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Hillary brings in big gun - Bill
03/07/2007 10:17 - (SA)
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| Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband Bill at a Rally for Change at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. (M Spencer Green, AP) |
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Des Moines, Iowa - With her nearest rival gaining momentum, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton brought in her biggest weapon yet in her race for the presidency: her husband Bill.
The charismatic former president's first campaign swing with his wife opened on Monday with a folksy speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds where he urged the party faithful to vote for Hillary because she is both the best qualified and the most responsible.
"You will never have anybody in the White House who cares more about how every decision she makes and every problem she faces affects you and the people you know and care about," Bill Clinton said from a stage surrounded by flag-lined hay bales.
"I'd be here tonight - if she asked me - if we weren't married."
'Cleaning up to do'
Hillary thanked him for the brief speech by saying "I'm awfully glad to have my husband here," and went on to list his achievements and everything that had been lost since he left office.
"After two terms of the Bush administration and their cronyism and their incompetence we're going to have a lot of cleaning up to do," Hillary told the cheering crowd.
"I will work my heart out and I will have some good help along the way," she said as she pointed to her husband who sat on stage and watched her speak.
"We will be proud to be American again."
While Bill's scandal-laced presidency continues to draw the ire of Republicans and has contributed to Hillary's high "unfavourable" ratings in national polls, he remains widely popular and is adored by the party faithful who decide the primary elections.
He is also a formidable fundraiser, a key asset given that Hillary's main Democratic rival, Barack Obama, announced on Sunday he'd topped her coffers by $5m when he raised a historic $32.5m in contributions in the past three months.
"I don't think it's a sign of duress or that they feel pressure," said Cary Covington, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, said of the timing of Bill's entry into the campaign.
"They were waiting to bring him in until it was clearly Hillary's campaign and Bill was there to back her up. They believe they've clearly established her as the owner of this campaign and in charge."
Hillary publicly rejected the suggestion and a slew of appearances helped her narrow the gap with rival John Edwards in recent weeks with an average of recent polls showing her at 24.7% behind Edwards's 25.3%. Obama continues to trail at 17.3%.
Hillary's ranking nationally, however, has given her an aura of invincibility. Recent polls show her garnering 43 to 48% of the Democratic vote compared with 19 to 25% for Obama and 11 to 17% for Edwards.
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