An interest facet of this election is the increasingly prominent role that Bill Clinton is playing in Hillary’s election campaign. Recently engaged in a number of attacks on Obama, ranging from questioning the degree of his anti-war stance to his mild praise for Reagan, there is no doubt Bill’s role will play a large role. His credentials, namely former President, create an entirely new meaning for Trent and Friedenberg’s campaign strategy of “use of surrogates on the campaign trail.” While support from family and spouses on the campaign trail certainly helped candidates like Kerry and George W. Bush, Bill Clinton’s involvement is an entirely new level. Revered by many, especially democrats, as an excellent president who led the country to great economic prosperity, his message resonates strongly with many. An excellent example of this is Bill’s strong support from the African-American community, particularly in the South. It comes as no surprise that Bill is currently in
Bill’s presence in Hillary’s campaign, however, may prove to be a double edged sword. Currently, it allows Bill to use his popular image to garner support for Hillary. It has also allowed him to conduct political attacks against Obama, thereby making accusations while deflecting the blame from going towards Hillary. That being said, the new wave of attacks is forcing some Democrats to raise their eyebrows. Both Majority Whip Clyburn and Majority Leader Tom Daschle are concerned about the aggressive attacks that are coming from Bill Clinton. It will be interesting to see how the Bill factor continues to play out. It could provide much needed support or more unneeded liability for the
The following articles helped contribute to this article:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/21/obama.clintons/index.html?section=cnn_latest
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080122220445.whcffr9b&show_article=1
3 comments:
Chris, your comments are insightful, and you are absolutely correct that Bill's campaign support is a new level of "surrogate strategy." I think we can make similar arguments about support for the Obama campaign. While candidates often receive celebrity endorsements, I think Oprah's involvement is arguably raising the bar (although Chuck Norris for Huckabee may not quite fit the bill). Indeed, John Kerry's recent move to back Obama rather than his former running-mate also suggests that 2008 may be a year of interesting shake ups in the way "support" operates on the campaign trail.
It will be interesting to see the outcome of Bill's involvement in the race in the nest few weeks. I do think it is a little risky for a former American President to be this involved in the race leading attacks on another candidate. This could lead to a backlash. It will be interesting to see if he steps it up or backs off in the two weeks to come.
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