NEW YORK (AP) -- Bubba's back.
Bill Clinton used to be a stealth presence in his wife's
presidential campaign, raising money and schmoozing supporters
largely out of the public eye.
Bill Clinton reaches out to
supporters at a Democratic Party fundraiser in Newark, New Jersey,
on June 8.
This week, the former president stepped into the spotlight, from
his humorous turn in a new Web video to the announcement that he
will join Hillary Rodham Clinton on high-profile campaign visits to
Iowa and New Hampshire.
Aides say Bill Clinton has long planned to campaign publicly for
his wife, and Hillary Clinton often promises audiences they'll see
a lot more of him.
Mindful of his charisma and tendency to hog the attention, the
campaign has played the Bill card carefully -- keeping him in the
shadows while giving Hillary Clinton time to establish herself
independently. They followed a similar pattern in 2000 when she
first ran for the Senate in New York.
"The president's plan all along was to gradually escalate his
involvement, so you'll be seeing him more and more," said campaign
spokesman Howard Wolfson. "We think he is a huge asset and we're
excited to have him."
Recently, Bill Clinton has cut back on his paid speeches and
completed the manuscript for a book on citizen activism that will
be published later this year. Aides say he'll continue to be very
active with the charitable foundation that bears his name, and he
plans a weeklong trip to Africa next month on the foundation's
behalf. On Thursday, he announced a new $100 million anti-poverty
initiative in Latin America.
But his top priority continues to be "making sure the candidate
he believes will be the best president -- who also happens to be
his wife -- is elected," said his spokesman, Jay Carson.
He has increased his fundraising for the campaign since the last
quarter, headlining intimate dinners and larger gatherings across
the country. Attendees at most events are expected to give the
maximum donation of $4,600.
He also narrated a five-minute biographical Web video and used
his acting skills in a witty send-up of the final scene of "The
Sopranos." The spoof won raves and has already been viewed at least
500,000 times on the campaign's Web site, with more hits elsewhere
on the Internet.
While the couple appeared together at several fundraisers
throughout the year, they've attended just one campaign event
together -- a civil rights commemoration in Selma, Alabama, where
Sen. Clinton was competing with rival Democrat Barack Obama for
attention and support.
That will change the first week in July, when the Clintons plan
a three-day campaign swing through Iowa. Polls there show the New
York senator in a tough fight with Obama and John Edwards, even as
she leads in national polls and most other state surveys.
The Clintons will also campaign together in New Hampshire July
13.
Bill Clinton did not compete in the Iowa caucuses when he first
ran in 1992, but he won the state in the general election that year
and again in 1996.
He credited New Hampshire with his political salvation in 1992,
finishing a close second there after a bruising primary where he
fought allegations of draft-dodging and philandering. He went on to
win the state in both the 1992 and 1996 general elections.
'Bill Clinton's third term?'
Dante Scala, a professor of political science at the University
of New Hampshire, noted that Bill Clinton's support in the state
came primarily from middle- and working-class Democrats and from
men. Campaigning at his wife's side could boost her standing with
those groups, Scala said.
"I don't think they're feeling desperate or that she is
faltering, but my guess is that they are trying to buttress her
support," Scala said. "She needs to appeal to middle-class voters
and centrists, since progressive types might wonder, 'Is this going
to be Bill Clinton's third term?"'
A recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll found Hillary Clinton with
twice as much support from women as Obama, but dwindling strength
among men.
Joint campaign appearances by the Clintons will also help
satisfy the curiosity factor for voters who are wondering how this
much-scrutinized couple is handling a significant role
reversal.
"People want to see Mrs. Obama, they want to see Mrs. Edwards.
They want to see the team," said former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who
co-chairs the Clinton campaign. "He's a terrific surrogate, she's a
great candidate, and we'll see an interplay between them which will
be very helpful to her."
Obama campaign criticizes Bill Clinton
To be sure, rival Democrats contend that Bill Clinton's
increased involvement in his wife's effort suggests some
nervousness in the Clinton campaign about her standing in the
race.
And the Obama campaign recently indicated its intent to make
Bill Clinton a campaign issue -- distributing a research document
criticizing his friendship with billionaire supermarket mogul Ron
Burkle and his $300,000 in speaking fees from Cisco, a company that
has moved U.S. jobs to India.
While polls show the former president remains wildly popular
with Democrats, Republicans looking down the road said they don't
believe he'll help persuade Hillary Clinton skeptics to change
their minds about her.
"I think Republicans and many independents are very, very eager
for her not to be the president of the United States. And that's
regardless of how many times her husband campaigns for her," said
Wayne Semprini, a former New Hampshire GOP chairman now with Rudy
Giuliani's presidential bid.
Copyright 2007 The Associated
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