Co-Presidents?
Hard on the heels of the New York Times’ endorsement yesterday of Hillary’s nomination, two op-ed contributors express their reservations from both a historical and a contemporary political perspective.
First, Garry Wills:
We have seen in this campaign how former President Clinton rushes to the defense of presidential candidate Clinton. Will that pattern of protection be continued into the new presidency, with not only his defending her but also her defending whatever he might do in his energetic way while she’s in office? It seems likely. And at a time when we should be trying to return to the single-executive system the Constitution prescribes, it does not seem to be a good idea to put another co-president in the White House.
Then Bob Herbert:
[I]t’s legitimate to ask, given the destructive developments of the last few weeks, whether the Clintons are capable of being anything but divisive. The electorate seems more polarized now than it was just a few weeks ago, and the Clintons have seemed positively gleeful in that atmosphere.
It makes one wonder whether they have any understanding or regard for the corrosive long-term effects — on their party and the nation — of pitting people bitterly and unnecessarily against one another.
What kind of people are the Clintons? What role will Bill Clinton play in a new Clinton White House? Can they look beyond winning to a wounded nation’s need for healing and unifying?
These are questions that need to be answered. Stay tuned.
It seems to me that Bill Clinton is the master politician in the family. Yes, I think he accomplished a great deal of good, though he had some serious faults. But what about Hillary? To me she doesn’t seem to have either the fine mind nor the charm that he does. So, if they’re co-presidents, what will we have left if Bill dies while she is in office? A not terribly smart divider? (She even seems to be dividing the Democratic party itself, the party which not so long ago was considered in an extremely strong position to regain the White House.
Don’t forget: Bill Clinton has already had one very serious heart attack.
America has no place for a spousal Prime Minister. Bill, with all his strengths, will never morph into a Prince Phillip. I had hoped he might be more of a Jimmy Carter or Eleanor Roosevelt rather than Cheerleader #1. I fear that those of us who respect Hillary — and even those who favor her as the best candidate — may shudder at what these last two weeks of campaigning have wrought.