Hillary Clinton has a problem. She is married to Bill Clinton, one of America’s most successful presidents. While her husband was president, she was involved in some of the activities of his administration and, according to President Clinton, served as an unofficial but valued advisor to him. It seems natural for her to tout that experience as a means of showing that she is prepared to be America’s next president.
However, today’s voters seem less interested in experience and preparation and more interested in change. It is not Hillary Clinton, but Barak Obama who represents change in the minds of many Democrats. So, the Clinton campaign is torn between emphasizing her willingness to bring real change to the country and using the former president (arguably the most dynamic politician since FDR) to make a case for her experience. If she chooses the former her experience is pushed into the background. If the chooses the latter, she might become tied to the past and the usual Washington establishment.
In the past few days, a decision seems to have been made. Both Senator Clinton and Bill have hit the campaign trail hard in Iowa and New Hampshire, making the case that Hillary is the best prepared of all the candidates to be our next president.
A few days ago, in a speech in New Hampshire, Bill Clinton emphasized over and over the achievements of his administration. He cited the economic gains of the 1990s, the rise in family income, the increases of students gaining college aid, the decline in poverty, and the reduction in individuals without health insurance. The former president also credits Hillary with helping to create the Children’s Health Insurance Program, after her push for universal health care when belly up. He even mentions her assistance in achieving peace in Northern Ireland and the Balkans. His claim is that these achievements, for which he says Hillary’s advice and counsel was invaluable, are proof that she has the wisdom and practical experience to prepare her for the office of president.
However, some critics are saying that Bill Clinton’s has focused so much on the accomplishments of his administration that it sounds as if he were running for reelection. To the extent that he does this, his dynamic political personality might overshadow hers and thereby become a detriment to her campaign instead of an asset.
My personal view is that Americans don’t want a return to the old, albeit economically sunny, days of Bill Clinton. I believe Americans want change. They want someone who can demonstrate her or his independence from Washington as usual and the botched and underhanded policies of the current administration.
In my opinion, Hillary has not done this very well. If she does not begin very soon to make a case for herself as an independent agent of real change, the idea of a president named Obama is likely to become more viable.
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