Obama Harnesses Clinton Power

Clinton brand tarnished? Think again.

In another article, Rogue Swing States, I describe what I called, "...a one-two punch for Clinton and Obama... Watch for more of it to come." Hillary Clinton has been steadily campaigning for Barack Obama, having made over 50 campaign appearances for the Obama-Biden campaign since June. Since September, Clinton has been on the unofficial "advance team," making campaign appearances in swing states preceding the arrival of Obama himself. The strategy has been so effective, it seems Hillary is being re-deployed on her own headlining campaign tour. They're even letting Bill off the chain.

How, you might ask, could the Pelosi-Obama-Dean (POD) triumvirate trust Billary on the trail? As I have said previously, it wasn't necessarily either Clinton that was the problem for Hillary in 2008, it was the DLC (Democratic Leadership Council) and the New Democrats. If you look at the membership of these two organizations, you see Hillary Clinton's early lead in superdelegates in primaries. Bill Clinton, and the return of the New Democrats to power, was the source of so much liberal mayhem, it is likely the true cause of Clinton's failed campaign. Now that the economy has passed the fifty-percent mark ast the #1 issue of the election, centrist policies and "Clinton-era economics" are no longer dirty words. In fact, they sound pretty darn good right now. You betcha.

Bill and Hillary are currently targeting southern states, another major advantage the two together represent. Hillary was in Arkansas Friday, working the home state advantage, while Bill was in Virginia two days later, working the rural and suburban parts of the state, where Hillary ran strong in the primaries, and where McCain is ramping up his own campaign efforts. It is a surer sign than any other that the economy is the overarching concern of the public if Bill is being allowed to headline. The Associated Press reported today, Sunday, October 12th, that Hillary and Bill will officially launch "an active campaign for their former nemesis Barack Obama in the home stretch of the 2008 presidential race."

The former President and Senator Clinton will launch their campaign in Scranton, PA, (the "New Peoria") and will then divide and conquer, going on separate itineraries. Bill will head to Virginia then Ohio and Nevada, and will likely be in his best form; Bill is charismatic and, if he feels properly deferred to, will go after his goal with trademark charm and gusto, laced with extensive policy knowledge and shoot-from-the-hip liberalism. He should be able to deliver solid poll numbers in working class swing states, and very likely will make a pitch for Obama in Georgia, which he carried in 1992. (Note that Jimmy Carter, another trademark Southern Democrat, and his disastrous economic record have been stuffed back in their musty closet, where they belong.) For Hillary's part, the real star on the Clinton tree will be shining in Florida again in the next few days, she will also be headed back to Ohio, where she has already been several times on behalf of Obama. Nebraska and Minnesota are on Hillary's itinerary as well, but I would watch for her to be re-routed if Florida or Michigan start to slide McCain's way again. However, on the other hand, if things keep going well for Obama, Hillary and Bill may well try to reclaim the whole coastal south (except Texas) using the one-two punch that worked so well for Obama and Hillary.