It’s official: Bill Clinton heading to Wisconsin to campaign against Scott Walker

[PeaceNikki]

Last edited Thu May 31, 2012, 07:34 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/its-official-bill-clinton-heading-to-wisconsin-to-campaign-against-scott-walker/2012/05/31/gJQAHQqa4U_blog.html

Former President Bill Clinton has decided to go to Wisconsin to campaign against Scott Walker in the final days of the battle over whether to recall the Wisconsin Governor, a move that could give a boost to the anti-Walker forces in a campaign that will depend heavily on who turns out to vote, a source familiar with Clinton’s plans confirms to me.

As late as yesterday afternoon, it was still not certain whether Clinton would go to Wisconsin. DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, in a meeting with Democrats, seemed to suggest that he was trying to determine whether he would go. But neither the DNC nor Clinton’s camp would confirm whether it was going to happen, and Democrats cautioned that Clinton had not made up his mind.

But now he will go to Wisconsin, the source confirms.

Democrats badly want Clinton to campaign in Wisconsin for Tom Barrett, and had lobbied him heavily for weeks. But Clinton remaind undecided until today.

[DonCoquixote]

1. "Clinton remaind undecided until today."

Translation: I am a Diva who is still made that my wife is not president, so I could get that third term in office. I will pull this diva act until 2016, where I will make sure to say "See, don't y'all admit we are so much better than Obama?"

All the same, give them hell Bill.

[PeaceNikki]

4. I am very glad to see this.

Diva or not... I am glad he's coming and rearranging my schedule to be there.

[Whisp]

5. yep, me too.

I'm not crazy about ole Billy but Scott Walker is about 17,427,862 points lower than Bill.

Good on him, I hope it goes well.

[WilliamPitt]

8. So much dumb in one short post.

Might be a record.

[GoCubsGo]

21. No kidding.

Forget that this is an ex-President with all sorts of other commitments, including his foundation. And, never mind that this might be the first weekend in a while that his wife might be home from her job. Or, that this is a 65-year-old man who had 2 heart surgeries and may just be tired. Nah. He's just full of himself Yep. That's the ticket.

[GObamaGO]

36. Agreed

That post is nearing double facepalm territory.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

38. We're all great at it.

[PoliticAverse]

13. Being 'undecided' until the last minute is called 'negotiating'. n/t

[progressoid]

15. Negotiating?

Negotiating for what?

[TrollBuster9090]

14. Alternatively, he could have just been waiting until the last minute to make the maximum splash.

Timing is everything given the 24/7 news cycle and viewer/story fatigue. Clinton going to Wisconsin would be a novelty for only a few days. This timing would give it the maximum impact.

And, speaking of last minute cavalry charges, anyone want to start a betting pool to guess how much DARK MONEY from faceless PACs will be dumped into Wisconsin this weekend? My guess is maybe $50 000 000 to $100 000 000. If Clinton can counterbalance some of that with a last minute appearance, I'm all for it.

[pnwmom]

20. Exactly! Build the suspense -- charge in on a white horse!

Why are Dems always so eager to think the worst? Clinton is a born politician. He knows what he's doing -- as we should have figured out by now.

[GoCubsGo]

23. "Always so eager to think the worst"

I don't understand that, either. Hell, the fact that people are saying that Wisconsinites aren't going to go out and vote unless the President, or the Vice President, or some other big shot comes there "rallies" them appalls me. This has been going on for more than a year. People are well aware of the stakes involved. And, if that's not enough to motivate them to go out and vote, then neither will visits from Obama, Biden, Clinton, or anyone else.

[pnwmom]

24. Yes, Clinton won't be of use to the party if he hooks himself up with losing candidates.

Anyone he supports should have a decent chance of winning, or he's not just wasting his efforts -- he's damaging his "brand."

This means he sees Tom Barrett as someone who can win. Great!

And I'm not denigrating Clinton when I say all this -- just being realistic. There's a reason Clinton was President for 8 years and people like Kucinich, for example, never get close.

[lark]

27. Obama isn't going to WI

Also haven't heard much public support from him for WI Dems either. Even his press secretary didn't know if Obama was supporting Barrett - that's how tepid he's been. Obama thinks he has WI already, so isn't willing to put in any more effort or money.

Too bad Obama isn't prioritizing worker rights, yet assumes labor will support him fully. I'll vote for him, he's certainly better than "the job destroyer", but that's the end of my committment. No more phone banks or money to the middle of every road President Obama.

[GoCubsGo]

32. Duh.

I know he isn't going. My point is that there are those that believe that folks won't go out and vote without him or someone else pushing them to do it by showing up there. I think that's B.S. Like I said, the people of Wisconsin already know what is at stake. I have watched them for the past year, and I have more faith in them than to believe they will stay home if the President doesn't show up. I suspect the President does, too, which is why I am guessing that he's staying out of it.

[TroglodyteScholar]

35. Or maybe...

Translation: I have the political savvy to know that American voters tend to have short attention spans. I'll wait to go to Wisconsin until right before the vote so that the Democratic voters' motivation is still running high from my visit.

[HereSince1628]

2. As I have suggested in other posts....

A Clinton visit, Dems hope, will galvanize base turnout (the black vote in Milwaukee, for example) just enough to put Barrett over the top.

.

[PeaceNikki]

3. I agree. He's a charmer and well liked by many.

We NEED to get the folks who voted Obama in 2008 and stayed home in 2010 AT THE POLLS Tuesday, this will be key.

The numbers are in MKE. Barrett lost 2010 by 125k. There were 108k in MILWAUKEE ALONE who voted Obama and stayed home in 2010.

This is just what we need.

[HereSince1628]

7. Considering that the ALEC-Fitz-Walker voter suppression act is aimed at minorities

I think Clinton's appeal to get minorities out to vote would be terrific on that very real, very serious issue for Wisconsin.

[PeaceNikki]

9. Indeed. You make good point about his record on labor, but....

let's face it, labor will be voting on Tuesday, they are galvanized and have led this recall. Minorities could use the energizing.

So excited, can't wait for the details!!

[Happydayz]

39. How can Clinton galvanize the black vote?

It was my understanding that during the primaries in 08, Clinton and his wife used racial dog whistling to galvanize the white working class vote. This isn't the 90s, African Americans aren't interested in the Clinton's any more.

[sabrina 1]

6. Good, I would love to see Walker try to have a conversation with Clinton.

Maybe he should invite him to the rally, just so he can say 'I invited him to discuss the issues facing the country and Wisc, but he turned down my invitation'.

Anyhow, glad he's going, it should get some people motivated who may not be right now.

[PeaceNikki]

10. Walker has a lopsided head and googly dumb eyes. My friend said,

"Every time I see him, he reminds me of one of Martin Short's er, less than intelligent characters (his character on the SCTV "Halfwits" skit, his synchronized swimmer character from SNL)."

Exactly... perfect comparison.

[sabrina 1]

12. He always looks like he's falling asleep to me.

That is a perfect description of him.

[bluesbassman]

29. What IS up with his head? He looks like freakin Gumby.

No offense intended to Gumby of course!

[PeaceNikki]

31. lol

[GoCubsGo]

34. He's "Bob" from the old Ted Danson TV show "Becker"

[PeaceNikki]

11. “Folks in Wisconsin have been on the front lines of fighting for working, middle-class families

across America for more than 16 months,”the former president said in a statement. “I'm coming to Wisconsin to help Tom and the extraordinary grassroots volunteers on the ground.”


Yay!!

[onehandle]

16. Go, Big Damn Dog, Go! nt

[SHRED]

17. Considering NAFTA's damage to manufacturing

Will Bill be well received in Wisconsin?

[PeaceNikki]

19. Yes. Even the Republicans I know long for the days of Clinton.

The points on labor and NAFTA are good ones, but ...

let's face it, labor will be voting on Tuesday, they are galvanized and have led this recall. Minorities could use the energizing (who tend to not make it to the polls in special elections).

[AnotherMcIntosh]

18. He's golden, as long as nobody asks him about NAFTA + the latest pending free-trade agreement

The Wisconsin voters are, of course, going to decide whether to continue with a proven anti-union, anti-working class Governor or a pro-working class Governor.

Clinton is smooth. He should be able to make it sound like a populist who is in favor of the working class. If he can do that, and if they can either keep people distracted or keep people away from asking him about NAFTA, he should have it made. He and his handlers need to stay away from NAFTA. And whatever they do, they need to stay away from the latest wage-lowering, "free-trade" agreement which is in the works. (From the small amount of details that have been released, some have already called it NAFTA-on-steroids.)

No anti-Walker voter is going to stay home regardless of whether Clinton is able to come across as a populist. His appearance might actually help to get some pro-Democratic voters out that would have otherwise stayed home. Just stay away from NAFTA.

[JDPriestly]

22. This is what Wisconsin Democrats need.

I'm glad to hear this. The support from a top Democrat known nationwide will give some sense of solidarity and solidness to the Wisconsin effort to unseat a governor who is not just a Republican (not enough cause to go through the trouble of a recall) but a conniving, double-dealing, underhanded, anti-union, anti-middle-class Republican.

This is truly what we need at this time. Democrats across the nation need to come together to support working people and the entire middle class as well as the poor.

Hurrah for Bill Clinton!

[rocktivity]

25. If the "source" could not have his or her named published

How can this be "official"?


rocktivity

[PeaceNikki]

28. Tom Barrett has confirmed this as well, although we're still awaiting details.

[rocktivity]

30. That's all the more reason why the Clinton camp should have confirmed first

especially if they've released an official "statement." Doesn't he have a designated publicist?


rocktivity

[Zen Democrat]

26. I think this confirms that the race is neck and neck. Clinton wouldn't go if Barrett was losing.

[K8-EEE]

40. Exactly -- and getting the voters' attention RIGHT BEFORE is a good strategy

IMO better than if he would have been there a month already and interest in him doing it had faded.

Don't forget what our real problem is -- GOTV!!! THE REPUKES SHOW UP. We just have to show up.

[PeaceNikki]

33. 10:00 AM at Pere Marqutte Park

See you there!!

[HereSince1628]

41. Bring rain gear.

AM Showers

[GObamaGO]

37. This is fantastic news

Clinton is very good at rallying the troops!