Decision ‘08

The “Hill And Bill” Factor

I love the fact that certain anti-Giuliani forces are trying to make his past marriages an issue when they seem to think Hillary has no problems with her current one. You can wish in one hand and - ah, you know the rest. Anyway, Jill Lawrence takes a look:

Hillary Rodham Clinton has no more enthusiastic supporter than her husband in her bid to be the first female president. He is putting his strategic skills, fundraising clout and fabled charisma to work for her as the pair build a campaign juggernaut designed to crush her Democratic rivals.

The possibility of Bill Clinton returning to the White House he left six years ago raises some questions that are far touchier than whether Americans are ready for a “first gentleman.” As an ex-president, how much influence would he have in his wife’s administration? Will memories of the Monica Lewinsky scandal haunt Hillary Clinton’s campaign and drive away voters? What’s the status of the Clintons’ marriage — and does it matter?

In a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, 70% of Americans say Bill Clinton will do more good than harm for his wife’s campaign. Yet questions about their marriage — as well as the Lewinsky sex saga that led to Bill Clinton’s impeachment by the U.S. House in 1998 — remain close to the surface. The reminders include a stream of jokes on late-night TV and even Hillary Clinton’s own words, such as her recent joking reference to her experience with “evil and bad men.”

The undercurrents are worrisome to some Democrats intent on winning back the White House, even those who say they don’t care what kind of relationship the Clintons have. Bill Clinton is “a net plus,” says Todd Gitlin, a sociologist and writer at Columbia University. “But any remnants of the old stuff about his sex life” could be “an impediment on the electability front.”

In the new poll, taken last weekend, 42% said Bill Clinton has “learned his lessons” from past scandals. But 51% said he is “the same person he always was.” Nearly 70% predicted that Democrats supporting other candidates for the nomination will try to make “past Clinton scandals” an issue, and 85% said Republicans will try to do so in the general election if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee. Three-quarters said the state of the Clintons’ marriage shouldn’t matter to voters — but six in 10 predicted it will.

Of course it will - the possibility of putting back into the oval office a popular president who was nonetheless impeached for lying to a grand jury about sexually inappropriate conduct with a subordinate is going to matter, all right! Holy cow, who could believe otherwise?…

9 Responses to “The “Hill And Bill” Factor”

1 peter Says:
March 30th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Giuliani is on his third wife, and the Clintons have been married for decades. Giuliani skipped his son’s high school graduation, while even Clinton critics have to admit that they are good parents. Donna Hanover found out she was being divorced by watching Rudy announce it in a press conference, and of course neither Clinton has done any such thing. It will be interesting to see if the family values crowd supports Rudy if he gets nominated.

If adultery disqualified people from high public office, most of Washington (including Giuliani) would be excluded from public service. Giuliani’s past shows a vindictiveness and mean-spirited nature which is entirely different from Bill’s zipper problem. Say what you will about the Clinton’s marriage, but they have been together for years and were both devoted to their child. There’s no comparison with Giuliani here.
2 Mark Says:
March 30th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
No, you’re right. There is no comparison. Clinton was accused of sexual harrassment, settled, and was disbarred for perjury and impeached (not to mention playing with an intern half his age who was technically his subordinate). He was also (credibly or not) accused of rape, and, of course, there is Kathleen Wiley.

Nope, no comparison at all. One man is a deviant, the other maybe not a role model, but nothing like that.

No comparison at all…
3 Mark Says:
March 30th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
I’m not saying Bill Clinton is guilty of the rape, by the way - just accused. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, I’m trying to stick to the facts…
4 too many steves Says:
March 31st, 2007 at 6:09 am
“zipper problem”, I like that. Doesn’t concern me, but I like the phrase. Here’s a contrast I see: Giuliani is seen as vindictive, Bill just wants to share his love. It’s about the feelings, man. Lower lip biting, earnest concern. None of that concerns me, but there appears to be a lot of people for whom it is a concern.

I think I’ll vote for the candidate that seems to be having the least amount of fun campaigning. It really creeps me out to see how much fun these people appear to be having - I just can’t believe the emotion is genuine.
5 Peter Says:
March 31st, 2007 at 8:23 am
Donna Hanover said that Rudy was having an affair with a subordinate (his press secretary) while they were married. If so, it is hard to distinguish that from Monica.

The facts are unclear, but it appears that Rudy may have given perjurious statements regarding Kerik. If so, it is hard to make a distinction between that and Bill’s testimony.

However, the race is not between Bill and Rudy: it would be between Hillary and Rudy. Say what you will about Hillary, but nobody has accused her of moral turpitude. (OK, so she killed Vince Foster. Aside from that.) Refusing to vote for Hillary because of her husband’s philandering is like refusing to vote for Mike Dukakis because his wife is an alcoholic. There may be plenty of other reasons to vote against Dukakis, but Kitty isn’t one of them. If you want to compare the moral character of Hillary to Rudy, I don’t think it is favorable to Rudy.
6 Mark Says:
March 31st, 2007 at 11:58 am
Peter, I’m not saying vote against Bill, I’m just saying that he is an issue for Hillary. That’s all…some good, some bad, but mostly bad…
7 Peter Says:
March 31st, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Agreed — but my question is how the “family values” crowd will vote if the match is between Rudy and Hillary. If moral character is their criterion for choosing a President, will they vote for the candidate who has a strong relationship with her child and a marriage going on three decades, or will they vote for the one who is estranged from his son and on his third marriage? It will be interesting to see if those who are so sanctimonious about “defending the family” will hold their nose and vote for Rudy.
8 - Says:
March 31st, 2007 at 10:46 pm
I would simply say that we all need to take responsibility for our countries actions. Remember, we the people elect our Presidents and because of that share the responsibilities. Please let your voice be heard. http://www.ineedapresident.com
9 Christy Says:
April 4th, 2007 at 9:14 am
If you’re going to list the candidates, please list all of them. Congressman Kucinich is not on your list.