We knew getting into this race that Barack would be competing with Senator Clinton and President Clinton at the same time. We expected that Bill Clinton would tout his record from the nineties and talk about Hillary’s role in his past success … What we didn’t expect, at least not from our fellow Democrats, are the win-at-all-costs tactics we’ve seen recently.
That’s from an e-mail sent to supporters by Michelle Obama. It was also brought up by Barack at the South Carolina debate on Monday, when he said “Sometimes I’m not sure who I am running against.”
There’s no denying that Bill Clinton is an advocate for his wife during this political run. What’s increasingly clear, though, is that he’s pissing people off. Leading Democrats To Bill Clinton: Pipe Down
Prominent Democrats are upset with the aggressive role that Bill Clinton is playing in the 2008 campaign, a role they believe is inappropriate for a former president and the titular head of the Democratic Party.
The Financial Times: Davos Bill is tarnishing his brand
He has adopted tactics that, if he does not curb himself soon, may tarnish his global brand irreparably. That would be a shame, not only for him but also for the causes that he has placed his weight behind.
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Instead of a non-partisan philanthropist, US voters see a partisan operative getting red-faced with anger as he bitterly rails against Mr Obama for, in Mrs Clinton’s words, “raising false hopes” that the US can be otherwise.
Real Clear Politics finds the whole thing “depressing”:
The worst thing about all this is what both Clintons are doing to their own legacy as pioneers of an approach that rejected, as Bill Clinton said in a 1991 speech, “the stale orthodoxies of left and right.” The great asset shared by both Clintons is their willingness to bring fresh thinking to old problems.
The LA Times sees an interesting dichotomy:
Bill’s back on the campaign trail, waxing eloquent about his White House days, pummeling Hillary’s rivals and promising more good times if Hillary becomes the Democratic nominee: You liked Clinton I? You’re gonna love Clinton II!
In contrast to 1992, though, the Clintons now officially pretend that they’re not a twofer. When critics — Barack Obama among them — complain that it’s hard to figure out which Clinton is actually running for president this year, Hillary responds with wide-eyed incomprehension: Goodness, what’s this fuss about Bill? “This campaign is not about our spouses, it’s about us,” she explained demurely to a South Carolina debate audience. “Michelle [Obama] and Elizabeth [Edwards] are strong and staunch advocates for their husbands, and I respect that.” Isn’t Hillary allowed to have a supportive spouse too?’
And here’s the Washington Post basically claiming Bill’s a liar. What it comes down to is that Bill is erasing a lot of the good will the younger generation had for him, and we kind of wish he’d shut the fuck up.
