Bill Clinton’s Big Return

By announcing the role that she is reserving for her husband if she is elected, Hillary Clinton is setting forth on a route which is both unusual and risky.

It was without giving the appearance that she was attaching any importance to it, in the middle of an ordinary speech before the Kentucky primary — which she won by a small margin — that Hillary Clinton mentioned that “Bill could be put in charge of revitalizing the American economy. You know,” she added, “he knows how to do it.” A week previously, she had already said that “he’s got to come out of retirement”; a way of seeing things that doesn’t exactly match with what American voters see and may feel.

Since his wife started campaigning, the former president has increasingly appeared at her rallies — often with their daughter, Chelsea, alongside — even appearing at events as guest of honor. Not to mention the well-paid lectures that he has been invited to give. The Clintons have just revealed that last year, Bill’s paid appearances brought in $5 million. If that looks like retirement, it is no less active and gilded.

The Creation of 22 Million Jobs

By bombarding her husband with the title of “Economy and Employment Czar,” Hillary Clinton seeks to make up for the lack of business experience that she has already been accused of by Donald Trump, her probable future adversary. Certainly, she cannot herself compete with the multi-millionaire businessman, who has made his fortune several times. And, moreover, has filed for bankruptcy several times. But as for Bill — “It’s the economy stupid” — he is associated with a particularly prosperous era for the American economy. He is credited with creating 22 million jobs during his two terms, to the point that when he left the White House, employment was at the same level as that reached by the United States during World War II, when the factories were at full capacity producing tanks, aircraft and weapons.

The problem for Hillary Clinton’s campaign is that even if Bill has a real talent as manager, even if he is one of the most popular men in his country, his very stature sometimes overshadows his wife, who is the candidate. The American electorate may certainly want to elect a woman to the White House for the first time, but it is far less certain that they will decide to choose a couple who, with roles reversed, has already presided over their destinies for eight years.

An Admission of Weakness

However, Hillary’s remarks are an indication of her plans for the mission entrusted to the first man to find himself in the role of presidential spouse. Not to mention the fact that this announcement also constitutes an admission of weakness for a candidate who has largely highlighted her fight for women’s rights to hold the same powers, responsibilities and duties as men. She has renounced those responsibilities in an essential area: the relaunch of the American economy and the search for full employment, even before she has started the final lap of the presidential race and begun her duel with the Republican candidate.

Above all, she is giving Trump an easy line of attack. He, who already never misses an occasion to remind us that by protecting her husband during the Monica Lewinski scandal, Hillary has rendered a detestable disservice to all those women scorned by their husbands. He has remarked that one could do better for the cause of feminism.