Keep Bashing Bill to Retain a Republican Presidency

The Democratic Presidential race is pure politics between consenting adults and the barbs traded on all sides have been well within the norm of contemporary politicking and positively tea-party genteel compared to past elections in our nation's history. As James Carville put it, they're not campaigning for commencement speaker at Williams College. Bill Clinton plays hardball because winning politics is hardball.

I mean, have Democrats forgotten how absolutely tepid and passive we have been on a national stage ever since Bill left office? Have Democrats forgotten that since him we have always lost and if the war in Iraq hadn't capsized the Bush presidency Democrats would be about as relevant to modern day governing as the Whigs?

Folks who called his aggressive boosterism for his wife "Rovian" do so because they genuinely love Obama and take it personally when he's criticized. That type of adoration is wonderful and admirable and inspiring, but it can also smack of a cult of personality that can easily cloud the hardboiled rational judgment one needs to defeat the Republicans.

Obama himself is better and smarter than that and no cry-baby.

The MSM not only has a visceral disdain for Hillary (who fanned that predisposition herself for years by perpetually snubbing the press), they have also hated Bill, even though he is by far the nation's most popular Democrat since JFK. If it were Constitutionally possible to run again Bill would probably trounce even (the new) Al Gore (who seems to be pretty much every Democrat's dream candidate).

Bill knows the drill and has said publicly that if Obama wins the nomination he will fight tirelessly to get him in the White House. We Democrats need to remember that. We need Bill healthy for the coming fight and need to remember that taking him down early is the Republicans' best hope at retaining the White House.

Although I'm 6' 2" and black I suck at basketball. Nevertheless I love it as a metaphor. We're in the playoffs now and people take sides and the players throw elbows to win. However the real prize is the all-star game against the other conference. Bill Clinton is our Shaquille O'Neal and we need to make sure he stays in the game.

(FYI, my new book, "Bedtime Stories: Adventures in the Land of Single-Fatherhood," comes out in February.)

Comments

[Serfie]

Obamanistas are just as bas as the radical right--except that the radical right wins elections.

The Obamanistas in their arrogance would destroy their own party and be right rather than win the presidency.

Obamanistas are the Joe Liebermans of the Democratic Party: sanctimonious and self-serving.

[nynick]

Wow, I just read through all five pages of comments here and if this is any indication of our party, we're doomed to failure. We're fractured and neither Obama's feel good message or Clinton's realism will be able to put it all back together again. The Huffington Post, in their effort to assist Mr. Obama, has instead thrown gasoline on a fire and it's now out of their control. In the end, we will lose to Mr. McCain and we'll all come back here and point fingers at each other. It's sad really. There has to be some middle ground. Neither the lockstep, no thinking, do as we tell you, Republicans or the monumental stupidity of the Democrats appeal to me anymore. Maybe the answer is to disengage, pretend it doesn't matter who is president and hope that in the end, I can manage to keep my family housed and clothed and safe. I am sure that minor goal is within reach for me. I'm lucky enough to have been born with certain advantages. As for the rest of our disfunctional society, I'm washing my hands of it.

[MoMule]

Carville and Bugala banned from appearing on CNN because the Obama people complained! What is that about? Obama dosen't have enough of the press annointing him as the second coming?

[Happylady]

I agree with Mr. Ellis

Democrats need to SHUT-UP There is only one thing the Republics did that I admired. THEY NEVER ATE THEIR OWN. They always showed a United Front

Please keep your Negative opinions off the Radio (Ed Sholtz) out of print (Maureen Dowd) and off cable news (Bill Clinton)

Remember the prize - The White House and the American citizens

[Nic]

Loved your article except one correction:Obama IS a whiner and a cry baby. Who can forget "Your husband did" or "I don't know who I'm running against sometimes." Pure whine. If he can't take the Clintons kicking his ass, HOW will he stand up to the rethugs?

[baghdadjoe]

Bill has been "bashing" himself. Making himself look not only "not presidential", but like a complete ass.

I'm very disturbed by Bill the "loose cannon". It's obvious he just can't help himself. What if Hillary should win the presidency? What kind of weird-ass stuff would he do then? Who would be able to stop him?

[AdAbsurdum]

Shorter Trey Ellis: Bill can bash, it's good for the process. Bill cannot be bashed, that's comforting and abetting the enemy.

[cobraxus]

thank you for pointing out the cult of personality thing.it really reminds me of Bobby Kennedy and worse...Ronald Reagan.

[Jonny38103]

I'm with ya, Trey. Some of these Obama supporters are going to insure we get another loser Republican in the White House. I'm glad to see so many people, especially younger people, get involved, and Obama has helped with that. But I believe there is a certain youthful naivete that comes with that and an age that probably can't really remember those oh-so-long-ago '90s, the last time things were good. Pres Clinton is campaigning for his wife - would you expect anything less? He's the best political mind of our time.

There has been nothing said by Pres Clinton or anyone else that Obama supporters need to whine so much about. It's politics, People, it's how the game is played, and your idealism and KumBaYa singing isn't going to change that.

Obama would do well to help Hillary Clinton as her VEEP and learn and be ready for 2016. And then we could keep the real enemy out of the White House for 16 straight years. That should be your goal if you're a Dem, not to take down one of, if not the, best candidate(s).

[tumblewind]

Even if the war had not capsized Bush's Presidency. They would have screwed it up in a thousand other ways by now. They always do! Because the war is only a small part of why a lot of us despise Republican's! They never fail to run up the deficit, give tax breaks to the rich, make a mess out of the economy, add to the homeless only to mention some of their better qualities. Why do you think a lot of us gave up on Republican's back in the 80's??????

[TheLastPenguin]

If this was a game, Bill would have been ejected by now. Respect the dignity of the game - and the American voters too.

[Bluetiger]

Why Bill did it!
It's a southern guy thing. Someone pushed around his wife he pushed back. When someone pushes around your wife everything is allowed nothing is out of bounds (race, physical limitations, mental limitations, back ground, your shady friends, the way you put on your socks) nothing is out of bounds. I don't like Hill, Bill or Mr. O! But I understand Bill. I think the Kennedys are OBE. I think the press was just waiting for something to jump on because they are out for a profit.

[MadMadWorld]

They have also succeeded in changing the blame. All the ills in the country are being laid at the feet of Bill and Hillary Clinton, just like the Republicans have always wabted (but...but...Clinton).

The Republicans are no longer seen as the problem. The Clintons are and Democrats are responsible for that perception.

[Macready]

sorry Trey don't understand . . . I would sincerely hope that when hillary doesn't get the nomination that bill will back whoever does . . . but that is not the same thing as injecting fear that if we attack bill now it means we will have a GOP prez . . that appears to be what you are saying . . . many of us don't like hillary's voting record -- full stop and will not vote for her and some of us think that billary is a great way to get a GOP victory . . .

[givemycountryback]

I totally agree. We have to get the repugs out of the white house and the congress. Can't people see what has happened to our country when they were in power. Their so called contract with America was nothing but lets get Bill Clinton. It was despicable. I watched sickened to the impeachment thing and was so embarrassed for our country. Then if that wasn't bad enough, we have had to put up with a retared social misfit for 7 years. While I will back any dem candidate,I feel Mrs. Clinton is the best choice by far. What has Obama done? He was picked by Oprah for god's sake.

I have listened to the MSM and cannot find where Bill Clinton has bashed Obama. This hatred of the Clintons is crazy. They have bashed Hillary on everything. It is time for a woman president and while I loved Bill as president, I look forward to Hillary being better than him. She is an intelligent, compassionate, hard working and yes woman who deserves to be president. Obamas time will come but not yet.

[ICUP]

Historical Correction:
The Democrats are in danger of turning into the Whigs if they allow themselves to be solely defined as opposed to Bushian Republicanism. The Whigs were united only as an oppositional force to Jacksonian Democrats. Thus, there internal divisons eventually ripped the Party asunder. The Ds need to stand for something, not merely oppose something.

[Geosmythe]

I am sad to write this, but I agree with ya KnoxBlues1.

[shanghaislim]

Thanks Trey for saying what need to be said (now if only others would listen)

Exceptionally relevant and important coming from an African-American!

[jubo]

Any other critical judgment? This nears sycophancy.

[Progressive101]

If the Clintons win the primaries with their hateful and racial campaign, this country deserves four more years of republican rule. If the democrats are willing to sell their soul and their black support to win elections, they simply don't deserve to win the elections.

At this point, after Bills remarks the last weeks, I'd rather have 4 more years of Bush (and I hate Bush) then seeing them win the elections.

[Donk]

The Republican Party is so discredited in the mind of the American public that even Dennis Kucinich could beat them should he to get the nomination... BungleBush has set them back worse than Nixon, even if they don't know it yet.
While I don't expect Team Clinton to roll over and play dead, they will eventually come to the conclusion that it's time to step aside.

[zull2]

A lot of the so-called "Bill bashing" is in part due to his degrading himself in an election by tossing out personal attacks, but the truth is that among the more progressive Democrats, Bill Clinton betrayed many of the party's core principles. He pitched us all a great line, then governed like a moderate Republican. He threw us a few biscuits, but the free trade agreements undermined job security, personal growth, and success of the working man in this country in favor of a handful of wealthy elites. He cut welfare. His health care plan was laughable. Don't ask, don't tell? While most stood up for Bill Clinton, you don't have to look much further than the 2000 election and the insurgence of the Green Party to see that something was really wrong with the Clinton legacy. However, with such a lousy president in charge like Bush, we all looked back and ignored all those things we hated about Clinton...to a degree. Now, we have the opportunity to do even better than Bush OR Clinton, and I think a lot of folks are finally getting a lot of stuff off their chests. Well, except the media itself, they're just stirring up the pot and feeding off what progressives are saying.

[bobo2626]

Trey, great article. I only wish that some of the others at HP would listen to the clatter that they are saying.
For all you Obama supporters out there( and note, I really like this guy!) your candidate has had it soooo easy so far. You want to know rough? you want to know what a real dog fight is like? Want to know what the Republicans have planed for him? Take what they did to Gore (MSM included) that what they did to Kerry( again MSM included) multiply it by 100. You think that the kindness Hillary and Bill showed him in SC was too rough? You cannot imagine! And , when the general election rolls around, the MSM won't be there to protect him like they have against the Clintons. MSM hates the Clintons, but they are use to that.
So, all you progressives out there that think that Obama's "knew kind of energy and politics" will get him through the general election, you better just start getting use to having a Republican president for the next four years. And all the crying foul won't get you a ticket to the "dance". You'll shaking your head mumbling something about how it all went wrong, and why couldn't he have been just a little tougher like....( oh dare I say....) Hillary. But then it will be too late.
You like to hate the Clintons. But deep down inside you know that she can win, because she will play to WIN. There won't be any of this having money let over after the loss. None of this not responding to false charges...just because they are false.
And I say this because I really like him..and will vote for him if he is the nominee.
Bet you can't say that if Hillary wins it.
Being a democrat means knowing tha all the losses in the past 8 years doesn't mean that we deserve this one.
Deserve has nothing to do with.

[MediaConcepts]

"[i]f the war in Iraq hadn't capsized the Bush presidency, Democrats would be about as relevant to modern day governing as the Whigs?"

That's about as realistic as saying, if 9/11 didn't happen, Bush would have remained an unpopular, ineffectual one-term president.

[Semper]

We do not need Bill for anything. You weak spineless wafe. Nothing is every permanent. If you want to win, you work harder if needed. Stop all the tears. Democrats are tough, and couragious, they don't need a free pass. Just go down to the election site when the time comes and vote.