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.
