We've seen this before. The GOP senses a wedge, a disconnect, between those who long for the peace and prosperity of the Clinton years on one hand and the Obama phenomenon on the other. Whether it's the disaffected supporters of Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primary, or simply those independents who fondly remember the deficit hawkism of the 1990s, the Republican Party repeatedly builds up a canyon made of straw to separate out the Clinton model of success from Obama's supposed failures.
But every time, it fails. And Bill Clinton, one of the smartest politicians in modern history, is usually the one to lay the hammer down on the Republican dream.
The latest iteration is the admission that Clinton was a successful steward of the national budget, leading us into an age of surplus. Forget for a moment the hubris of lauding Clinton for his budget surplus when his successor wasted it all with tax cuts and wars. Just think of the political mistake here on the right. Setting up daylight between Clinton and Obama simply invites Clinton himself to slam that meme down in the most forceful and emphatic manner possible. Clinton will say what we've all said - it was the Bush Administration that ruined the great Clinton economy. But because Clinton says it and not Obama, nobody can accuse Obama of blaming his predecessor for all his woes. Clinton can say, "I left a legacy of responsible governance and a strong economy and a powerful middle class. George W. Bush ruined it. Barack Obama has only begun to repair the damage my successor did to this country. If it took eight years for me to build up the great economy that I inherited from Bush's father, it will take eight years for Barack Obama to right the ship blown off course by the son. Mitt Romney is little more than a two-bit claimant to the George W. Bush legacy. Let's make sure we never live that national nightmare again!"
BOOM!
There goes the supposed daylight beyond Clinton and Obama.
And there emerges the powerful narrative that only Obama can fulfill Clinton's legacy of support for the middle class.
Most important, therein goes the argument that wavering 2008 Obama voters might find Romney a more attractive alternative.
Clinton will almost certainly give some version of this - far more eloquent, obviously. And it will be the most important speech at the entire DNC.