clinton II: return of the ugly
by Tom Carey
Published: February 4, 2008
“I can’t tell who I’m running against sometimes.” - Senator Barack Obama
Remember that line from the South Carolina debates? It was just one of many pithy barbs made by Barack Obama in reaction to a series of feisty attacks from Hillary Clinton. In a remarkable debate in which the top two candidates threw out the rulebook (Hillary Clinton seldom extolled the unity of her party or the divisions which marked the Republican candidacies), more than a few hot issues were raised and more than a few overt assaults launched.
As we approach Super Tuesday, it is crucial that we stop and take a second look at Obama’s statement; it reflects an inherent part of Clinton’s candidacy that has received little if any meaningful attention from so-called political know-it-alls.
Hillary Clinton has shrewdly marketed her candidacy as a two-for-one deal. In essence, a vote for Hillary is a vote for Bill. This clearly has been the appeal of Hillary Clinton since she entered the presidential contest months ago. The critical point here is that to follow such political calculus to its logical conclusion paints a distressing picture: the election of Hillary Clinton represents the reinstatement of Bill Clinton and the reinvigoration of 90s politics based on bitter division and partisan hell.
If Bill Clinton, the Democratic Party’s most charismatic leader in recent history, presided over a Congress vs President budgetary shut-down and the first impeachment of the Executive Officer since 1868, what can we expect from Hillary? She evokes the memory of all of the bitterness of the Clinton era with none of the charm.
This point is crucial as Democrats attempt to choose the candidate who can force a clean break with the past. And yes, Senator Clinton, that means a clean break with your husband as well. I know that many Democrats are Clinton-crazy, but Bill Clinton’s time in public life was not all good. Triangulation. Scandal. Broken relations with Congress. All of these things severely inhibited Bill’s ability to get things done.
When Hillary casts her candidacy, sub rosa, as a great package where you get two superstars instead of one, she forgets that the Clinton years were good, but also represent the most concrete example of the politics that voters desperately wish to abolish. Obama called her on it in South Carolina and democratic voters need to remember it, wake up and not be blinded by the fantasy of “The Clintons: Act II.”
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