CBS's Bill Plante: Bill Clinton's Reputation 'Bathed in Nostalgia'

CBS This Morning on Tuesday heralded President Obama and former President Bill Clinton's joint fundraising appearances in New York City, playing up the "star-studded lineup" that appeared with the two. Correspondent Bill Plante gushed that Obama "shared the stage and the spotlight with former President Bill Clinton...his reputation now bathed in nostalgia as he made the case for his fellow Democrat."

Political director John Dickerson also likened Clinton to a lumbering dog throwing its weight around: "He's [Clinton] also, sort of, a big St. Bernard bounding around the political landscape, saying what he wants, and it's difficult for the Obama team to quiet him down if he says something that might be slightly off message."

Anchor Charlie Rose noted in his introduction to Plante's report that "Clinton said that Mitt Romney's qualified to be president. President Obama's reelection campaign was not happy about that. But last night...the current and former presidents were side by side and on the same page." The correspondent continued that "this started out as a rocky relationship, between the new upstart and the former champ. But they have grown to appreciate one another. In New York last night, they appeared together, the two biggest stars in the Democratic Party."

The veteran CBS journalist used his "bathed in nostalgia" phrase soon after. Plante then highlighted their past tension between the Democrats: "Things haven't always been so cordial. In 2008, when Hillary Clinton was battling then-Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination, their relationship was tense." Plante soon added, though, that "the one-time icy relationship has settled into a marriage of convenience. With Hillary Clinton's future in politics still a possibility, Bill Clinton needs to be a friend to all Democrats. And President Obama knows that Clinton can reach out effectively to voters."

Rose brought on Dickerson at the end of Plante's report to discuss the presidential joint appearance. He first asked the CBS political director, "So how important is Bill Clinton to President Obama's reelection?" Dickerson touted how Clinton is "about as important as a surrogate can be for a candidate...he's, obviously, beloved within the Democratic Party. He can raise money; he can rally the troops; and he's got a natural political instinct, which means that he can coin a phrase or lay out an attack line the President never could." Dickerson continued with his alpine dog comparison.

The CBS anchor followed up with a leading follow-up question: "Bill Clinton's political instincts are as good as any anybody in the Democratic Party, aren't they?" The political director quipped in reply, "Well, that's right, and he thinks that's certainly the case, too."

Earlier, Plante surprisingly reported how the President confused rival Mitt Romney with his father:

PLANTE: Fundraising Monday, both men [Clinton and Obama] took turns hitting Mitt Romney, even though President Obama momentarily forgot which Romney he was targeting.

OBAMA: You know, George Romney -- wrong guy. (audience laughs) Governor Romney!

The full transcript of the Bill Plante and John Dickerson segments on Tuesday's CBS This Morning, which aired back-to-back at 12 minutes into the 7 am Eastern hour:

CHARLIE ROSE: A few days ago, former President Bill Clinton said that Mitt Romney's qualified to be president. President Obama's reelection campaign was not happy about that. But last night, as Bill Plante reports, the current and former presidents were side by side and on the same page. Bill, good morning.

BILL PLANTE: Good morning, Charlie. You know, this started out as a rocky relationship, between the new upstart and the former champ. But they have grown to appreciate one another. In New York last night, they appeared together, the two biggest stars in the Democratic Party.

[CBS News Graphic: "Race For The White House: Clinton Helps Obama Raise $3.6M At NYC Fundraisers"]

OBAMA: It is good to be back on Broadway. (audience cheers and applauds)

PLANTE (voice-over): President Obama shared the stage and the spotlight with former President Bill Clinton, almost 12 years out of office, his reputation now bathed in nostalgia as he made the case for his fellow Democrat.

CLINTON: I don't think it's important to reelect the President. I think it is essential to reelect the President.

PLANTE: Making the rounds of high-dollar fundraisers in New York, one headlined by rocker Jon Bon Jovi, Clinton and President Obama raised more than $3 million for the President's reelection campaign. Mr. Obama responded with a heartfelt thank you.

OBAMA: I could not be prouder to know him as a friend, and I could not be more grateful for him taking the time to be here tonight. (audience applauds and cheers)

PLANTE: Things haven't always been so cordial. (clip of Democratic presidential candidates shouting over each other at April 16, 2008 ABC News debate) In 2008, when Hillary Clinton was battling then-Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination, their relationship was tense. Her husband, the former president, repeatedly questioned Obama's readiness to be president.

CLINTON (from December 14, 2007 interview on PBS's Charlie Rose): When's the last time we elected a president based on one year of service in the Senate before he started running?

PLANTE: The one-time icy relationship has settled into a marriage of convenience. With Hillary Clinton's future in politics still a possibility, Bill Clinton needs to be a friend to all Democrats. And President Obama knows that Clinton can reach out effectively to voters, as he did in this recent campaign video talking about the President's decision to take out Osama bin Laden.

CLINTON (from Obama For America ad): I thought to myself, I hope that's the call I would have made.

PLANTE: Fundraising Monday, both men took turns hitting Mitt Romney, even though President Obama momentarily forgot which Romney he was targeting.

OBAMA: You know, George Romney -- wrong guy. (audience laughs) Governor Romney!

PLANTE (on-camera): But wait- as they say in the informercials - there's more. The campaign has lined up Clinton for a third major fundraiser, and online, they're raffling off a dinner with the two presidents. Does Clinton sometimes get off message? Sure, but team Obama tells us we benefit any time he's out there. Charlie?

ROSE: Bill Plante, thank you. Also in Washington, CBS News political director John Dickerson. John, good morning.

JOHN DICKERSON: Good morning, Charlie.

[CBS News Graphic: "Race For The White House: Is Clinton's Support Key For Obama?"]

ROSE: So how important is Bill Clinton to President Obama's reelection?

DICKERSON: He's about as important as a surrogate can be for a candidate; that, you know, he can't sway the election, but he's, obviously, beloved within the Democratic Party. He can raise money; he can rally the troops; and he's got a natural political instinct, which means that he can coin a phrase or lay out an attack line the President never could, and it's the kind of thing that can get passed along from voter to voter in conversation.

Of course, as Bill [Plante] mentioned, he's also, sort of, a big St. Bernard bounding around the political landscape-

ROSE: (laughs) Yes-

DICKERSON: Saying what he wants, and it's difficult for the Obama team to quiet him down if he says something that might be slightly off message.

ROSE: The two things he seems to be saying: number one - and I'd like your reaction to this - is that they ought to stop focusing on the past, and simply focus on the future, and lay out how Obama, in the next four years, will be different from [Mitt] Romney, if he's elected, in his four years.

DICKERSON: That's right. In a recent interview, the President sent that message. He's been sending it internally, but he basically said it out loud: stop attacking Governor Romney's past record, and start talking about how ideologically these two match up. And he said if do you that and tell people about what the future will look like - how a future under Mitt Romney would be calamitous, as Bill Clinton said - that's what you should do to make the pitch to voters. And when he said that out loud, it's about as strong a memo as you can put out there in public.

ROSE: Bill Clinton's political instincts are as good as any anybody in the Democratic Party, aren't they?

DICKERSON: Well, that's right, and he thinks that's certainly the case, too. (Rose laughs) Now, there are folks in Chicago who would say, hey, we've got a game plan here, and it operates at many different levels. So, you're causing a bit of a message problem by making the story -- particularly when Bill Clinton said that Bain was, you know, not a company -- you shouldn't say whether -- that it was a bad company -- that was a problem because it just -- it was yet another Democrat saying that, and that just kind of put the story on that, as opposed to other things the Obama campaign wanted to talk about.

ROSE: Take a look at Wisconsin for a moment. As Dean [Reynolds] reported, some people may want to read too much into it. What will you read into it if the governor is reelected, so to speak?

DICKERSON: Well, I want to see what Mitt Romney does. I was talking to Grover Norquist, the Republican anti-tax advocate, and he said that Governor Romney should just take those 20 campaign offices Scott Walker opened, and then, just make them Romney offices; go to Wisconsin and run hard there. We'll see if he does that. It's a battleground state.

Also, what's interesting to me is Wisconsin has kind of been a lab test for the last year for both parties. It's -- and so, they can test their turn out the vote efforts in a way that they really haven't been able to in any other state. And so, what did they learn? Were they able to target voters? Were they able to use these new techniques that they fall in love with? Were they actually beneficial in this race?

[CBS News Graphic: "Wisconsin Recall: Today's Vote Could Foreshadow Nov. Election"]

ROSE: John Dickerson, thank you.

— Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here.