The Table Gang debates Bill Clinton and his penchant for filling the interstitial space of his wife's campaign.
« South Carolina Updates | Main | The Republicans: What We've Learned So Far » The Table: On Bill Clinton16 Jan 2008 02:00 pm Comments (11)
I really don't grant the premise about the Lewinsky affair damaging the party. It's true that Bush won on a pledge to restore honor and dignity to the White House, which was a sort of dog whistle for not just Lewinsky but also various quasi- or non-scandals dug up by right-wing cranks (Whitewater, whether Al Gore made fundraising calls from the right phone, other fundraising mini-scandals), etc. But it's true that there were a bazillion other factors is play: Al Gore's support for very serious gun control laws, an undeveloped left-of-center noise machine to counter talk radio, Gore's insistence on distancing himself from Clinton through selecting Lieberman and not bringing POTUS out much on the campaign trail despite Penn's (correct!) advice that "Clinton fatigue" was not about Clinton the person who enjoyed high approval ratings but about the obsession with penny-ante scandals, and of course, the media's horrible treatment of the admittedly imperfect Gore campaign. I don't think it all falls on Monicagate. Perhaps Clinton thought that he could win back a certain number of economically downscale, socially conservative voters, presumably in the South. But the evidence is mixed there. The party has since gone in a different direction and is focusing more resources on the Midwest and West, but that's largely due to the total collapse of the party in much of the South, leaving a very shallow bench. One could imagine an alternate history where Zell Miller doesn't go insane as a Senator, where Max Cleland keeps his seat, where a couple of the open Southern Senate seats in 2004 stay in Democratic hands, etc. But it could have cut either way. 
I'm sure the Clinton people will jump on you for mischaracterizing his "fairy tale" comment, but you guys were right that he's hurt Hillary more than helped her. The next question is what this will do to Bill's reputation. I know many people who absolutely loved Bill who now say they despise him. The misleading attacks he's lobbed at Obama are something I would expect from Karl Rove, not a former Democratic President.
Yes, I thought "fairy tale" referred to the whole Obamamania myth of the larger than life uniter. And I think a lot of people blame the disgraceful way the Lewinsky affair impacted American political life on the Republicans, mainly.
It seems to me that everyone is seriously underestimating Bill's smarts. Or Hillary's for that matter. The bottom line "bottom line" Hillary needs to establish is straightforward. Better safe than sorry. Everyone has heard that caution from the first time their parents put on their rain boots and took them outside. Whether or not they agree with him, people certainly listen to Bill. As long as he keeps putting that meme into the media, the more entrenched it becomes. There isn't much doubt who represents "safe" in Democratic politics. Mom and Pop Clinton. That leaves the alternative slot for Obama or Edwards to fall into. In either case it's just a flimsy root on the edge of the cliff. Temporary salvation. Do you think that in underlining the race issue, the Clinton's didn't know that they would alienate some black voters? But the fact is that voters who identify themselves as black make up only about 10% of the consituency. As soon as they exhibit an overwhelming trend to Obama a backlash occurs among "non black" voters of all stripes. Which means the other 90% of the people casting ballots. You do the math.
Bill helps Hillary in the primary because most Democrats like Bill and voted for him at least twice. This also makes it more difficult to opponents to attack him even when he says dumb stuff. The general election is a whole different ball game. If Clinton is the nominee, the Republicans will not be so polite about pointing out the oddness of Hillary using Bill as a surrogate (remember that you didn't see George H. W. Bush campaigning for junior even in the primaries when it might have helped) or the silliness of a number of his statements.
Clinton damaged the Democratic party long before Lewinsky. If anything, the Lewinsky thing helped the democrats. They gained seats in 1998 after all.
Marc where is the link to that article you mentioned in this table episode. Stop teasing me dammit!
Bill does not damage hillary's image or campaign. it's like saying that coke damages the branding of diet coke. The people who hate bill and hillary are loud and the people who have stuck by bill and hillary do so despite the noise. They will stick with hillary just the way they stuck with Bill but they are tired of the crazy haters and don't want to explain it to people who refuse to get it.
The Table rules! You 3 guys are great. Too bad a woman wasn't in the mix. Please keep this feature going.
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"Bill Clinton and his penchant for filling the interstitial space"
Ughh. Are you sure you want to use that metaphor with Bill Clinton, Marc?
Posted by RKA | January 16, 2008 2:32 PM