This site has gotten lots of emails from angry readers saying we’re “anti-Clinton” due to posts from SEVERAL independent writers here that strongly condemned the role and tone of former President Bill Clinton’s campaign appearances to help his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, get the Democratic Party’s Presidential nomination. These readers should now add the names of some top Democrats to the “anti-Clinton” list — since they’re saying the same thing, Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter reports:

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. In recent weeks, Sen. Edward Kennedy and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, both currently neutral in the Democratic contest, have told their old friend heatedly on the phone that he needs to change his tone and stop attacking Sen. Barack Obama, according to two sources familiar with the conversations who asked for anonymity because of their sensitive nature. Clinton, Kennedy and Emanuel all declined to comment.

On balance, aides to both Bill and Hillary still see Bill as a huge net plus in fund-raising, attracting large crowds and providing a megaphone to raise doubts about Obama—even if some of those doubts are distortions. But there’s concern that in hatcheting the Illinois senator and losing his temper with the news media (last week he thrashed a San Francisco TV reporter for asking about a lawsuit filed by Clinton-backing teachers union members to limit the number of Nevada caucuses), Clinton is drawing down his political capital and harming his role as a global statesman. “This is excruciating,” says a member of the Clintons’ circle, who asked for anonymity. “But the stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s worth it to tarnish himself a bit now to win the presidency.”

Actually, it isn’t worth it — since there may be a larger, long-term political cost.

The reaction of THIS independent voter who lives in California and has his mail in ballot right next to his computer as he writes this — is sheer revulsion over the angry tone and role of Mr. Clinton who sucks up all the media attention and distracts from the fact that his wife has proven to be a skillful centrist New York Senator who reportedly responds well to constituent requests. Moreover, you can see Hillary Clinton blossom each day on the campaign trail — the only candidate in either party who is actually showing ‘growth’ as politician, speaker and television presence.

Mr. Clinton may delight Democrat partisans who love a good, bitter, divisive, angry battle complete with red-faced comments delivered with a sneer, but exit polls from Nevada showed that that Mrs. Clinton is losing a SHOCKING number of black voters. And we’d bet money in Vegas that a good number of those voters are turned off by what they’re hearing from Mr. Clinton.

Yes, there is Obamamania but there has to be some angry backlash — and that won’t help Hillary Clinton in the general election.

Advice to Hillary Clinton: Let Bill raise money and lower his tone. He could still play a vital speaking role if he acts like a dignified former President with the classy scent of the Oval Office versus the stench of a ward heeler.

He’ll keep losing you the support among black voters, who may decide to stay home on Election Day in November. And you will likely lose some independent voters.

In fact, I know of one independent voter who used to LIKE Bill Clinton who is now turned off by his tone, his red-faced appearances, his attempt to put words in a working reporter’s mouth and his downsizing before our very eyes from a respected former President to just another rage-filled partisan on the warpath because someone dares to campaign against his favorite candidate.

If you don’t listen to us, why not listen to prominent Democrats? (And readers who are mad at all of us, can direct their emails screaming about being “anti-Clinton” to them..)

UPDATE I: A cartoonist’s view:

UPDATE II:

Bill Clinton has declared that he personally witnessed voter suppression by Obama supporters in Nevada. The Politico:

Bill Clinton, speaking at a Vegas YMCA last night, made more charges against Obama and claimed to have, with Chelsea, personally witnessed voter suppression by the Culinary Workers:

…And the Vegas papers haven’t found any evidence of the kind of straightforward voter suppression Clinton reports. The Obama campaign has suggested the Clinton campaign file formal complaints if it has evidence.

“This is ludicrous,” Culinary Workers political director Pilar Weiss told Politico. She said the union is “aware that some workers aren’t going to vote our way” and doesn’t engage in intimidation.

“The fact that they lost a lawsuit aimed at suppressing workers’ votes, and that now they’re trying to hold on to these baseless claims is ridiculous,” she said.

Weiss also said Clinton’s claim is “technically impossible.” Clinton supporters can ask union organizers — who are actively promoting Obama’s candidacy — to add their names to the lists of workers who will take time off to caucus today. But signs posted around the casinos advertise another avenue to get the time off: Workers can go around the union and ask their managers directly.

“We have found it shocking that President Clinton has gotten so engaged in promoting these accusations,” she said.

And, indeed, Mr. Clinton: We’ve written against ugly, divisive, name-calling campaigning on this site for four years. And if you look at polls, many independent voters want to see campaigns waged ON ISSUES versus a constant flow of innuendo and attack-dog accusations. All you do is create sympathy — and potential support — for the people you attack. Can you take a breath?

UPDATE III:

–Now Obama’s campaign manager is alleging widespread vote suppression dirty tricks on the part of the Clinton camp. It’s clear that, if Mrs. Clinton wins the nomination, a whole bunch of voters may be intensely alienated due to the tone of Bill Clinton’s appearances, coupled with allegations (yet to be PROVEN) of dirty tricks on the part of the Clinton camp. Keeping Bill out of the spotlight might be a good beginning to fence-mending.