8/26/08

Did it work?  When Bill Clinton said that Barack Obama is ready to lead America, did it work?  Remember, Bill Clinton is the guy who said, for months, that only his wife was ready to lead.  He went further and within the last month suggested, on camera, that Obama was not yet ready to lead.  Yet last night he was ready to lead.  I ask again, did it work?

Look, I want Barack Obama to be the next President and I want the full support of the Clintons, but I’m not completely stupid.  Hillary was the author of the “3AM phone call” ads, suggesting that between herself and Barack, only she was ready to lead.  The GOP is going to be hammering him with Hillary’s own words against him, as they should.  Hillary had made her peace, showing her class weeks ago and then last night, hitting a home run.  She is one solid human being and proved she is a team player.  

Her husband is another story.  Sure, Bill Clinton was a two-term President and presided over a spectacular economy.  But there is a very good case to be made that where the economy is concerned he was simply sitting on the horse in the direction it was already headed.  And there can be no reasonable argument that he wasted his spectacular communications skills debating what “the definition of ‘is,’ is” while defending himself from indulging in tawdry sex in the Oval Office (a major reason I believe sex should be provided for sitting Presidents, whenever required).  He spent a long time disparaging Obama, did America buy one night and one speech?

It was a great speech.  I always said Bill Clinton was the best public speaker I’d ever seen at that level of politics and I still believe it.  As a speech-maker, I’d rate them equal.  But Clinton still gets the edge in interview and off-the-cuff settings.  His speech in support of Obama was a mixture of both.  But since he never did go back over what changed his mind, did it change any other minds?

I am one who believes there are almost no true Hillary supporters who won’t vote for Barack Obama.  There simply are no other choices if you value what she values.  And as sad as it may seem, a protest vote is truly a wasted vote.  But let’s say I’m wrong, as I often am.  Let’s say it came down to Bill’s endorsement.  Would it work for you? 

If you saw the speech, then you were interested enough to watch the convention in the first place.  If you were that interested, you probably already knew that Bill was not Barack’s biggest backer.  That’s the problem.  The more we know, the more we appreciate great words, but the less they affect us.  I loved Bill’s speech and I thought he hit all the right notes.  But I admit, he didn’t answer all the questions.