2008 and counting

Dems: Clinton’s legacy tarnished, but damage may not be irreparable

Former President Bill Clinton has damaged his image during this year’s presidential battle, but he has time to regain his shine, according to Democratic strategists.

Clinton’s well-chronicled gaffes, outbursts and red-faced rants at reporters cost the former president some luster, and may have done more harm than good to his wife’s bid for the presidency, according to analysts.

{mosads}What might be most painful to the man once described as “the first black president” by Nobel-prize winner Toni Morrison is that he appears to have damaged what was once a tight bond with black voters.

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), one of the most respected black lawmakers on Capitol Hill, once advised the former president to “chill,” calling his behavior “bizarre.”

“There’s no question that he has undermined that relationship that was really unique in American politics,” said Dan Gerstein, a Democratic strategist who describes himself as a “major admirer” of Clinton. “But I don’t know that we’ll know for a while how lasting that damage is.”

Gerstein said some of the criticism aimed at Clinton is unfair, but it is hard to deny that many black voters and lawmakers were put off by some of Clinton’s attacks on Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Democrats contacted for this story mostly agreed that the best and most immediate way for the former president to restore his image is to campaign vigorously for Obama and help him get into the White House.

{mosimage}“I think a lot of the bruised feelings and ill will would evaporate,” Gerstein said.

Another strategist noted that both Clintons have demonstrated a Houdini-like ability to endear themselves to Democrats and admirers even after upsetting them.

“He is adept at image rebuilding, and he’s got more second and third acts in him than anyone in modern politics,” the strategist said.

But another strategist and Clinton loyalist argued the best way for Clinton to get back in the good graces of those he might have disappointed is to go back to focusing on his charitable works through the Clinton Global Initiative.

“I think that would help his image,” the strategist said. “There are plenty of other people to do politics. He doesn’t need to do politics.”

Jay Carson, a Clinton spokesman, noted Clinton’s accomplishments and said most of the criticism of the former president has come from Washington analysts.

“President Clinton has been a fantastic surrogate, and as the only two-term Democratic president since FDR, he built a record of peace and unprecedented prosperity,” Carson said. “And while some Beltway pundits may not appreciate this, he remains very popular with voters around the country.”

Regardless of who wins, next Congress should be productive

The next Congress is likely to be one of the most productive in years, no matter who is elected president this fall.

Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) disagree on abortion, guns and the Iraq war, but both have policy positions that are in line with the Democratic-led Congress.

Barring a major shift in the political winds, Democrats will control the House and Senate again next year with expanded majorities.

Regardless of who is the 44th president, the chances of healthcare, global warming and stem cell legislation being signed into law will skyrocket in 2009 and 2010.

McCain, unlike President Bush, supported certain components of the Democrats’ “Six in ’06” campaign policy pledge.

The Arizona senator backs a couple of the Six in ’06 bills that stalled in the Senate amid opposition from the White House: giving the government the power to negotiate Medicare drug prices and stem cell legislation.

McCain has touted the reimportation of prescription drugs from other countries, which has long been opposed by Bush and the pharmaceutical industry. Like many Democrats in Congress, McCain favors giving the Food and Drug Administration enhanced regulatory authority on tobacco.

Immigration reform could also be enacted in either a McCain or an Obama White House, though congressional leaders of both parties are wary of the emotionally charged issue.

Some Republicans believe that there would be a silver lining to a McCain loss in November, predicting that the GOP would make massive gains in 2010 should Democrats control both the executive and legislative branches.

Conservative activist Grover Norquist, who heads Americans for Tax Reform, said, “The toothpaste would be coming out of the tube all at once. They’ll be passing crazy stuff.”

While not optimistic about the GOP landscape in the Senate, Norquist is confident that McCain will win the presidency. And contrary to conventional wisdom, he is predicting that House Republicans will pick up seats this fall.

McCain is known as a dealmaker, having compromised to secure enactment of campaign finance reform. Bush, meanwhile, refused to negotiate last year with congressional Democrats on the budget and the Iraq war.

Ross K. Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University, said it is very likely the 111th Congress will be more productive than the 110th and 109th, but added, “That bar is not very high.”

— Bob Cusack

A model of unity

Democrats concerned about unifying their party in the wake of the long and at times bitter nomination battle between presumptive nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) might want to look across the Potomac for reassurance.

Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner’s Senate campaign has enjoyed the help of high-profile advisers for both Clinton and Obama for the past several months.

Geoff Garin, a senior Clinton adviser, and Doug Sosnick, a confidant of the Clintons from their days in the White House, have been working with Obama adviser Jim Margolis to help elect Warner.

“Perhaps these high falutin’ [sic], competitive consultants agree that Mark Warner can make a real difference fixing what’s wrong with Washington?” Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said in an e-mail.

— S.Y.