Bill Clinton Reportedly Upset Over His Convention Speech Assignment
It’s becoming increasingly clear that, if Democratic-nominee-to-be Sen. Barack Obama loses the election, some members of the Democratic Party will blame the Clintons and some of their supporters, particularly with this LATEST twist: on the eve of the convention, Bill Clinton is reportedly upset behind-the-scenes about his speech assignment.
It’s worth looking at this piece in The Politico extensively, since it is one more piece of a puzzle that suggests — at this writing, at least — that some people associated with Clinton wing of the Democratic Party are putting their own preferences over the usual party goal of unification during a tough Presidential battle:
As Democrats arrived here Sunday for a convention intended to promote party unity, mistrust and resentments continued to boil among top associates of presumptive nominee Barack Obama and his defeated rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
One flashpoint is the assigned speech topic for former president Bill Clinton, who is scheduled to speak Wednesday night, when the convention theme is “Securing America’s Future.” The night’s speakers will argue that Obama would be a more effective commander in chief than his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.).
The former president is disappointed, associates said, because he is eager to speak about the economy and more broadly about Democratic ideas — emphasizing the contrast between the Bush years and his own record in the 1990s.
This is an especially sore point for Bill Clinton, people close to him say, because among many grievances he has about the campaign Obama waged against his wife is a belief that the candidate poor-mouthed the political and policy successes of his two terms.
[UPDATE: The Obama and Clinton camps have issued a joint statement denying there is controversy or friction between them and blasting reports that suggest otherwise.
UPDATE II: More details from Marc Ambinder]
In other words: Bill Clinton is angry because, when people tune in, his message is supposed to be a forward-looking speech that can benefit the nominee versus a more backward-looking speech giving his take on his OWN legacy that would be a speech partly about him…a kind of delayed-rebuttal to things said during the primary campaign.
If this report is correct, once again Bill Clinton is proving to be a divisive intra-party figure who is not helping his party’s chances for victory in November.
And, according to The Politico, the Obama side has about had it.
Some senior Democrats close to Obama, meanwhile, made clear in not-for-attribution comments that they were equally irked at the Clinton operation. Nearly three months after Hillary Clinton conceded defeat in the nomination contest, these Obama partisans complained, her team continues to act like she and Bill Clinton hold leverage.
After a period earlier this month when the two sides were working collegially over strategy, scheduling, and other convention logistics, things turned scratchy again in recent days.
Some senior Obama supporters are irritated at how they perceive the Clintons fanned — or at a minimum failed to douse — stories that she was not even vetted as a possible vice presidential nominee. This is because she told Obama she preferred not to go through the rigorous process of document production unless she was really a serious contender, an Obama associate noted.
One senior Obama supporter said the Clinton associates negotiating on her behalf act like ““Japanese soldiers in the South Pacific still fighting after the war is over.” Yet another one likens them to “bitter-enders” who assume that Obama must accommodate them rather than the other way around. And, the website goes on, some Clinton top aides do believe just that.
But, according to The Politico, Hillary Clinton is proving to be more of a party-first person than her apparently-petulant husband:
Hillary Clinton, who associates said seems more at peace with the results of the nomination battle than her husband, is treating her speech preparation as an all-hands-on-deck exercise, bringing back longtime aides who worked with her during the White House years and in her Senate office.
There are some ironies here:
(1) Obama has already come under fire in many quarters — in both parties — for allotting so much of a convention usually used to launch the candidate to the Clintons. Some pundits even said the Clintons have “hijacked” the convention. Now it’s down to the wire — and, if this report is correct, Bill Clinton is still keeping the Obama camp from devoting full attention to launching their candidate.
(2) The situation for the two parties is now clearly-reversed from what the conventional-wisdom was some months ago. It was predicted that the GOP would have serious problems uniting under McCain due to conservatives who had ideological difference with the Arizona Senator. Now it’s the Democrats who are having problems uniting because, in essence, Bill Clinton and some Clinton supporters are perpetuating a grudge rather than helping unify the party so it could get a Democrat back in office who could influence such commonly-shared Obama-Clinton goals such as the appointment of the next Supreme Court judge.
(3) Reports continue to note that Hillary Clinton has future ambitions and this and other stories won’t help her. There is now a considerable Internet-accessible paper trail on the problems the Obama camp is having with the Clintons, including the angry report in The Politico about Hillary Clinton not being vetted for VP which dominated a news cycle in a way not advantageous to the Illinois Senator. Look for her to have HUGE PROBLEMS if Obama loses and she runs in 2012 — because the Clinton wing is now shaping up as a detriment to not just party unification but the party’s image going into the general election battle.
(4) Bill Clinton hurt his wife politically at some key moments in the campaign. He could be sowing more future problems if this continues into the week.
McCain won’t face any of this when he has his convention. The focus and story will be on him and his nominee — not on behind-the-scenes problems with George Bush or Dick Cheney or stories about Huckabee voters who threaten to sit out the election or vote for Obama because they’re mad their guy lost.
Parties with fractured conventions usually go down to defeat. Parties with segments that drag their heels or don’t vote are defeated. In this case, it isn’t as if Obama is facing demands to change or temper his policy positions. In reality, Hillary Clinton and Obama have many of the same views. This now seems largely about bruised egos and possible political payback — and to heck with the Supreme Court.
23 Responses to “Bill Clinton Reportedly Upset Over His Convention Speech Assignment”
[...] Original post by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief [...]
Sounds like more of the fascinating “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” journey as the Dems clash against each other, just before the Repubs do their Lock Step Unity Dance around John McSame.
Such a pity that nothing ever appears to be learned from the past….
[...] Bill Clinton Reportedly Upset Over His Convention Speech Assignment [...]
[...] Bill Clinton Reportedly Upset Over His Convention Speech Assignment [...]
It's a pity that Bill Clinton is such a narcissist. It is also intriguing that Hillary supposedly comes off as a team player amidst all of this, while her people are out there sowing divisiveness.
She cannot get it both ways. Want to be a team player, want to be a leader, then act like one and get your people in line.
Earlier in the primary season, whenever I took the various “Which candidate is best for you?” tests that are online, Clinton and Obama ranked virtually the same in my results. When it comes to the issues, Obama and Clinton are virtually identical (well, at least for issues that are important to me).
But for me, it was never about the issues. It was more a matter of *style* and *character*. As far as I'm concerned, *how* a candidate governs is more important than any list of political positions or hot-button issues.
Early on, I decided that Obama was a better candidate over Clinton based on this criteria. And as time has gone on, it has become increasingly clear that I made the right choice. Clinton has turned into more and more of a disaster as time goes on. The deep-seated narcissism, bitter sniping, petulant whining, in-fighting, back-stabbing…terrible. This long, long campaign has managed to expose the very worst of her character faults, and boy are they doozies.
After all the nastiness we've seen out of the Clintons over the past few months, could you imagine how awful she would be as a *president*? I am soooo glad that Obama persevered and defeated this monster.
Yes! It's all the Clinton's fault that Obama is still slipping in the polls. It has nothing to do with his muslim ties, his waffling, his abandonment of his ideals to take power no matter what, his lack of experience in time of war or the Sinclair story that's plastered all over youtube.
It's those damned Clintons!! It'll be their fault when he loses this Fall!!
Truthfully, he should be on his hands and knees thanking them for sticking their necks out for unity. Imagine knowing all the above about “our” candidate the DNC decided [with the GOP's help] to shove down our throats, and having to support him publicly anyway as a viable candidate?
That the Clintons can even look in his direction without cringing is an accomplishment. To get up on a stage and try to convince millions to vote for this guy in spite of every fiber of their being telling them and some 18 million voters that he is unfit for office? That, friends, is a feat only for political Titans with the strongest of stomachs…
Once again showing the Clinton tenacity and grace in face of all odds.
That they would endorse him at all, knowing he and he alone will cause our defeat this Fall is something of a large favor of Obama's crew to ask of them. Methinks Obamabots should be thankful instead of bitter, hostile and accusatory… : )
Yet another example of either one of two things.
Either Obama's wisdom in excluding anyone with the last name Clinton from his ticket will be amply justified
OR
Everyone will be shocked, shocked I tell you, at how supportive the Clinton's turn out to be at the convention, these unattributed snipes turning out to be a play in the expectation's game.
Apologies to punctuation purists for the unintended apostrophe (you know who you are).
Yes Silhoutte, Bill Clinton should have a third term (it will be his because Hillary has demonstrated she lacks strength to stand up to him-what a feminist!). Never mind the blow jobs in the oval office, never mind whitewater (yet another housing, land owning debacle), never mind travelgate or any of the large amount of sleeze and scandals that actually did happen and would be brought up time and time again by the Republicans.
I think it would be terrific for the second President to be impeached to have a third term, 22nd Amendment, what 22nd Amendment?
My question is this: are the Dems this stupid and suicidal? They will be complaining incessantly if McCain wins and does his “thing” to the Supreme Court and other issues. And making Obama the only fall guy for the loss will be counterproductive as well because we will look back at all the party dis-unity. The Democrats make me sick. All of them. Isn't the point is to get in the White House? So I guess the feeling is Obama/Biden will just be Bush/Cheney, huh? Insane.
The little black boy in me may want to see the first black person as POTUS. But the realist black man in me continues intensely dislike the Dems and Repubs.
Santa '08!
T-_Steel, I was a Republican, I see a great deal in Obama that makes me want to be a Democrat, yet, if they are stupid enough as a party to continue to let Bill Clinton screw the party like he screws other things, they are on their way to Whig status. Perhaps the silver lining would be the raise of a functioning political party out of the ashes. (I doubt it will happen but here's to hope.)
What people keep forgetting is that it was the black vote that did the Clintons in during the primary. If Obama loses, Hillary will NEVER be President because we will not forget this and we will have no problem voting for someone else without the last name of Clinton.
It is more than obvious that the Clinton folks are still listening to Mark Penn who completely ignored the black vote.
[...] Bill Clinton Reportedly Upset Over His Convention Speech Assignment [...]
It's not HIllary's fault if Obama loses. And you're dead wrong, it's that people ardently support the Clinton name that she will get re-elected no matter what this youngster does or does not do in the Fall.
People avidly support Clinton because when she aided her husband, the team brought our economy to the strongest it's been in US history. In a time and presidential race when economy is the #1 issue, it's a no-brainer that Hillary is popular and will continue to be even when Obama loses.
Interesting that you use the words “re-elected” Silhouette, are you referring to Clinton's senate campaign? If you are fine, I'll back off. If you are referring to the White House then she needs to completely share all the dirt (and answer the 22nd Amendment question). She also needs to own her inability to get Bill to act like the former President and leader of the party instead of some petulant diva that can't believe the country has moved on. Finally, she needs to get a handle on “supporters” like you that are doing all they can to get McCain elected so he can undermine everything she “says” she believes in. BTW, if McCain and the Republicans think the Clintons are so great why aren't they offering them prime-time speaking slots? In my view the Republicans are welcome to them.
Regarding the “avid Clinton supporters,” during the impeachment days a large number of them were African-American, if you think they would as strongly support Bill Clinton's third term I would love some of what you are smoking.
Finally, my biggest beef with Hillary (who in many ways has many talents and could do a great deal of good) is the fact she can't control Bill. I know it is hard to believe but there are people who saw Bill as a drawback to Hillary's campaign not an asset. Stories and rants like this do not put her in a good light at all.
Actually this quote on Ambinder's web-site from a Clinton staffer sums things up better than I could:
..by refusing to support Barack Obama.
The issues that Hillary Clinton has worked so tirelessly for–expanded access to healthcare, a woman's right to choose, the restoration of America's standing in the world–have been just as tirelessly opposed by John McCain and the GOP. If you refuse to support Obama in November you are standing in opposition to Hillary and thwarting her lifetime of hard work.
What's more, you will irreversibly damage her entire future. At BEST, Hillary will be seen as powerless and unable exercise leadership in regard to her supporters. At WORST, she will be seen as conniving to sabotage her own party at the most crucial political moment in a generation. Either way, her career will be over.
Could you live with that?
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Add this to Jazz's post about cult of personality supporters you get an interesting view.
I believe there is more to it than personal animosity. The impression I get is that Obama is actively attempting to render irrelevant (at least), or completely dismantle (at best), the machine Bill and Hillary have spent more than the last decade building — the DLC. I have to admit that at this point it's little more than an impression. I haven't connected all the dots yet. But I'm pretty sure it explains why people like Begala, Carville, Davis, and Bill Clinton are so pissed off.
Its naive of Obama to think that he can just ignore the Clintons. They are too powerful and have contributed a lot to the Democratic Party. He needs to find a big role for them and show respect for what they have contributed. They, in turn, need to check their egos and accept a subsidiary role in the convention and campaign.
Well, I still say it's going to be a strong Dem year (the GOP is going nowhere), but the stupid infighting is good for a few laughs and who knows, it may make the convention more entertaining as a result. Maybe there may yet be a brawl. As is typical for the Dems, “Rules Don't Matter,” Florida and Michigan have been given full voting rights. And we have yet to hear from the superdelegates. The feel-good (and Bush-bashing and McCain-bashing and GOP-bashing) speeches* may or may not prove to have been worth watching; mistrust of the Clintons is sufficient to want to learn what both Bill and Hillary Clinton have to say.
* Will any of them be truly idiotic and, for example, raise the mythical menace again of the Far Right? [insert ominous music and black-and-white photo of Cheney scowling]
Hillary Clinton's prospects may well have, in fact, been better had she already divorced Bill. He's not a rocket stage lifting her much, if any; he's largely if not completely dead weight holding her back.
[...] It’s becoming increasingly clear that if Democratic nominee to be Sen. Barack Obama loses the election some members of the Democratic party will blame the Clintons and some of their supporters particularly with this LATEST twist: on the …[Continue Reading] [...]
I think Bill is just rusty. He's been out of politics and has been surrounded by adoring sycophants for too long. Also, he can't seem to adjust to being a supporting player. But, the Democrats can't win if they don't unite with the Clintons.