Bill Clinton for First Lady

“Did you ever use my slogan?” asks Alex Tolido, one of the many Hillary followers who like to help the campaign think. Meanwhile, I see that someone has hung a picture postcard in my room bearing the head of Bill with a lady’s hat and the text “Bill for First Lady.” Surprised, I ask Alex which slogan he means. Alex: “The nineties: great economy, great administration, great experience. Vote for Hillary for a great future!”

I doubt that this reference to the Bill era is useful, but Alex is not the only one who, in this period of economic slump, longs for the “great” old days. The economy has become the theme of these elections, and under Bill Clinton everything was better: more jobs, fewer debts, smaller differences in standards of living. Therefore, it was initially thought that the former president was Hillary’s secret weapon. Terms such as Billary and HillBill suggested that there was talk of some kind of a duo-campaign.

The presence of Bill also has some disadvantages. All his words are weighed on a “gold scale.” He has several times found himself being adversely talked about because of negatively interpreted comments about Obama. The former president himself blames the media: They love to hate him.

When I attended one of his appearances, I was not able to catch him on one of his anti-Obama rhetorical occasions. He spoke very animatedly about Hillary’s program and took all the time to answer questions from an enthusiastic audience.

Bill Clinton has since received a less prominent role. Now he has to remain in the background, more like the traditional political spouse. Thus, no Billary, but rather Bill for First Lady.

Suzette de Boer is a volunteer on the Hillary Clinton campaign team.