January 28, 2016

The NYT tries to figure out why Bill Clinton can't bring his old "magic" to the Hillary Clinton campaign.

I'm reading "It’s Still Bill Clinton, but the Old Magic Seems Missing," by Patrick Healy. Highlights:
At an event in Las Vegas last week, Mr. Clinton, 69, looked smaller and his voice seemed weaker than in past campaigns, and people had to strain to hear him at times... he occasionally meandered, leaving the audience, including some who had lined up for hours to see him, seeming more politely attentive than inspired.

“He seemed perfunctory, looked gaunt, didn’t seem to captivate the crowd,” said Jon Ralston, a veteran political commentator in Nevada, who attended the Las Vegas event last Friday....

“His age, his heart surgery, his veganism — I think it’s all brought a calmness into his life,” said George Bruno, a former Democratic Party chairman in New Hampshire and longtime ally of Mr. Clinton... “He’s not as fiery as he once was, but he has an air of real self-confidence,” Mr. Bruno said....

“I think he’s become more cautious, more tentative, and less unabashed,” said Doug Schoen, a former adviser and pollster to Mr. Clinton. “Going negative just isn’t his strength in her races. His strength is developing a positive and empathetic narrative for why Mrs. Clinton should be president.”...
I'll do my commentary in the form of a poll:

What's the explanation for Bill's weakness campaigning for Hillary? (Check as many as you want.)
 
pollcode.com free polls

105 comments:

Brando said...

I'd have to go with him not really having much magic to begin with, as I never really saw anything in his speeches that made me find him anything more than tiresome. Maybe it's a "dog whistle" thing--some people hear it, and those of us who don't are perplexed as to what others find so magical (I've wondered the same about Trump's appeal).

But let's also remember that Democrats' feelings towards Bill don't really transfer to another person--it's not like his endorsement was ever that magical. I don't think his help for Obama made any difference, and what little help he gave Al Gore didn't get his VP over the finish line, despite a strong economy and an administration with high approval ratings. So ultimately I'd also add Hillary's weakness as a candidate as a reason--even if Bill had "magic" he couldn't sell her to the Dems.

Plus, the Dems are a far more leftist party than they were in the '90s. Bill did pretty well among white voters, even white southerners, but that person wouldn't get anywhere in today's Democratic party of BLM activists and drum circle enthusiasts.

Fabi said...

The magic is gone because another alpha dog neutered him.

(My vote button didn't work, but the selection of responses is impressive.)

Drago said...

Trips to pedophile island can be positively exhausting.

donald said...

I'm guessing he's wasting way from venereal diseases.

Just saying.

Ann Althouse said...

On the secret love of Bill and Donald: Mother Jones, last August:

"The Washington Post reports Clinton and Trump had a private phone call shortly before the GOP's newest star officially announced his candidacy... Back in 2012, Clinton noted that Trump has been "uncommonly nice" to him and Hillary. "We're all New Yorkers," Clinton said. "I like him. And I love playing golf with him.""

Left Bank of the Charles said...

You left out: Patrick Healy and the NYT are shilling for Bernie Sanders.

If you count Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and Michael Bloomberg as New Yorkers, are there any real contenders in this race who aren't New Yorkers? Perhaps Ted Cruz counts too as a New York spouse due his wife Heidi working for Goldman Sachs.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

I swear to God, if the October Surprise in 2016 is a Bill Clinton health scare I'm going to have some unkind things to say about an old man.

Alternately, a Bill Clinton health scare right now might be a good excuse for Hillary to bow out of the race ("I need to spend time with my courageous husband as he fights to regain his health, I know [insert Dem candidate she'll support] will fight just as strongly for you against the terrible Republican menace, and thanks to Obamacare we can all get the same quality treatment") now if she becomes convinced she can't win.

(Not That) Bill O'Reilly said...

Well, the magic is a two-way street, no? Bill's performance plays a role, but so does the willingness of the listener to be spellbound. Perhaps this NYT writer is less willing to buy in as the conventional wisdom concerning Bill's sexual transgressions has shifted.

David Begley said...

I saw Bill in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was better than his so-called wife but that's not saying much.

Both of them have brought up the need for first responders to have the drug Narcan to help people who have OD'd on heroin. Why is that a federal issue? How about serious FEDERAL prosecutions for illegal alien drug dealers and importers? The whole Clinton campaign platform is small.

I kept thinking about that great bribery scam the two them ran when she was in the Senate and at State. The two of them are criminals but too big to prosecute. That's it. Why people can't see that is very depressing to me.

Danno said...

I think his tippy-toeing is due to the fact that people are waking up to the fact that he is pretty much in the same league as Bill Cosby, and that hasn't been working too well lately.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

No option for An unfortunate side-effect of the saltpeter Hillary has been slipping him to try to prevent yet another incident?

Brando said...

"Both of them have brought up the need for first responders to have the drug Narcan to help people who have OD'd on heroin. Why is that a federal issue?"

Remember the essence of Clintonism is control of others, and no issue too small. Back in the '90s he made his reelection campaign about school uniforms and controlling traffic. Not that those issues were beneath talking about, but they certainly belonged more in a city council election than a presidential election.

"Alternately, a Bill Clinton health scare right now might be a good excuse for Hillary to bow out of the race ("I need to spend time with my courageous husband as he fights to regain his health, I know [insert Dem candidate she'll support] will fight just as strongly for you against the terrible Republican menace, and thanks to Obamacare we can all get the same quality treatment") now if she becomes convinced she can't win."

If she does this I'll be so happy she's finally done that I'll accept whatever face-saving excuse she comes up with. I won't believe it, but I'll accept it.

mccullough said...

No one under 25 remembers Clinton as president. And those of us who remember are older and so is Bill Clinton. He's the same age as Trump but Trump has a lot more vigor. Even Obama is starting to look a lot older and more tired.

Paul McCartney still has his fans but they are older and less exuberant than they were when they were young.

MayBee said...

1- Obama's campaign *destroyed* Bill Clinton as a racist and a womanizer. Even my in laws who loved Bill Clinton as president thought he must be "kind of creepy". So damage has been done. Young people don't have the love for him, because they loved 2008 Obama

2- The party has moved left. Way left. Bernie Sanders left. Clinton was a centrist.

Just some rando on the interwebz said...

To poorly paraphrase Sunset Boulevard:

"You're Bill Clinton. You used to be the President. You used to be big."

Bill Clinton:" I *am* big. It's the politics and electorate that got small. "

MisterBuddwing said...

I subscribe to the cliches about "timing is everything" and "lightning in a bottle." President Clinton had his time, it's over now, and whatever you think of him, he's not the same person in the same world as he was while in office.

RLB_IV said...

When you have heart disease Viagra takes its toll.

rehajm said...

Both of them have brought up the need for first responders to have the drug Narcan to help people who have OD'd on heroin. Why is that a federal issue?

It's pandering to Sanders supporters.

John Scott said...

Has Bill Clinton ever actually helped a canidate get elected? He was great getting himself elected but that was about it.

Kansas City said...

The most interesting part is the Times running a critical story on him

I think it is a combination of a lot of stuff. He is old, not as strong or good as he used to be, and he is rusty. He also is not pitching himself. He also was somewhat overrated, but he was good. He was still good in 2012 making speeches for Obama. He might get better this time, but it is trickier because the better he is, the worse his wife looks. I don't think he will have any significant effect this time, but he could still come up with one last memorable speech at the convention.

Sal said...

The newer generation of women see him as a creepy old philanderer instead of as a handsome young philanderer.

Kansas City said...

In answer to John Scott, he helped Obama in 2012. Probably some others.

holdfast said...

It's like Austin Powers without his mojo.

Bernie Sanders is Dr. Evil.

Rob said...

Low T.

Bay Area Guy said...

You have to go back to 1992. Reagan and Bush 1 had 3 straight Presidential wins. The Dems were absolutely desperate to win. They're mantra was "12 years of neglect!" But, initially, most of the big named Dems were afraid to run against Bush 1, because of his popularity following the Gulf War.

So, the Dems' front-runner, if you can believe it, was this litte nebbish from Massachussetts, Paul Tsongas, who's name nobody could pronounce, who was destined to go down to defeat just like another Greek Dem, Michael Dukakis.

Panic set in among the Dems.

They decided to go all in for Bill Clinton -- a centrist Dem -- and to go all in to protect his reputation from all his bimbo eruptions.

The stars were alignment. Bush's popularity receded, Perot siphoned off 19% of the vote, and Slick Willie won. And, the media fell in love his charming southern BS.

But, yes, it was so artificial, that it had to end. The dude was a poseur. He lost both the House and the Senate. He got impeached. His magic did not translate to Gore winning in 2000, and certainly doesn't translate to Hillary in 2016.

It's simply time for the Clintons to go -- the NY Times is finally getting the message.

Bill Peschel said...

I voted for age, but what else can he do? He's not running the campaign, and even if he could, what can she run on? Her Senate and State records are terrible. She's not shown any particular skill in governing or schmoozing (all politics being personal, after all). She has huge liabilities, made horrible decisions in Libya and her email server, and needs helping finding out when "Matlock" is on.

Sydney said...

The times have changed. We realize now that the "vast right wing conspiracy" was telling the truth about him all along. The magic is gone.

twinsdaddy said...

The same thing happened to Tiger Woods...he used to walk onto a golf course and knew he owned it, Clinton was the same way at a podium. They now know that many of the people staring at them are not thinking good thoughts and that's killed their Mojo. Plus I'm not sure he doesn't believe that Hillary would be a disaster as President , and he doesn't want to spend at least 4 of his remaining years part of a mess and an embarrassment. Too many women, too little time.

TrespassersW said...

Mythbusters did demonstrate that it is possible to polish a turd.

Just not this one.

Drago said...

David Begley: "I kept thinking about that great bribery scam the two them ran when she was in the Senate and at State. The two of them are criminals but too big to prosecute. That's it. Why people can't see that is very depressing to me."

David, I don't think you have completely internalized a hard truth about liberals/leftists. They KNOW Hill and Bill are what they are, and the lefties know that Hill/Bill have done what they've done. Most importantly, the lefties LOVE the fact that everybody knows these things and that nothing is happening to Hill/Bill.

cubanbob said...

Bill is older, not in that good shape and is probably tired. He also knows whoever is president after Obama is going to have to deal with massive problems with no easy solutions and massive pain during the first term. Why bother? Let the Republican's have it is what he probably thinks. The only thing that probably is pushing him on in addition to Hillary's ego is the knowledge that she needs to win to stay out of jail. I never understood the revisionist myth making of Bill's popularity. He wasn't that popular in 1992, but for Perot getting such a large vote he never would have won. In 1996 the Republicans ran Dole who wasn't Mr Electric and with Perot again running Bill barely crossed the finish line. His supposed third term-Al Gore, running against George W Bush couldn't get more than a statistical tie so again why the myth of his popularity? He was lucky but he wasn't good. De facto president Gingrich was responsible for the good economic times of his second term. Bill Clinton was really an accidental president, indeed hardly Being There.

PB said...

He's been made aware how devastating the FBI case against Hillary is, as have others, including Biden, Bloomberg, and now Bernie. They'll be lucky to keep Chelsea out of jail from the public corruption charges.

tim in vermont said...

Maybe the fact that he is widely perceived as a rapist, even among many Democrats. I have spoken to some of them, they believe it, party loyalty or no. Not that many people are willing to go full garage and drag up Paula Jones' sexual history, for example, anymore to defend the guy. Even Lena "I was raped by a Republican but I'm not saying who" Dunham is a bit creeped out, and that is going some.

Big Mike said...

"Don't you think he looks tired?"

traditionalguy said...

Maybe the worms of death are slowly eating on him.

Energy is what sells in meetings for political events. At least JFK and Schicklgruber took daily amphetamine shots to increase their energy levels.

Maybe Bill now dreams of staying on the hills and valleys of home way down upon the Jennifer Flowers River.

traditionalguy said...

Hey, the poll lets you check more than one box. So all of the above is doable.

eric said...

I didn't see the answer I prefer in your poll. Which is, Trump now lives rent free in Bills head.

Rusty said...

Bill doesn't give a shit.

holdfast said...

I think part of his "myth of popularity" is based on folks like me who think that he is (or was) a pretty charming guy who I'd be happy to have a beer with, and who did a pretty decent job as President. Of course, I'd never vote for the guy unless he was running against Rob Paul (Rand's OK), but I still sort of like him. But that "sort of like" doesn't translate into votes.

Otto said...

Post-modern guilt has set in. Americans now realize that the post-modern era's two building blocks free sex & Feminism were false constructs. We realized that we had a sex pervert as POTUS of the mightiest nation in the world. Here is a person ,holding the highest office in the world and elected by us (majority women), having a blow job not in a cheap hotel but in the revered oval office , not with a young women blinded by love but a well to do princesses "nostailge de la boue". To boot we have the pervert's wife showing no guts: not ditching the putz , defending him and claiming a conspiracy not because she still holds a deep love for the jerk but for political expediency. Recently feminism was shreiking about rape on campus and this cheap soap opera resurfaces exposing the vapidity of present day sexism and feminism.
Adding to their woes are the the bengazi , email and corporate scandals. With the end of the obama era with its full throttle progressive programs showing no relief to the underclass , what running platform is she going to run on?
Having realizing what we have wrought we are just tired and want the Clintons to fade away .

Sydney said...

I suspect he lost a lot of the hard left when he enacted welfare reform. I remember Marian Wright Edelman and her husband on the front page of the New York Times complaining about it and how disenchanted they were.

Thorley Winston said...

If Bill Clinton couldn’t get Al Gore elected in 2000 or Hillary Clinton the nomination in 2008, why would anyone think he’d be more help to Hillary Clinton in 2016?

Rick said...

Charisma isn't transferable on the retail level [Racist!], and anyone in Bill's circle is already voting for Hillary.

tim in vermont said...

I would vote for him again, under the provision that we give him a billion dollars tax free for him to have after he leaves office in return for a promise to not do any fund raising.

Plus we would open a brothel on Lafayette Square and give him an unlimited charge account and a secret tunnel.

David Begley said...

Big Mike

Saw him from 20 feet. He didn't look tired to me.

james conrad said...

It's absolutely understandable that Bill has lost his old fastball, first off the party is not now where it was 25 years ago and 2, hey, the guy is 70 years old. Add in that Hillary is not a people person, never has been and never going to be and Dem's have issues. They are faced with trudging to the voting booth with a candidate no one likes or trusts, kinda hard to get excited about that.

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MacMacConnell said...

None of the above.
Bill doesn't want to live in the White House where prying eyes would limit his ability to knock the bottom out of divorcees.

MisterBuddwing said...

Bill doesn't want to live in the White House where prying eyes would limit his ability to knock the bottom out of divorcees.

You're joking, right?

Anonymous said...

A rapist is a rapist, no matter what "is" is.

Anonymous said...

Rick said... anyone in Bill's circle is already voting for Hillary.

Are you sure?

John Scott said...

Kansas City,

Since Bill, of course, campaigned for Obama's opponent I thought you were being sarcastic. Then I read your other post. I'd be willing to bet a dollar that Obama didn't get any bump in the polls after a Clinton campaign speech.

tim in vermont said...

Maybe Bill just isn't as far to the left as today's Democrat Party.

cubanbob said...

MisterBuddwing said...

Bill doesn't want to live in the White House where prying eyes would limit his ability to knock the bottom out of divorcees.

You're joking, right?
1/28/16, 2:30 PM "

Is there any proof that Bill has ever turned down a piece? Besides if Hillary was elected what excuse could Bill come up with to avoid living in the White House especially when the Secret Service will report to her? Allegedly he has a honey (although he looks too haggard to be actually able to do much of anything) so the idea of his having to give that up has to be effecting his enthusiasm for the campaign.

Birkel said...

John Scott,

The same can be asked about President Obama. Neither Clinton nor Obama has had coattails.

Narcissists seldom do.

MacMacConnell said...

If Obama and Clinton had coattails the Republicans wouldn't control so many state houses and governorships.

mikee said...

The following two reasons, essentially the same reason, are leading the poll 2x any other reason this afternoon:

The candidate is weak. There's a limit to how well any proxy can do for her.
Bill knows the real Hillary and knows she should not be President.

This isn't about Bill, it is about Hillary. Who votes for shrieking insane mother-in-law?

Steven said...

What "old magic"? He never won anything for anyone else. He lost the House and Senate both in '94 and never got them back, he couldn't get Gore elected, and couldn't get Hillary nominated.

Sure, he was able to get himself elected (though never winning an actual popular majority) running against the sort of moderate technocrat Republican that get crushed by any Democrat able to say the word "hope" without the SNL staff breaking out in giggles. That's not "magic", that's the Republicans being the kind of idiots who apparently think it's smart to nominate a Ford, Dole, or Romney.

MadisonMan said...

Big Mike, I see what you did there. Well done.

For David: Context

tim in vermont said...

I am trying to remember when he got 50% of the popular vote.

MeatPopscicle1234 said...

You forgot "Bill has HIV from all the hookers he's slept with a and is not long for this earth..."

MadisonMan said...

It's been almost 10 years since a former President died (Ford, at the end of 2006).

How many will die in the next 2 years?

grimson said...

As some others have noted, Bill's base among current Democrats is very small because Obama has moved the party so far left. Bill's earlier fans (and possibly Bill himself) are probably Trump supporters this time. Hard to get fired up when the audience is not with you.

His lack of vitality comes from living a cushy life devoid of challenge.

Quaestor said...

Maybe Bill just isn't as far to the left as today's Democrat Party.

Dead on.

I'd go further and say he was never a political animal in the left/right philosophical sense.

Bill is a pathological narcissist. What he really wants -- what he has ever always wanted to the exclusion of everything else -- is adulation.

And a blowjob.

But he really likes adulation.

And a blowjob.

What he really, really wants is adulation in the form of a blowjob.

Won't get much of the former as First Gentleman (The irony of Bill Clinton as America's first First Gentleman is epically tragicomic.) Won't get much of the latter either in the East Wing with Hillary's SS hovering like hungry hawks.

Kansas City said...

Tough crowd here on Bill. He was a remarkable politician and a terrific campaigner (same could be said of Obama). I tend to think that unless his health is declining rapidly, he could pick up his game for a great convention speech. Hard for him to do much else of significance at this point. The little stuff he could accomplish on the campaign trail is not much and it is probably hard for him to get up for it.

madAsHell said...

I've heard it said...Hillary isn't Bill's first choice. If ya know what I mean!!

rcocean said...

I'll be honest, I never got the bill clinton love. He was always likable, but i never found him persuasive or honest. He always reminded me of the all the BS artists I knew in High school.

I guess if you like word games or think the ability to find 10 different meanings in the word "is" you'll think bill clinton was a genius.

MadAir said...

He knows that if he becomes a prominent and effective campaigner, some more of the skeletons will come out of the closet.

Earnest Prole said...

I don't see the word limp in the poll

The Godfather said...

Not entirely relevant, but I know several people, mostly conservative, who met and worked with Bill Clinton while he was president, and they all were very impressed by his charm. As for his performance in a group setting (notice, I said "group" not "grope"), I never thought he was better than average, and I'm puzzled that anyone expected some great speechifying from him on behalf of Hillary!

It's interesting to me that Hillary! right now looks a lot better than Bill does. Plastic surgery and make-up can do remarkable things. Just ask Bruce Jenner.

Unknown said...

Big Mike,

I see what you did there; long live Doctor Who!!

Fen said...

My choice:

Bill is seen as not only a serial adulterer, he has spent most of recent history as far away from his "wife" as he can get away with. People don't find his endorsement of her to be credible.

J. Farmer said...

That's a long list. Was one of the options he never really had any magic to begin with?

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
gadfly said...

The change in personality could be Alzheimer-related. According to alz.org:

Common personality changes include:

 Apathy
 Loss of interest in activities they previously enjoyed
 Insensitivity to others
 Paranoia
 Delusional thinking
 Social withdrawal
 Inability to make decisions
 Lack of initiative

Bay Area Guy said...

I would ask this pertinent question to any prospective Hillary voter, particularly professional modern women:

What kind of a professional woman allows her husband to blatantly and publicly cheat on her, without divorcing him?

Gahrie said...

Sure, he was able to get himself elected (though never winning an actual popular majority)

This.

President Clinton owes his entire presidency to Ross Perot, who took enough votes away from the Republicans to allow him to win two narrow elections.

wildswan said...

One interesting thing about the inability of the Clintons and Jeb Bush to connect is that in the era of Big Data when politicians know everything about who believes what and what to say to who - e.g. they know that users of Frozen vegetables are likely anti-abortion and they know who is buying frozen vegetables - in that very era, using that very data, politicians have become completely disconnected from voters. The consequence of Big Data is not what everyone fears, that is, politicians able to finely manipulate us but what no one in the political campaign class acknowledges, politicians unable to reach us at all.

Maybe Big Data flash freezes natural political intuition which is what Bill Clinton used to possess and replaces it with the frozen kale of focus-group focused campaigning. Which is like Siri answering questions. The voters notice, the spin doctors do not. Interesting to know why.

Will said...

69 year old Bill Clinton has a case of Electile Dysfunction.

cubanbob said...

Gahrie said...

Sure, he was able to get himself elected (though never winning an actual popular majority)

This.

President Clinton owes his entire presidency to Ross Perot, who took enough votes away from the Republicans to allow him to win two narrow elections.
1/28/16, 5:13 PM "

His election to Perot and his relative success to Gingrich.

PB said...

Bill is like an old pitcher, throwing nothing but soft knucklers and eephus pitches, desperately trying to remain relevant.

Steven said...

tend to think that unless his health is declining rapidly, he could pick up his game for a great convention speech.

Oh, I'm sure. Easily as great as his nationally televised opening night address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention back when he was a youthful, vigorous 41.

Steven said...

(I mean, seriously. Bill Clinton was famous for giving long-winded, wonky, boring speeches; it was the standard complaint from his supporters at every State of the Union. Does nobody actually remember the 1990s?)

Michael K said...

The movie, "The American President" was a Hollywood love letter to Bill but I immediately recognized why they made him a widower.

Hillary, with her secret health care commission with no providers on it, lost the 1994 election and Hollywood always saw her as the nasty wife who misunderstood her wandering husband. The women all wanted to fuck Bill but nobody wanted anything to do with Hillary.

I thunk she is pretty much on her own.

n.n said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...

The New York Times is staffed by old-school liberals (i.e. yester-generation) who are bitterly clinging to the old beliefs in female chauvinism [selectively] defeating male chauvinism, and feminine-ism, and are wholly unprepared to live in the age of congruence.

whitney said...

Because believing in magic is a type delusion and people no longer have the Clinton delusion?

Just a guess

Barry Dauphin said...

Maybe Clinton can hang out with Bill Cosby. Once that certain "something" is gone, it doesn't come back. Charisma is not eternal. On another note, if Trump becomes president, I believe we will experience Trump fatigue rapidly--first term rapidly. He'll go on TV too much. His act will wear thin. Going to the prom and being married ain't the same thing. We'll get sick of the guy.

CStanley said...

Same dances in the same old shoes
You get too careful with the steps you choose
you don't care about winning but you don't want to lose
After the thrill is gone
After the thrill is gone
After the thrill is gone, oh
After the thrill is gone

David said...

Alternative explanation:

You actually can fuck your brains out.

walter said...

Funny how Vwganism is listed like a disease.
Maybe he can be cured.

Rusty said...

He doesn't care. He doesn't want to be in the Whitehouse under the scrutiny of the public. He's got all the money and freetime now with nobody looking over his shoulder. Why should he want to go back to that boiler room. Now nobody cares how much pussy he gets.
And oh yeah. He doesn't give a crap about his wife either.

Scott said...

Like bimboes, roues do have a sell-by date

jr565 said...

Why is Clinton not brining his mojo?
Because he's just a gigolo
and every where he goes
people know the part he's playing.

And life goes on without him

Zach said...

Alternate explanation:

In 1992, the Clinton machine was young and hungry. They had a great candidate, but they hadn't made it yet.

In 2016, the Clinton machine is old and tired. They all made it twenty years ago, they're running a retread candidate, they've made so many shady deals their history has a history.

Second alternate explanation: it's easy to make excuses for the most powerful man in the world. It's harder to make excuses for somebody who was the most powerful man in the world 16 years ago. The act doesn't work when Clinton isn't President.

Zach said...

Third explanation: at this late date in history, it's becoming obvious that with the Clintons, it's all true.

Just like the emails: things get loud, they get complicated, they get delayed and they get nasty. But they never get cleared up.

In the late 1990s, there was a lot of Clinton fatigue. And here we are a year away from the election and it's all starting up again.

Zach said...

Way back in the olden days, before the Russian Revolution, the peasants would never believe anything bad about the czar.

They would notice that things were bad, and protest the bad things, and even get violent. But they would always attribute the bad things to the people around the czar, and claim that they were trying to save the czar from his wicked advisors. And the Russian Revolution happened anyway.

The moral of the story is that loyalty and a certain blindness can be very persistent. But it is not transferable, and it doesn't always work.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Zach said...

That's a really insightful video, Sojo.

What I remember about the '90s is that Bill could get away with anything, even if everybody knew he was lying. He had an amazing ability to sell, and his team had an endless willingness to get down in the weeds and fight dirty against anybody that dared to doubt.

What I suspect is that that was just Bill. He was a once in a generation political talent, and that can't be transferred any more than you can turn Ted Kennedy into Jack.

JohnG said...

1. His heyday was 24 years ago, most of us are a little diminished after a quarter century.
2. Postperfusion syndrome. Really, there was a big before/after contrast IMHO.
3. He's got to hold back and coordinate with her policy team, rather than forge ahead of his.
4. He doesn't really know how to campaign for a woman, or really for anyone other than himself.

FedkaTheConvict said...

There's no option for "Bill hasn't had a visit from the Energizer."

For those who aren't aware; "Energizer" is the Secret Service codename for Bill Clinton's "buxom blond mistress" as revealed in Ronald Kessler's book , "The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents"

Dave in Tucson said...

> Bill has become a more spiritual, mature person

Hilarious. Or, if you were actually serious in this proposition, I would just say facts not in evidence.

My first thought on contemplating this question is that getting Hillary elected president doesn't get him anything he doesn't already have, and will almost certainly get him (and Hillary) more attention which is something that will not do either of them any good.

MacMacConnell said...

Why would all the Clinton Machine operatives want to quit their high six figure jobs at the Clinton Foundation to work for government? Bill doesn't want more scrutiny of that criminal scam, although having a Clinton in the White House would be a tempting supercharger for graft. Imagine the boatloads of cash harvested with a Clinton as Sec. of State, in the WH that sum would rise exponentially. Grifters!

JAORE said...

All of the above.

Trump deflated Hillary's "Believe the accuser" play by bringing up her efforts on behalf of Bill.

What else could Trump (or others, if they had the gas)? Welfare reform? Don't ask, don't tell? Compromise with Newt? Tax cuts?

None of that plays well on the left. All of that fired up, in a negative way, the SJWs.

Best Bill be kept low key. A dim memory of good times better not viewed in a strong light.

jaed said...

The missing option, which a couple of people have touched on but no one has specifically said: Bill isn't running for office himself this time. He's campaigning for someone else.

And while he was always personally popular with the electorate, the man has no coattails at all and never has had. And Hillary isn't Bill. Back in 2004, maybe even 2008, Hillary could run with a wink at "the third Clinton term" and people would have thought they were getting Bill, at least as top advisor, but not any more. He's not going to be a power in the Hillary White House, and although everyone always liked Bill, no one liked Hillary.

That's why.