With Republicans turning up heat, the US president is enlisting his Democratic predecessor to expand his campaign, writes PETER BAKERin Washington
FOUR YEARS ago, Barack Obama wrested control of the Democratic Party after portraying Bill Clinton as a symbol of small- ball ambition and outdated politics. Now, as president, Obama is turning to his Democratic predecessor for help as Republicans breathe down his neck.
The 44th president is enlisting the 42nd president, both as a historical validator of his own leadership and as a PIN to one of the richest ATMs in American politics. Rather than viewing him as a relic of the past, Obama is embracing Clinton as a party-wise man who can reassure both the general public and the well-heeled benefactors needed to win re-election.
Over recent days there has been a remarkable confluence of the two presidents, despite a fraught relationship.
On Friday, Obama’s campaign released a video narrated by Clinton testifying to the boldness of last year’s decision to send helicopters deep into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. On Sunday night, Clinton joined Obama for a fundraiser intended to tap the former president’s formidable donor network and marry two wings of the party that have co-existed uneasily since their 2008 showdown.
“You guys get two presidents for one out of this event, which is a pretty good deal,” Obama told the guests at the fundraiser.
David Axelrod, Obama’s long-time strategist, said the joint efforts showed that the two men had forged a strong relationship over the last four years. “When you’re president, there are very few people to whom you can turn who really ‘get’ what the job demands,” Axelrod said. “President Clinton has been the source of very good advice and very meaningful support.”
Privately, Democrats portray the evolving alliance as more utilitarian. “Once Obama’s out of office, I doubt they’ll take family vacations together,” said a former Clinton aide who has also worked for Obama and asked not to be named to avoid offending either man. “But Clinton thinks it’s critical for the country that he gets re-elected and will do whatever he can to see that that happens.”
Another Democrat who worked for both men said: “There’s no love lost, but Bill Clinton is not stupid. He knows if he can give a little of his 60 per cent-plus approval rating halo to Obama, and Obama does well, that only helps Clinton. And it helps the missus if she wants to run.”
Hillary Rodham Clinton, who lost the Democratic nomination to Obama in 2008 only to join his cabinet as secretary of state, has made clear that she will step down after this term no matter what happens in the autumn election.
Recently though, those in the Clinton orbit say she has left the door more open to running again in 2016, a campaign that would benefit from Obama’s goodwill.
By many accounts, the president and secretary of state get along fairly well despite their epic clash four years ago. He felt comfortable enough teasing her during his comic performance at the White House correspondents association dinner on Saturday night, referring to pictures of her drinking a beer during a recent trip to Colombia.
“Four years ago, I was locked in a brutal primary battle with Hillary Clinton,” Obama said. “Four years later, she won’t stop drunk-texting me from Cartagena.”
It has been the relationship between the two presidents that has been more awkward. At times, Obama has kept Clinton at a distance; at others, he has called on him for help, as he did after Democrats lost the House in the 2010 midterm elections.
A classic example of the complex dynamic came last year when Clinton published a book titled Back to Work, offering very public advice about how to fix the economy.
At first, the book rankled the Obama camp, which felt blindsided by its publication and privately complained it made it seem as if the current president needed guidance. After reading it, though, the irritation dissipated and the president’s advisers concluded it was okay for them.
For all of their reputation as enemies, Obama has stacked his administration with Clinton’s lieutenants. Aside from Hillary Clinton, Obama’s chief of staff, national economics adviser, treasury secretary, defence secretary and attorney general, as well as vice-president Joe Biden’s chief of staff, national security adviser and counsellor, all worked for Clinton.
While Clinton’s presidency was rocked by controversy, his image has largely improved since leaving office and his camp expects Obama to deploy him to centrist or conservative states where the incumbent might be less effective.
His economic record may help Obama argue that his programmes have helped, even if unemployment remains high and growth sluggish.
In the meantime, Obama hopes Clinton can convince his backers that it is time to crack open their cheque-books. – (New York Times service)