After watching the mess Bill Clinton has made out of his wife's presidential campaign, it is time to reassess one of the political myths that has circulated since the 2000 election.
It is easy to see now why Al Gore chose not to use Bill Clinton in the general election campaign. Gore was widely criticized for not taking advantage of this political resource, but the vice president also knew he would be saddled with the baggage of Monica Lewinsky and other ethical lapses in the Clinton administration.
And despite what the pundits said, the strategy worked for Gore. He won the largest number of votes in presidential election history, more than George W. Bush, and if he had won his native Tennessee, he would have been the president.
After watching Bill Clinton do a hatchet job on his wife in South Carolina, you have to wonder what would have happened if he had been enlisted to help Gore's candidacy. It is easy to say that he would not have resorted to the same type of desperate tactics to help Gore that he has used to help his wife (and there would have been some changes since obviously George W. Bush is white), but the truth is, he probably would have.
A Gore election meant almost the same thing to Bill Clinton as the election of his wife would mean- a continuation of the Clinton legacy. And that, more than anything else, seems to be what is on Bill Clinton's mind.
If Hillary Clinton hopes to win the Democratic nomination (and her chances are excellent), she could help herself by following the wisdom of Al Gore- and putting her husband on the sidelines.
No comments:
Post a Comment