I checked into my hotel room in Des Moines and before I even had a chance to shower a photographer I had met on the plane, Eric Thayer of Getty Images and The Stumping Grounds, picked me up and drove me to Mount Pleasant, some two hours away, to attend the kickoff of Hillary Clinton’s “Big Challenges, Real Solutions, Time to Pick a President Tour” (try saying that three times fast). In Los Angeles, I always say that 20 minutes is the standard travel time. In Iowa, it’s 2 hours.
It was a bitterly cold day. No matter how many layers I was able to pile on, I still felt the cold in my bones. Thank goodness there were 500 people crammed into the atrium at the Mount Pleasant Community High School waiting for the Clintons to arrive, they kept me plenty warm.
When the event finally started, two hours after it was initially supposed to begin, it was really a family affair. Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, who lives in Mount Pleasant and has been doing a fine job running for VP after dropping out of the Presidential race in early February, was accompanied by his lovely wife and his two strapping sons (if Iowa corn can make me look half that good, bring on the carbs!). Then of course the Clintons came out – Chelsea included – and the crowd exploded with applause.
When Vilsack introduced Bill I realized something extraordinary: I’m seeing Bill Clinton speak and it isn’t on TV. I didn’t have to pay anything. He actually wants to talk to me. Only in Iowa.
Bill Clinton spoke about how Hillary has been a “proven agent of change,” about her willingness to take the lead in improving people’s lives. No surprise there. Of course he’s going to say that.
A central theme of the Democratic contest in Iowa has been experience. Hillary attacking Obama for lack of it; Obama questioning Hillary whether being first lady qualifies as experience; Joe Biden declaring he has the perfect amount; Bill Richardson saying he has almost too much. So when Bill Clinton started to talk about the demands of the presidency, I start to understand the natural upperhand of incumbents. If you actually have the experience, it’s impossible to debate who has more of it.
I don’t know Bill Clinton personally, but yet when he’s speaks it is as calming and familiar to me as my best friend. He can soothe my fears and warm my heart. And when he’s speaking to a room of 500+ people, it still feels like an intimate conversation just between him and me. So when Bill Clinton tells me (and all the other people listening in on our intimate conversation) that Hillary Clinton can win a general election, I/we can’t help but believe him. He’s a friend after all. And friends don't lie.
Bill’s final words to the crowd were, “I hope, courtesy of your support, that I’m introducing you to the next President of The United States.” For me, the naïve blogger adventuring through Iowa, I felt for that moment that supporting Hillary is doing something for a friend.
Hillary focused on issues concerning the “average American” who have been “invisible during the Bush presidency.” She talked about her experience fighting for families and children (which was perfect since her family and child were there). She said that when she tackled healthcare in the '90s that “that problem tackled me back.” Overall the speech was fine – hitting all the major issues with nicely packaged rhetoric that kept to the theme of a “new beginning” and “agent of change,” but it was Bill that made the event unique.
Bill has only campaigned with Hillary a handful of times and my reaction to Bill is proof of his danger. He’s intelligent, charismatic and a tough act to follow. Don’t get me wrong, I think Hillary is an impressive candidate but she is no Bill Clinton. No one is. And nostalgia, while a powerful force, isn’t a productive force.
A lot of people have been speculating as to the influence Bill would have if Hillary were to be president. Joe Biden, in an interview with CNN, said “I love Bill Clinton, but can you imagine being vice president? ... (He) is such a dominant and powerful and positive force… I’m not looking for a ceremonial post.”
He’s right. Somebody should tell Tom Vilsack that Hillary already has a running mate.
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