The Proper Use of Bill and Hillary Clinton

While Senator Obama is on foreign tour this week, it is a good time to consider what factors will be decisive in the fall Presidential race.
The election will not be won on foreign policy -- but it could be lost on it. That's why Senator Obama is visiting key countries in the Middle East and in Europe. He is shoring up his credentials as an American politician who can handle himself well with other foreign leaders. The trip is less about the nuances of policy, and much more about appearances -- Obama must appear credible at home as commander-in-chief (an all important threshold for any presidential candidate). He must also demonstrate an ease and familiarity with the vital issues facing the US abroad. I have little doubt that he will accomplish this task.

The foreign press is already annointing him as the next president. In Germany, headline writers use phrases like "The Black Kennedy" and "The Next JFK." The Iraqi government has even been telling the press that they favor Obama's plan for responsible withdrawal of American troops from their country.

All he has to do is not make any silly mistakes. The trip will mainly impact American voters as photos and soundbites. Obama will be seen as a serious and centrist Democrat on foreign policy -- and one who is welcomed by our allies around the world. No amount of carping and nitpicking from the McCain campaign will undercut this message.

It is safe to predict that foreign policy will be wash for the two candidates. Both Obama and McCain will be viewed as ready to be commander-in-chief and as a plausible American leader in foreign affairs. This, in fact, will be a victory for the Democrats, since the "national security deficit" in voting usually greatly favors the Republican nominee. Obama and his highly competent political and foreign policy team are doing everything right to narrow that margin to a draw.

The campaign will be won or lost on the home front -- on domestic issues, above all on the state of the economy and the need for healthcare reform. On these issues, Obama and the Democrats have a sizable lead in the polls and a "natural" advantage in a time of economic distress. As Paul Krugman and other commentators have declared, the election seems to be Obama's to lose.

How might that happen?

The answer seems clear: if the Democratic party is not united behind Obama in the fall, it is still possible that he will lose enough working class white votes and perhaps female votes to be defeated narrowly by McCain in such swing states as Michigan, Florida and Ohio. It might happen because his economic message is still weak, and because of personal characteristics beyond his control: his race and ethnicity or his sometimes arrogant manner. It would be a tragedy if it's because of his failure to unite the party.

The antidote to this outcome is simple: he has to bring Bill and Hillary Clinton in from the cold and make them essential parts of the fall campaign and his campaign strategy.

It would seem obvious from Al Gore's race in 2000, that ignoring the assets that the Clintons bring to presidential campaigning is a recipe for disaster -- for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It would be both sad and ludicrous to repeat that experience.

Bill Clinton is the only Democrat since FDR to win two presidential elections. He is the greatest natural politician and campaigner of his generation. He knows the political landscape of the US better than anyone in the party -- and he is willing and ready to help. Obama waited almost until the last minute to put in his first call to Clinton -- and Clinton responded favorably with warm words, letting the hurts of the primary be bygones. But Obama has not fallowed up on that contact. Clinton is already sending signals in the press that he has not heard from Obama nor from the campaign.

Hillary Clinton has demonstrated that she is one the best political campaigners in the Party, and certainly the strongest female presidential contender in the modern history of the Democratic Party. Inspite of some errors of campaign management, she fought a tough and adroit campaign, and only narrowly lost to Obama. She demonstrated an ability to motivate not just females, but most importantly, the white working class base of the Democratic Party.

After their initial sit-down hosted by Senator Feinstein, Obama and Clinton have not been talking. Obama has not been reaching out to her as he should. Of course, there are issues between the campaigns such as retiring her debt or who speaks when at the convention in Denver -- but those are minor matters best left to aides. Obama should be talking to Hillary every week about the campaign, and making clear to her that he wants her and her husband fully engaged come the fall. He should also be clear in his own mind that this is the right thing to do. These two individuals have a wealth of political knowledge that he should tap, just as he is utilizing former Clinton aides for his foreign policy team.

Obama should not only ask their advice. He and his campaign should give Hillary and Bill each a plane and put them into the field in the fall, letting them speak in battleground states on economics and healthcare, over and over again with the simple message that McCain is McBush and a vote for him is a vote for more of the same in the economy and the death knell for healthcare reform. healthcare.

A sign of a truly transformative political leader is how he works with his rivals and how he deploys his assets in the field. Obama has rivals who want to support him, and they are assets that are necessary for victory. Leaving Bill and Hillary Clinton on the sidelines in the fall would be a monumental mistake in political judgement.

The message for Obama and the Democratic Party is straightforward: Yes, We Can -- but not without the Clintons.

Comments

[KenFL]

It looks like there are a couple of outcomes of the general election that would please the Clintons - either Obama loses (with or without the help of the Clintons), giving Hillary a shot in 2012, or Obama picks Hillary as VP and wins, making Hillary the frontrunner for 2016.

The one thing they couldn't stomach, and from all reports, don't even begin to believe is possible, would be for Obama to ignore them, and still win.

The Clintons and their supporters are in deep denial if they think Obama can't pull this off - the general election campaign has barely started, and Obama has proven that he has a smart and capable team.

The only question I have is how ugly it will get when the Clintons realize that their nightmare scenario is actually happening. Then we'll find out if the Clinton "research" department held back any smoking guns during the primaries, as some have suggested.

[Bulbul]

Well said.
I think ego was in the way of Laureate Gore and Senetor Kerry . They knew if Prisident Clinton was in the same stage with any one of them , he would be the one getting all the attention. Was it so bad if that happened ? No.
Gore`s Presidency was taken away by the supreme court, we all know that. But if Gore had gotten more votes, Florida wouldn`t have mattered. Kerry, played it all wrong and it was his election to lose. Actually I regret contributing much for his candidacy.
Now, Barack Obama , may not have much experiance in the foreigh affairs, but he seems to be a very smart and shrewd politicial. I hope he does not make the same mistake and hands over the Presidency to McCain. It worries me, with such low aproval ratings of Bush, McCain`s seems to be running neck to neck in the polls with Barack. So we need to ask ourselves, why ?
I say there is still time , Hillary ran an excellent campaign , Obama, needs Hillary on his side physically, to win all her supporters.

[pdmaslow]

I think Obama has already shown he's much the superior campaigner to Bill and Hillary. It's time to say thank you to the Clintons and wave good by. Hillary's negatives outweigh her positives, and Bill won no new friends with his racist innuendos. That Obama came from nowhere and beat Hillary Clinton who had the DLC behind her and the machine with its highly paid consultants says that Obama is more than a phenomenon. He's a brilliant politician with a background like no one in this country running for president has ever had. He is the new millennium leader we need.

The Clintons did Obama no favors, and people who say they can only vote for him if Hillary is on the ticket don't much care about the issues, the future, or repairing our broken government. I can't think of a reward this country hasn't given the Clintons: two terms of President, Governor of Arkansas, two terms in the Senate, the chance to make 113 million dollars in speaking engagements with contacts throughout the world, book contracts, and the White House China that Hillary walked off with. What else is there?

[wbboei]

I disagree. I think Obama should not ask the clintons to do anything more than other former presidents are doing and former candidates. They have other responsibilities and life will surely go on if obma does not win. He needs to get real hip people like McGaskill out there campaigning for him. Harry Reid as well. Neither one would upstage or threaten him.

[CAPTAINSKIPPY]

Good post, and exactly right, especially on how to win support from, and work with, recent rivals. Failures here will put Obama's campaign in serious jeopardy.

[jasmine2008]

Just ask yourselves why Hillary and Bill are not out on the campaign trail now. It is because Hillary is stronger than Obama and McCain in the recent Rasmussen polls. They aren't out campaigning because if Hillary were to speak the Dems might decide to put her name in nomination at the convention. God forbid! I have been a Dem for 40 years but I don't think I can vote for Obama simply because Hillary is on the ticket. It all comes down to experience for me. Remember that line Bill Richardson had in the debates! I would prefer Hillary as McCain's Vice President rather than Obamas. I may be able to vote for Obama as VP to Hillary. I am no longer a member of the DNC. I own my vote. By the way, is Barack going to get us heavy into Afghanistan like Vietnam! No one is talking about that yet. My nephew who is an Obama supporter told me that I would never find anything about Obama that I like. That really is true. I have never liked George Bush and I don't like Barack Obama. I guess that is the gut level reaction some people have when they vote. I really thought this was going to be a substantive election so that we knew how each candidate proposed how to fix the myriad of problems our nation faces. It's too bad the the media has let us down in this election. The American People deserve better.

[wbboei]

superb analysis. Hillary is a national treasure. john would not be threatened by her, whereas barack clearly is. It cannot work that way. Hillary is far and away the best candidate and would make the best president. John is next. Barack unforutnately is not at all what he appears to be. He is a shill for big business, unforuantely,

[YankeeCanuck]

Here's an excellent use of the Clintons.Once elected, O could set the Clintons up as special prosecutors to investigate the wrongdoings of the present administration. Who better? They are both brilliant lawyers and know Washington inside out. They would surround themselves with relentless investigators and get the job done!

[CAPTAINSKIPPY]

Thank you for a wonderful and awesome idea. Two people we can believe in, doing a job that needs to be done. Thanks so much!

[wbboei]

not a very smart suggestion.

[cousincarol]

Yes!

[Hansharriet]

Keep away from Hillary and Bill. That is Backroom Politics (Tammany Hall) as usual. they are in pockets of Wall Street (Rubin) and major Corporations and Banks.

[wbboei]

No acually it is the other way around. If you look at baracks list of donors, 60percent of the money came from bundlers and big shots. So this claim that it is all small donors is a fraud. Also, look at his flip flops on Exelon, FISA, Campaign Finance Reform and other issues that pit big business against citizens he always sides wiht big business. He is their shill. That is the wasy it is.

[Dajo]

Obama should put Hillary to work as VP and utilize Bill as a Roman ambasador.

[Nancyann]

They should them both out to another country to live. Maybe Venezuela would be a good idea or Greenland. Anything to get them out of our faces FOREVER !!!!!!

[ajax2]

Hillary could start by retracting her comment that McCain would be a great leader as President.

[mombabytiger]

He probably would be. There's nothing wrong with complimenting your opponent. That doesn't mean a Democratic candidate wouldn't be better.

[Justsaynodeal]

What she said is that she and McCain had experience, and 0 was lacking in it. She said it would be a GE issue. Now what is wrong with that?

[harrietb98]

I would like to see Bill and Hillary Clinton campaign for Obama in the rural South and white working class areas, where Obama isn't, as yet popular.

I would like to see Obama choose Hillary as his running mate. Then, there is no way that he could lose.

[wbboei]

No they shouid put edwards in the south. Bill and Hillary have other responsibilites which are ot campaign related, You may be right about vp but I do not see it happening. It would be good for the party, but the party is so corrupt at this point that I dont care about them. The way obama flip flps on key issues I have no cofidnence he wil deliver. If he is hte nominee I guess i will have to go with mccain--not at all what i expected.

[beaupritchard]

The best use for the Clintons is in a hollywood remack of out of africa ... starring bill and hillary clinton and taking 8 years from january 09 to make.

[wbboei]

silly comment not abusive just silly

[abluevoice]

How does one become a political advisor? Great post Mr. Shearer. Besides Bill and Hillary, the Demos have Al Gore, Nobel Peace prize winner, and John Edwards. McCain has no back up even close.

But somebody is giving Obama some bad advice..... So here is some good advice Obama:

Before you announce your VP candidate reveal some of the people being considered for VP and for cabinet posts.
Such as Hillary for Secretary of State. You then get Bill in the deal, and they are loved around the world.
Mention Biden and Richardson, and Wes Clark and Edwards and even Gore (not for VP, but for energy czar or advisor), these names and positive recognition more than overcomes the McCain attack on your experience. Start talking about the Democratic team you have supporting you.

Get Howard Dean involved in recruiting these people to campaign for you and to coordinate their schedules. And most important YOU, have to schmooze these guys and gals that they are needed by you to get elected and to get Republicans out of office and to save the country.

Despite the unprecedented failure, incompetence, and corruption of the Bush administration and it's Republican enablers, and despite the many arrows sticking out of McCain, you aren't going to win in November without a full out push to the big names in the Demo party to work together as a team to beat McCain and the Republicans. This advice is so obvious.......just don't blow it please.

[Kwaayesnama]

Dear Clinton supporters:
Time to wipe your tears and move on.
The Democratic Party has its nominee.
The Republicans in all their wisdom have theirs.
Now the choice is up to the American people.
Your Lies, bloggs, letters, petitions, threats and tears will not change that.
In November you will have to choose between.
The democratic candidate promising a change from Bush/McCain politics.
Or McCain who says he is not running on the Bush presidency. But McCain might want to check
his campaign’s position papers. In his eternal quest for the Republican nomination, McCain has adopted virtually the entire Bush agenda, often reversing long held positions and compromising core principles. From Iraq, tax cuts for the wealthy, broken promises on the deficit to opposition to SCHIP, tax credits for health care, overturning Roe v. Wade and a right-wing Supreme Court, without question John McCain represents a third Bush term.
So you could be bitter, or you could work to save this nation.

[MaureenSharkey]

I agree with you, Derek.

Then, as I read through the comments, I was reminded that this is a club I don't want to be a part of.

Its very immature to not support the idea of the Clinton's helping Obama. Obama could learn a lot from the Clintons. They gave us the most prosperous time in American history. Obama's got nothing on the economy.

Now that the economy is on the front burner, and Obama's position on the war, 5 years old, he has an even narrower chance of winning.

Obama needs the Clintons. And picking Hillary as VP----that's his only guarantee to winning. Otherwise---it's too much of an arrogant risk.

[Tulka2]

Speaking of naive...? It is extremely naive to think the President as much to do with economics except to rally the people so that they goad the Congress who make the laws that fund the house that Jack built. This mess we are in today is every bit as much Bill Clinton's doing as it is G.W. Bush's. Watch Bill Moyers show. The dot.com boom was a time and place. It is gone, baby, gone. It had nothing to do with the Clintons. As a matter of fact, Janet Reno did noting but try to slay the great dragon Microsoft the whole time Clinton ruled. Why? He didn't contribute to their campaign. Enuff with the Clintons.

Here's a commander in chief and an economics mavin test: Who do you think you might beat at chess, Obama or McCain? Vote accordingly.

[Carnacamarna]

Please the Clinton Administration worked with Congress to push reforms that balanced the budget. They took the initiative, not Congress itself.

[PATina]

While I disagree w/ your statement that Obama can't win w/o the Clintons... I do believe that he can win more decisively with them. It pains me as an African American to type this... but truth is... a lot of white people need the assurances that the Clintons can provide.

[Justsaynodeal]

The Clintons have a history to being good to blacks (in spite of the Reb Rights' dirty riding comment); so why would it pain you to admit that the Clintons might help 0-man win...........you have bought into all the propaganda of this campaign I think. Truth is that many caucasions like me would be ready for a black president, if he was qualified, and many like me don't think he is. I feel badly that he was so ambitious that he couldn't have gained some valuable experience by serving in the US Senate and gaining both a know how of how the Senate works and how our country works. I don't think he is ready, and as attractive and intelligent as he is, we can't afford a learn on the job president. The sad thing about this is that we D.s only give our candidates one chance, and if he doesn't make it in 08, that is his one chance.

I think he would have a better chance with Hillary and Bill campaigning for him, but that is his choice....­.........G­ore and Kerry learned the hard way, they got beaten by Booooosh.

[wbboei]

No no no> I think obama should use edwards in the south. Maybe carter as well. He is covered on the blacks. Not to worry. McCain will win the south. But we should not give up