Gene Robinson makes an observation about the recent behavior of the Big Dog:
So forget about the Bill Clinton we’ve known for the past eight years — the one who finds friendship and common ground with fellow former president George H.W. Bush (a Republican, last I heard), who dedicates most of his time and energy to the William J. Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative, who speaks eloquently about global citizenship, environmental stewardship and economic empowerment. Forget about the statesman who uses appropriately measured language when talking about transient political events, focusing instead on the broad sweep of human history. Forget about the apostle of brotherhood and understanding whose most recent book is titled, simply, “Giving.” That Bill Clinton has left the building.
There’s a battle to be fought against an upstart challenger who has the audacity to suggest that maybe the Clinton presidency, successful as it was in many ways, didn’t change the world — and that he, given the office, could do better. Some things, I guess, just can’t be allowed. Bill Clinton obviously has decided that history can wait.
Except it won’t wait, and it won’t remain unchanged. While I fervently disagree with people like Chris Matthews that think Hillary Clinton owes her unique opportunity to her husband (I’d guess the reverse was equally true), I think it is indisputable that Bill Clinton’s generally good reputation among rank-and-file Democrats is one of Hillary’s greatest assets. And it is an asset that can go up like a puff of smoke if Bill Clinton damages his image.
Right now I think there is still time for Pres. Clinton to dial back his campaigning and avoid some of the worst fallout. Yes, there has been some damage in the African-American community and among those that are paying a lot of attention, but the overall media narrative hasn’t been devastating.
What I find disturbing is the Clintons’ willingness to create these fissures in a previously united Democratic electorate. They must have been looking at some pretty bad internal polls when they decided they would risk alienating the African-American community and their rather stellar reputation within it. This also applies to their decision to use robocalls (which are illegal in South Carolina) and other Rovian tactics. There is a palpable sense of desperation that emerges from these tactics, and it just doesn’t look good, particularly coming from a former president.
If Democrats grow disgusted with Bill Clinton’s behavior (and with the campaign tactics, more generally) it will dry up all that positive nostalgic feeling in a big hurry. Maybe the biggest question of the campaign is: will it dry up before or after the Tsunami Tuesday primaries on February 5th?
I’ve generally been a fan of Bill Clinton but my glasses are considerably less rosy in light of his campaigning tactics on behalf of his wife. As the last dem to hold the white house he’s sort of the head of the democratic party, at least the most visible one, and instead of strengthening the party as a whole he’s completely focused on getting his wife elected and if he blows apart the rest of the democratic party in the process, so be it.
I keep telling myself no matter who gets nominated any Democrat is better than any Republican. But Clinton is running such a despicable campaign I’ll have to hold my nose. And not everyone has as strong a stomach as me.
I read Mr. Robinson’s column this morning and man, he really said it best.
Bill’s gonna keep on attacking. He’s “all in” at the poker table… and I think we’re all being reminded now of how to tell when he’s bluffing. I’d like someone to do a side-by-side video of him making the “I did not have sex with that woman…” bit and any one of his recent fact-free outbursts, ripping into Obama. His “tell” is the red face.
not to worry. Clintons’ as nominees (it’ll be a co-presidency -Presidents Clinton: see which one answers)
and those videos will be replayed, over and over. Bankable.
If not by the RNC
then expect Freedom’s Watch and the return of Swift boaters. It won’t be pretty. Hillary thinks she’s been vetted, investigated. Haaahhaaaa.
Oh for more of the Clinton years. Let’s take a look.
Had enough?
They should have retired gracefully. They’ll choke on greed.
How do we know those Robo calls are coming from the Clinton campaign? They could easily be Republicans who are just scared of black men.
the content:
None of that proves, or even provides evidence, that the Clinton campaign is behind the calls. There are all kinds of possible perps and motives for something like this, including Obama supporters.
Isn’t this kind of thing illegal? Is the FBI investigating? It shouldn’t be very hard to find out where and who the calls came from.
Especially with all the fancy warrantless wiretapping methods they have set up.
you’re forgetting that AT&T, verizon, and the rest of those <strike>crooks</strike> responsible patriotic corporate citizens shut off the taps when the feds forgot to pay the bills.
Oh and Bill Clinton? He needs to shut the fuck up. A sock, a cigar, his own dick, a giant cork, put something in that big mouth of his.
I’m sure the person responsible for the shutoff has found themselves on a plane to Gitmo by way of Syria…
And I think Clinton’s mouth is so big, all of that can fit in with room to spare.
yea. right now I’m a monkey’s aunt…. and my cats just won scholarships to MIT.
Someone in my office said this morning: “He demeans the office of the Presidency by doing this. But what do you expect. He has always demeaned the office of the Presidency when it suited him.”
This was said by an older man (late 60’s) who is a moderate Republican (of course). But he said it to a group of mostly older men (except me) who were Democrats – and they all very sadly agreed with him.
He isn’t going to see 2 weeks of this as being much of a risk. He’ll keep going right up to Super Tuesday sure in the belief that, like everything else in his life, he will find a way to forgiveness later.
The real question is whether members of the Democratic establishment who support Obama are ready to do what it takes to fight Bill Clinton in the next two weeks and risk taking the fall for destroying Bill Clinton’s legacy. I don’t know that they have the guts to do it.
If Democrats grow disgusted with Bill Clinton’s behavior? I think a lot of us crossed that line back when he was president. I know I’d have been happy to see him step down in Al Gore’s favor; I just didn’t want a Republican witch hunt be the cause of it.
It’s become personal b/c he’s running for a 3rd term, sorta bending the law. Other may be too polite by calling it a restoration.
Imho, there’s a tinge of jealousy that Obama, the -uppity kid – won’t – wait – his – turn, is just as smart in raising a crowd.
Billy, the big dog, has become Billy the “kid” loosing a lot of voters along the way. And not just Af-Am votes. A total embarrassment to the world.
Over at NRO Byron York has this:
Why Republicans Fear Obama
If he performs against the GOP like he has against Hillary in South Carolina, there could be blood in the water.
Now quiet. Just sit there and don’t say a word. Just listen. Do ya hear that laughter? Ya know where its coming from?
Well I will tell you. Its coming from the goopers and they head for the bank! At the rate the dems are pilling up ammo for the campaign, the goopers might not even have to spend a dime on ads! All they will have to do is sit back and watch the dems eat each other! What a effing joke!
Could be Bill’s butting in has already damaged Hillary beyond repair. Not because of his ill temper, but because the whole question of who’s really running the show, who would really be president, is something Hillary was better off keeping off voters’ minds.
To me, the whole MLK flap was trivial, EXCEPT that if you think through the logic, she comes out on the short end. Her point was that good intentions and passion for change are not enough: you need a masterful politician in the White House, who knows how to deal with Congress and other powers, to make the idea into law. Unfortunately the Experience she markets so hard consists largely of the health plan that around 65 percent of Americans, as well as a Dem Congress, supported. Under her skillful management, the bill went down in flames. There’s nothing to suggest that she’d do any better in a second round of the co-presidency.
Of course now Bill says the health plan had nothing to do with Hillary, it was all his baby. So they’ve both been lying about this, too, for years?
Hillary also pushes the meme that she’s this strong, tough, indpendent woman, breaking the ultimate glass ceiling, standing on her own two capable feet. So here comes ol’ Bill riding in on his white horse to rescue poor Hill from the meanies who keep saying hurtful things to her and making her cry. So which is it? Will Bill have to protect and defend the fair damsel if Putin or Chavez or Ahmadinejad say mean things to her? What about Mccain or Romney or whoever? Apparently that’s how he’d see his role, in which he’d find a way to embarrass us even further in a way even Bush hasn’t thought of tapping into.
I think once a lot of people start remembering and thinking about whether they really want a replay of this icky family soap opera, Hillary loses. Unfortunately that may not happen in time for the nomination, but it will happen in time to keep the White House in Republican hands.
now you nailed it.
what the clintons are doing is basically saying they don’t need the black vote to win in November. The Clinton’s are always running for the middle, or into the hands of the Republicans. The Clintons’ do not run on core democratic principles, but give lip-service to them. W won by being a Republican, and hillary plans on wining by being psuedo-republican and not a democrat. Therefore, she can divide and then ignore the black vote so long as she gets suburban females and some centrist republican males.
that’s my 2 cents.
It’s coming back to everyone who watched the whole impeachment thing with total annoyance. Yes, it was an overreach.
But Clinton was a fucking moron to get himself into that position. It was HIS FAULT.
And now the Dems are gonna lose AGAIN because of Clinton fatigue. We lost in 2000 because of Clinton fatigue.
Why is Clinton SO FUCKING ARROGANT to CRAM his need for reassurance and resurrection down our throats?
I think the Clintons knew they pushed it. They knew they were going to push it.
Hillary will still be the frontrunner no matter what happens in SC. So from here on out, Bill will be on the campaign trail, but they wont use the most vicious attacks that they have because the mission has been accomplished.
Crap, after what Bill went through, he’s just showing that they aren’t going to go though that crap again. Counter punch, dodge, parry, counter punch. You don’t win unless you fight back. They are fighters.
btw Edwards ’08
You mean this time he’s going to be faithful to his wife? That’ll be something new. Poor fucking Bill. Everybody feel sorry for Bill.
Fuck Bill.
just don’t let your little sister work in the white house if hillary wins..
I’m pretty sure that the Clintons have no interest in a unified Democratic Party – if history is our guide – but maybe that’s just me…
It’s the Rove Model, except they are applying it to the Primary. That’s a serious mistake, since it goes from 50 % + 1 to 25 % + 1 in the GE, and that’s not a winning coalition.
No, it’s the DLC model – check the link above. They are more concerned with marginalizing and suppressing the grass roots – “special interests” in their parlance – than uniting the Democratic Party. They’d infinitely prefer a fractured Democratic Party to a unified populist Party headed by some nigger (I said it, they mean it) – that’s how the DLC was formed in the first place, and that’s why I emphatically say Fuck Them.
I personally think that is too harsh. I don’t think it’s Obama’s race that irks them, but his campaign.
It’s what he represents – a viable threat to the “rightful” rulers – that they hate. All will be well if he just moves along and gets out the vote for Hillary’s coronation. As I’ve said before, being a nigger has little to do with race any more…
Because i dont want the supreme court to move any farther to the right, i will vote for the democratic candidate, no matter who it is.
that being said it occurs to me if Tag Team Clinton gets back in the WH, who will be making the decisions? who will do the face to face with foreign leaders?
it also occurs to me that Tag Team Clinton’s Rovian tactics may tear a hole in the Democratic Party. just as Bush is destroying this country to make his friends and family richer, might Bill be destroying the party to make sure his wife is the nominee?
I am Progressive or Liberal then anyone in the Country. And BTW. Barack Obama meets with us often and will actually support our positions. I know the blogoshere will not believe it, and really this election has shown they are as full of crap as the MSM. Not all, but a lot.
I would not vote for Hillary if it were her against Dick Cheney.
She has shown she will sell her soul to regain the White House.
See any difference between her and the Bush Stormtroopers. If not, put the koolaid down.