Clinton later explained that his remarks were directed only at Obama’s views on war, not about his overall bid for the White House. But Clinton’s remarks caused a national firestorm – and a split – in the Black community with many Black voters shifting their allegiance to President Barack Obama.
This isn’t to say that Bill Clinton won’t be present on the campaign trail with Hillary in the months ahead but right now it appears her campaign is carefully choreographing Bill Clinton’s roll out.
“Bill’s role on the campaign was an ongoing frustration for him and his team the last time Hillary ran for president, campaign operatives from the 2008 race said,” according to POLITICO. “Tension between the former president’s staff and the campaign festered as the chances of winning dimmed. The feeling within Bill’s inner circle, sources said, was that if he had been allowed to have a bigger say in strategy from the beginning, the campaign wouldn’t have ended up where it did.”
“There is no public role planned for Bill in the early stages of this year’s campaign, when Hillary will be trying to reintroduce herself to voters in the intimate settings where she is at her best,” according to POLITICO. “The campaign has yet to hire a single staffer to work with the former president.”
Here’s my take: Don’t hide Bill Clinton in the attic like the crazy uncle who may embarrass the family; don’t pretend he’s not a factor; and don’t relegate him to the shadows in the initial weeks of the campaign.
How can you reasonably ignore a man who appears on the cover of this month’s Town and Country magazine with the headline: “He Wheels, He Deals, He Makes a BIG Difference?”
Bill Clinton is Hillary’s husband for better or worse, a lasting, high-profile marriage and lucrative political partnership that has spanned 40 years. Hillary Clinton, and her campaign, should own it.
What do you think?
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What Role Will Bill Clinton Play In Hillary’s Campaign? was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
