I'm glad to see President Clinton will speak at the Democratic convention. After that we must keep him campaigning. We need Clinton's partisan strengths to help offset the money, lies, and fear Romney is hurling at Obama. His strengths can compliment Obama's strengths.
Obama can stay cool - and Bill can give 'em hell. If Bill stays involved we can keep Mitt 'unemployed'.
Obama has nothing to lose by keeping Bill Clinton involved in this campaign. And it could make the difference.
1. Voter suppression laws (called "Voter ID" laws) are now in effect across half the states, including the key states of Pennsylvania and Florida. It isn't clear if the Department of Justice will win the fight against these laws. It isn't even clear if the D.O.J. will try very hard.
2. State and local Republicans officials will again discourage turnout. They will again deliberately underfund and under-staff polling locations in minority neighborhoods. They will use robo-calls to lie to people about their polling places, their eligibility, even the date of the election.
3. The wild rhetoric of code words will continue -"foreign", "Muslim", "socialist". "Hawaii" - Bachman, Cheney, Trump, Palin, Gingrich et al will keep spouting innuendo. Boltin and the neo-cons will say Obama hasn't helped Israel.
Their goal is purely emotional. Their real goal is just to say in as many ways as is possible that Obama is black without ever using the word black. Even Romney is doing it now.
4. And the crazy logic of the heritage foundation will continue confusing mainstream journalists and the people - "Obama's deficit", "can't raise taxes on the job-creators", "corporations can't invest with uncertainty about taxes", "health care costs are uncontrollable", and especially: "Banks are over-regulated and that's killing the economy". I love it when they cheer for that.
5. So like many here I just shake my head sadly at the number of middle class and poor white voters who choose to support the Republicans who trainwrecked the economy and sabotage our government.
6. Some are deep social conservatives. They just aren't going to vote Democratic.
7. But many others can be reached. They are reasonable hardworking people who have simply been inundated with bad arguments and propaganda for years. They are rightfully angry at the mess big business has gotten us in. And perhaps a little disappointed that Obama isn't a superman. But they have to be reminded that it is who Romney represents the bad guys.
And honestly they are still hesitant to vote for the black guy. Bill Clinton can help bring some of these people back. Bill Clinton can reach the people in the middle. He reached them twice before.
And this time he can convince them that when they vote for Obama, they are really voting for themselves and Bill as well as Obama.
Here is a great segment from "This American Life's" coverage of the 2008 campaign. It features UMW president Richard Trumka openly confronting the racism prevalent in some of his union halls. Local by local he led his members to remember that Obama was on their side - and the Republican's aren't.
9. So after the convention let's get Bill Clinton on a bus and send him on an offensive across the Midwest - Pennsylvania, Ohio, maybe drop into Wheeling, Ohio again, a stop in Indianapolis, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa. We'll see how it plays out. Shore up Ohio and Michigan, attack in Missouri and Iowa, even West Virginia and Indiana.
10. Clinton can take the fight to Romney the way a sitting president can't. Clinton can run against the do-nothing Congress that filibustered Obama's jobs plan. And Clinton can call Romney "Wall Street's Fair haired guy" all day long. And Clinton can attack Senator McConnell.
Remember it was McConnell who publicly stated the day after Obama was inaugurated that his number one goal was partisan and divisive. McConnell's announced plan was to keep Obama from being re-elected. Clinton can hammer home the fact that in the worst economic crises since 1939 the Republican Party's stated goal wasn't to work in a bi-partisan way to jump-start the crippled economy. Their stated and only goal was just to try and win the next election.
11. If it goes well, maybe Clinton can do another swing across the mid-South - Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. Somewhere I have a copy of General Grant's memoirs.
And then maybe Florida.
12. Sure Bill made mistakes. But Hilary forgave and most forgot.
Anyway this is an important election, not a logic class. Let's get Bill on the bus.