UPDATE - Letterman

I just watched Bill Clinton repeat the same type of performance as described below for The View on the David Letterman show and something clicked:

These appearances are not intended to be overt "Vote for Obama" ocassions.  Instead, we see Bill Clinton laying out the case for the entire Democratic party.  He repeatedly hammers on the "right" way to fix the economy by insuring Main Street is in on the fix.  Create jobs in a "real" economy (not one based on investing money in money, but by investing in industry, especially green job growth).    Ensure that people in bad mortgages get a chance to make mortgage payments and stay in their homes.  Reminders of the accomplishments of the last Democratic administration in economic matters. He mentions over and over how difficult life is financially for 2/3 of the America people having trouble paying bills.  He drives home the point about the terrible economy and lets viewers make their own associations as to which candidate should be elected to fix it.  He also promises great hope that the mess can be corrected if it is done "right".

I believe there is a deliberate strategy of moderation in play here - Bill Clinton is not out there as a cheerleader for Obama - but as a speaker to the moderates and independents who can yet be swayed to think it through and vote Democratic as the best chance for solving the country's problems.  The message is subtle; just hearing Clinton talk about the economy, and offer hope that all can be well again,  is a powerful image.  More importantly,  there is no off-putting, sledge-hammer approach (that cynics might find false anyway) of "Vote for Obama ... or else".  There is little negativity about the other side. (He blew Sarah Palin off without having to use a disparaging word.)

He literally asked voters to really think about the issues at stake in this election, and said he believes when it comes down to the actual voting botth moment, they will decide that no matter who they "like", they will vote for Obama as the right candidate.

It's an effective appeal to moderates and independents, which was clearer in the Letterman appearance and may work well.

The View

There’s not a lot to say about Bill Clinton’s appearance on The View today, except to report what he said.  There were no fireworks, but I didn’t really expect any.  Unless they were going to go back to the some of the nastiness of the primaries, there aren’t many controversial questions to ask him today.  I believe they did the right thing by letting the past go and concentrating on the current issues. 

The questions seemed well-planned; the ladies were quite subdued.  Bill seemed slightly uncomfortable at first, - I don’t think he knew what to expect - but as he warmed to the topics he became more relaxed. He certainly wasn’t pouring on the “charm” heavily today, and while his use of humor was limited, he was, as usual, very good with a few self-deprecating lines.

The one thing this interview was NOT, was a political appearance for Barack Obama by Bill Clinton.  The questions just didn’t go there, or even when they might have tip-toed up to it, Bill skillfully deflected any attempts to get him to disparage the Republican candidates and provided very non-partisan, well-balanced answers that couldn’t be taken as anything other than a thoughtful man’s response to a complicated issue. 

One headliner that I was pleased to hear was that Hillary didn’t really want the Vice Presidency, although she’d have accepted if asked, out of duty.  He said that she loves being a Senator from New York and has more “freedom” to develop her policies there.

Another political question of interest asked him if his administration and policies played a part in setting up the current economic crisis.  He stated that he has been looking back and evaluating that very question; and while perhaps he wished he’d gotten more of the regulatory legislation he’d proposed, in the end, he felt his administration was not to blame for the mess.  His distillation of the last 7 years of acting like acting like “a drunken sailor” in the investment world – “we made too much money from money”, as Barbara nodded emphatically in agreement.  He had a lot more to say on the topic and the bail-out plans, but time was limited. 

His answer to Elizabeth’s question of whether women who supported Hillary were voting for McCain because of his addition of Plain to the ticket was eloquent and convincing.  Bill’s bottom line was that the reasons people vote as they do are complex and changeable, and should not be judged. (Although admittedly, I can’t bring myself to be so generous with McCain-Palin voters.)

As to Palin’s experience, he did answer that at the time he ran for President, he was the longest-serving Governor in the country. 

He was very gracious to John McCain, stating that he could not have normalized relations with Viet Nam without McCain’s support.

Bill stated several times that he is “out of politics” and thoroughly consumed and extremely happy with his Global Initiative project and his foundation projects.  he would have been happy to not "darken the doorstep" of the White House if Hillary had been there (in either capacity).  He is working on supplying HIV/AIDs and malaria medications to poor countries; economic development in under-served, underprivileged areas of this country and others; and childhood obesity in this country to briefly summarize a few.  The Global Initiative project brings world leaders together with private citizens, philanthropists, community outreach groups, etc., to forge alliances to solve problems.  He is very animated and clearly committed to these causes when he speaks about them.

In the end, he does believe Obama will win.  And he likes Obama (although he likes John McCain too).

I always enjoy listening to Bill Clinton speak, especially contemporaneously.  No politician (except maybe Hillary), does it better.  You can see how fast the wheels are spinning in his brain as he formulates his answers on the fly.  His ferocious intelligence and thorough grasp of issues shines through.  His genuine care and concern for people is apparent. 

I was left, as always, wishing we could just elect Bill Clinton again.