BJ? Independents aren’t into BJs. Don’t count on a BJ being an asset.
Independents were into the BJ at all, but they weren’t into being bombarded daily about the BJ, either.
Besides, it’s funny what a few years has done to put the whole BJ crisis into perspective.
Yeah, but spin works best when there’s some truth to it. Bill is demeaning the office of the president. I don’t think voters will accept the idea of putting this clown show back in office. The bigger picture is that he may accomplish what he accomplished in 2000: snatch Democratic defeat out of the jaws of victory.
I think people are getting a little fatigued at the shootouts between Hill and Obama.
I don’t think Obama’s unnerved about this, but I think that he hates having to go down to this tenth level of Hill. It’s not his style. If he had simply stopped being chivalrous and stopped her cold (and there are ways to do that) and gone on to talk with Edwards while she chirped like a termite, this shyt would not be continuing.
I think Edwards gained a few points when he tried to get these two to focus on the fucking issues.
Why do I think Billary’s doing this?
First, I think this is plain jealousy on Bill’s part. It isn’t going to be a cakewalk at all. He’s pretty, he’s young, he’s black. And says all the right things. The peevishness about Obama’s appeal, the finger-wagging at reporters and union members. This silver-maned SOB thinks he’s entitled.
Second, he’s willing to burn the house down for his wife. It’s probably overcompensating–guilt over Har-Monica. Just think of the anvil Hill held over his head while he tried to make it up to her and while they went to couples therapy. I’m sure it was rich. A really rich time.
But he’s burning the house down that the Dems built over time to appeal to minorities and women. Now, they are pandering to Latinos–many of whom loathe black people–who would rather support a white candidate. The more they diss and belittle Obama, the angrier this important constituency is going to be and the more fragmented the old coalition will become.
I think that in a backhanded way, this is what they’ve wanted to do in the first place. They’ve only wanted to have the white male vote back that they lost during the civil rights era to the Republicans. During the bad old days, when someone was losing during an important election, all they needed to do was to shout the n-word long and hard…and they would win. Their campaign against Obama is more a modern take on this same riff. If they betray black people, perhaps whites would be sure to follow them back into the Dem fold as well and form a better or new coalition. In any case, being frozen out, black people would have no other place to go, either Dem or Repub, in a solid bloc in order to get their agendas realized.
Remember that Gore wasn’t really his candidate in 2000. It was Hillary.
It’s reminiscent of the Republican’s Southern Strategy or Rove’s ‘splitter’ strategy.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/12/rove200612
have you seen his comment that Barack will win S.C. because of the “black” vote. The two edged tongue of Bill as tries to make Hillary the “white” candidate and Barack the “black” one.
Even worse and on top of this, this was described as Obama’s Pyhrric victory in the context of the South Carolina primary. The distinction may be subtle here, but a Pyhrric victory could be described as when one willingly accepts an unacceptable price for victory — not when that price is imposed by another. The implication was that the Obama campaign had chosen to portray him as the ‘black candidate.’
Describing the Clinton strategy as “scorched earth” would be more accurate.
good of you for this.
But frankly, one cannot have a discussion of Bill’s role to the exclusion of Hillary. She’s either her own woman – this is hers alone to win or lose – or they are truly a power couple joined at the hip.
I’ve aired my concerns that, Bill Clinton’s behavior is unseemly; and from all appearances he is running for a 3rd term. Dynastic ambitions trounced the party’s best interest.
Equally well positioned to your diary is Gail Collins, NYTimes via The Daily Dish.
Bill does not allow a fair level play field. Distorts the rules creates backlash.
good point, and as I say upthread to Booman, I wanted to at least keep part of it separate.
There is his responsibility to the party as a former President and the “figurehead”, which transcends his thirst for power – either more for him or for Hillary.
There are other issues with them and the overall campaign, but I wanted to focus on his bigger responsibility and how badly he is shirking it.
as BooMan noted you’re generous. too too.
I listened in on Hannity interviewing Karl Rove last night. Bottom Line said Rove,
‘If Hillary is the nominee, Dems will lose the White House.
GOP is salivating. Poll after Poll has 46% will never vote for Hillary
It’s like watching your boss puke on himself at an office party. There’s that OMG moment and then it goes on and you’re like, “I didn’t really like you, but at least there was a smidgen of respect.” Now there’s not even that.
When I spend more time blogging out how completely unstable Bill seems vs. how completely out of touch the GOP candidates are, that’s something. He’s not just harming the Clinton’s 3rd Term Campaign, he really is harming the Democratic Party. But you know what? I think that’s the point.
No one who’s paid attention during the Clinton’s first 2 terms are going to be under the impression that they were Liberals. They’re centrists and have remained centrists. Maybe their goal is created a different Democratic party. Something more comfortable for the likes of them and Bloomberg. A sort of moneyed Independent party. The Bourgeoisie Party!
Bill is hurting his wife, as well as the rest of us.
Politics is his game. It’s all about winning and losing and dominating the field for him now.
Whatever happened to a sense of shame in our public life?
WJC is losing respect of many former supporters & it is NOT all about Barack Obama. My wife is an Edwards supporter & she’s pissed. She also admired Hillary but cannot tolerate the bullshit attacks on DEMOCRATS from the Clintons. There is an attitude, an arrogance to their campaign that is downright Rovian in its’ lack of class.
I can imagine the Thugs are salivating over all the fuss.
Over at the orange palace. the question of the day. Where has Bill Clinton been all these 8 years?
STFU, Bill
No need to comment, eh?
Well just one. Ya think he was cozying up? Take that either way.
I’d hold off a bit on that credit – Poppa Bush knew George the Lesser pretty well and it is more than reasonable to think that 41 wouldn’t have had a problem with Dubya losing the nomination.