Presidential Politics After the Clintons

After a period of a few weeks when Hillary Clinton and her husband had receded from the political scene somewhat, they have been back in the news during the last few days. Party insiders claimed that Bill Clinton was a little "miffed" at his treatment by the Obama campaign, while Hillary Clinton returned to the senate for the first time since ending her presidential bid and made her first public campaign appearance in support of Barack Obama. Clinton's return to the senate seemed to go well, but she certainly would have preferred to return as her party's presidential nominee, rather than just the junior senator from New York.

Bill Clinton's lack of immediate visibility on the campaign trail in support of the man who defeated his wife in a close and not always friendly primarily is understandable and not altogether surprising. More surprising, and telling, was that Clinton's silence was not really considered a story until his office announced the former President's less than enthusiastic endorsement of Obama, and the revelation that he was somewhat "miffed". Clinton's absence from the campaign was barely noticed, further demonstrating that the Democratic Party is now firmly in the post-Clinton era.

The recently completed primary was bruising and few of the main players, including the former president, avoided getting a little beat up. Clinton, it could be argued did most of this himself through his gaffes, outbursts and, arguably, racially tinged remarks. He is clearly no longer the unequivocally positive asset he has been to previous Democratic candidates since leaving office in 2000. Nonetheless, Bill Clinton's support will be welcomed by the Obama campaign; and any campaigning he is willing to do will be sufficient, although perhaps not necessary.

In recent campaigns, Bill Clinton has worked to turn out the African American vote for various Democratic candidates. It is hard to argue that Barack Obama needs help from Bill Clinton, or anybody else, in this area. More significantly, Bill Clinton himself no longer enjoys the political profile, even among Democrats, that he did a year ago. In short, Bill Clinton's involvement is not essential for Obama the way it was for Senator Clinton in the primaries or for recent Democratic presidential nominees such as Al Gore or John Kerry. Obama would probably benefit from Clinton's support, but he does not need it in the way his predecessors have.

Hillary Clinton is, of course, in a somewhat different situation. Although it is unlikely she will ever be president, she still has a senate career, and will likely become more influential in that body as she moves away from her presidential ambitions, gains in seniority and helps her party establish itself more firmly in the majority. Moreover, Clinton has secured her place in history. When we elect our first woman president, she will certainly be standing on the shoulders of Hillary Clinton. Through her gracious and enthusiastic, if somewhat delayed, endorsement of Obama, Clinton has begun to undo some of the damage she had done to herself in the waning weeks of the Democratic Primary. Accordingly, her first campaign appearance with Barack Obama was an important media events.

All that being said, it is hard to believe that a month ago Hillary Clinton was a central player in national politics and that the media was filled with stories about what she might want or what leverage she might have over the her party's presidential nominee. These stories have dissipated somewhat because of Hillary Clinton's strong support for Obama, but there is more to it than that. Obama's strength and the speed with which, once they finally moved, the party leadership closed ranks around the nominee in June, have made it hard for Hillary Clinton to remain quite so relevant.

Hillary Clinton's return to the presidential campaign as a supporter of her party's nominee, moreover, is somewhat obscured by the efforts of her campaign to retire her substantial debt, estimated at around $20 million. It is no coincidence that Obama's gesture of support and conciliation, to contribute the legal limit to help retire Clinton's campaign debt, became public on the morning that Clinton was to make her first public appearance with Obama. This underscores how much has changed in the last month for Hillary Clinton and how little leverage she actually has.

If President Clinton is upset by his treatment by the Obama campaign, one can only imagine how Obama feels about having to contribute and help raise money to reduce the campaign debt which was accrued by an erstwhile primary opponent largely after the point in the election when it was clear she had virtually no chance.

For almost twenty years, the Clintons were the dominant family in the Democratic Party. Even after Bill Clinton's presidency ended, this remained true for almost a decade, but in a period of just a few months this has changed. As recently as a year ago, the Clinton's were on the verge of establishing a political dynasty as Hillary Clinton was the leading candidate for president and Bill Clinton remained the most popular leader in the Democratic Party. Today Hillary Clinton has to turn to the man who defeated her for help paying back money her campaign owes, while her husband seems all but absent from the presidential campaign, but very few people, even Democrats seem to really notice or be too upset by this. There is something poignant about seeing the Clintons in their latest iteration. It is not yet clear precisely what their role will be in American politics going forward, and a couple as savvy, accomplished and competitive as the Clintons should never be discounted too easily, but it is almost certain that they will no longer be the central figures in the Democratic Party.

Comments

[demfriend]

Bill is a sorry loser who was in it because the feeling of entitlement they both had was so strong he knew he was back in the "house" for 4 more years. His level of self importance had him at time running as if for himself and not Hillary. Bill did so very much damage both to her and himself while campaigning he has made himself look bad enough but now his terrible two type antics make him look a fool. He hates to lose and Hillary refused to lose so there is why she racked up so much debt. Her "penn" cost her a bundle and should not be counted as a campaign debt as she chose to hire him and stuck with him as she was in free fall because he gave her hope she could still win. Hillary might be speaking the words but until she brings together those who still are fighting for her it's just words.

[jeanrenoir]

Thank God the Clintons are history. "The Clintons" were not just Hill and Bill, but their wealthy bi-coastal donors who controlled their policies and dominated Democratic Party politics for twenty years, resulting in things like Hillary's assertion that she would "obliterate" Iran (just like Bush/Cheney) if necessary. Obama's great revolution in the Party was his campaign finance reform via the Net, through which he neutered the big-money people who'd controlled the Party through the Clintons for decades. Finally, Obama gives "the little people" in America the hope that the policies of the White House which most profoundly affect their lives, especially questions of peace and war in the Middle East, would be made in the best interest of ordinary Americans, not the rich donors who backed and schmoozed with Hill and Bill for so long.

[WFV]

I am still hoping for the day we can have a presidential race without them.

Hey! This one would be nice! Let's begin today!

[pixy242a]

When my daugher was in competitive swimming, though not a top rank swimmer, but did her best times in a relay. On the other hand, some star swimmers could never put in a full effort for the team.

Bill is so used to fighting for himself, he was not as effective even for his wife. Not sure if it is such a big loss to Obama, if he doesnt come around.

[FearlessFreep]

"Moreover, Clinton has secured her place in history. When we elect our first woman president, she will certainly be standing on the shoulders of Hillary Clinton."

Has HRC ever admitted her debt to 1972's black female candidate Shirley Chisholm? (Or has Obama?)

[Krikkit]

The irony in all this is that had Hillary accepted the clear fact that she could not close the gap with Obama after the Pennsylvania primary and conceded to the stronger candidate at that point, she would not have racked up that extra debt and she would have come away with much more of her leverage intact, not to mention the fact that some of the damage she did to Obama and rancor she gathered to herself as a result could have been avoided.

Let this be a lesson to everyone about the overwhelming importance of both timing and not letting ambition blind you to the realities. Hillary's most grievous wounds were all self-inflicted and she has even damaged her ability to retire that debt now. There are plenty of folks who see her losing the 10 million she spent on her own campaign as justice of a sort for damaging the party's nominee.

[cheshirecat831]

And what will Bill do now.......

http://www.sfbaysailingpix.com/pez2008p1.htm

[Doofus]

If there are still Demo 'fat cats' who are willing
& able to come up with $10-20 million to cover
over expenditures from the Clinton campaign,
and are happy to sign up as Demos for Obama,
then that is pretty cool. Strange maybe, but still cool.

(If it's $20M, why not $30M. Do I hear $40M?)

[campgranata]

The Clintons always come with strings attached. they are also so over.

[jw]

I second that emotion.

[campgranata]

a couple as savvy, accomplished and competitive as the Clintons should never be discounted too easily, but it is almost certain that they will no longer be the central figures in the Democratic Party.

I will give you competitive , to a fault yet, however the rest of these platitudes should be relegated to the past tense.

[likeicare]

Bill Clinton is the WORST surrogate Obama -- or anyone, for that matter -- could ever have.

Bill needs to check into a clinic for his narcissism. Or else, they need to have him stumping in the hillbilly backwoods where he'll do the least damage.

[WFV]

Perhaps he could tour the stills...

[Politihal]

A most ungracious party, the Democrats. The Clintons gave a party that had no relevance, could hardly get itself elected, a new standing in the nation. The only post World War II Democratic two-time president, many of us wouldn't mind going back to the time of Bill Clinton's presidency and enjoying some of the economic perks we all had as a result of his governance. New is always good, but America seems to think that in order to have new, we need to throw out the old. This decidedly American attitude explains the dirge of wisdom that has America at its weakest in its over two hundred years of existence. Maybe all the young voters who have latched onto the political neophyte Barack Obama might think about this. If not now, they will in time, when they find themselves perceived as old and irrelevant when they are first coming into their own.

Halli Casser-Jaynehttp:www.thecjpoliticalreport.com

[Suzie813]

Dearth of wisdom. The word "dearth" means lack. A dirge is sad music played at a funeral.

[Politihal]

It's a dirge and a dearth....

[justobserve]

Dream on! Time changes, even if Clinton were to be a president now, his would be different from his last. The Clintons are the past, even if some still think his time was good. Undoubtedly the majority didn't think so when they voted Bush in to clean the Clintons' mess. Republicans used dirty tactics to win, yet this year, Hillary did the same and was trashed! Remember her "18 million voters" included the ones who left her after she used dirty tactics to attack her fellow Democrat. THE CLINTONS ARE THE PAST. NO MORE CLINTON.

[iswideopen]

As an African-American woman, I am here to tell you it is Hillary and Bill Clinton who are ungracious. It is we, who had to be degraded on every cable news show; i.e. Terry McCaulif stating over and over each racial group that Hillary had won EXCEPT guess who. Again, an attempt to minimize Obama's own ability to have come as far as he did and start the racial divide and anger. Prejudice is a learned behavior. The Americans who got Obama where he is did not judge him on the color of his skin. They judged him by his character. The Clintons are ruthless and shameless. They were willing to throw the entire democratic party under the bus in order for Hillary to win. So, please, until you have walked in our shoes, lived the kind of lives we have in America, don't you dare tell me anything. I don't know your age, but to thine ownself be true or pick up a history book with the absolute truth in it. GOD bless America and the Americans that have hearts filled with love, not bigotry and hate; and may GOD touch their hearts in time. OBAMA '08

[Fabienne]

Do you not remember that the Democrats had control of Congress when Bill Clinton was elected and lost control of it in the next election, never to be regained during Clinton's tenure? The Party owes the Clintons nothing. They were the Party leaders for their time; now the Party has moved on. Nothing strange in that. Bill Clinton's terms in office ushered in the centrist Democrat, who is essentially a corporate shill, and also ushered in the age of bitter partisanship. When Clinton usurped many of the Republicans' policies, they moved further to the right to distinguish themselves from him. Time for something new.

[kimk3]

"If President Clinton is upset by his treatment by the Obama campaign, one can only imagine how Obama feels about having to contribute and help raise money to reduce the campaign debt which was accrued by an erstwhile primary opponent largely after the point in the election when it was clear she had virtually no chance. "

Yeah, and imagine how I feel, just a regular working stiff, being asked to contribute to Hillary Clinton's campaign debt when she and her husband made $100 million last year.

Mitt Romney reportedly spent $44 million of his own money and I never heard him whining about it, holding McCain's campaign hostage to pay it off. What's going on here?

[Krikkit]

What is going on here is a gesture to bring Hillary's supporters a modicum of face-saving: a way to bring them back from the edge of being enemies. Call it a peace-making gesture, but don't discount its importance on that score.

It's up to the donors what they want to do with their money. But O made the gesture, and I have no doubt that it is more than a mere gesture at that. The man is savvy enough to know he needs her supporters.

[nunzia]

This is so silly.
Among the "few" who place a very high value on the Clintons' participation in Obama's campaign are Obama and his campaign.

[BADEN]

You know that feeling you get after your "wild and crrrazy" aunt and uncle leave after Thanksgiving dinner, and the room suddenly returns to normal.....

"I'm glad they left....what a CIRCUS..."....