Today's meeting between former President Clinton and President Obama is interesting not just for what they discussed (the President's tax bill compromise) but for the symbolism of what it represents. President Clinton was the exemplar of a moderate Democrat who worked most effectively with fellow moderates from both parties and who generally shunned the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. Some on the left and the right found Clinton to be a slippery unprincipled politician without any core values. While he was unquestionably slippery at times, Bill Clinton stood for incremental change that was supported by a large majority of Americans. By choosing to seek Clinton's advice and support, President Obama is signaling again that he plans to pursue Clinton's successful moderate path instead of the politically disastrous path of the most liberal members of our party (as exemplified by the election last month).
Plenty of people here don't think all that highly of the Clinton years. Yes, we all voted for him and we certainly preferred him over Bush, Sr. and Dole. But still, a lot of liberals viewed Clinton with suspicion and disliked many of the deals he cut with the Republicans assistance (like NAFTA, the cut in the capital gains rate and welfare reform). But it's hard to argue that the Clinton years were bad for the country. Indeed, the results look even more impressive today than they did at the time - vibrant economic growth, low unemployment, and budget surpluses. And, of course, Clinton was reelected in 1996 and helped deliver Democratic gains in 1998 and 2000 (leaving aside the stolen Gore presidential election). That's quite a record.
Following the election last month, President Obama had a choice to make: Double down with Pelosi and Reid to "energize" the base OR change course and pursue the successful Clinton model of moderate change accompanied by bipartisan deals. We now know which course the President chose. Many, maybe most, here don't like the choice made by Obama. But there's no question that the President's decision to enlist Clinton in his fight to win backing for the tax bill compromise carries symbolic importance beyond its immediate practical purposes.
The President would readily concede, I'd imagine, that his decision to eschew the hard left course favored by many liberals for the moderate Clinton approach (as exemplified by the tax compromise and his criticism of the "sanctimonious" left) will not energize the left wing of the party. But his evident calculation, one that I think is correct, is that the left will ultimately be there for him in 2012 regardless of the current dust-up (for one obvious reason that there is no other viable liberal alternative) and that his new tack to the right offers him the chance to recapture the broad middle of the electorate that led to his winning such traditional red states as Indiana, Florida and North Carolina.
For those who argue that Obama was already a non-liberal Clinton clone, I would point out that his fights for the stimulus, healthcare reform and cap-and-trade were all fights for causes cherished by liberals and were, and are, viewed with disdain by many moderate voters (the bedrock of Hillary's 2008 campaign and the Democratic blue dogs). Just as importantly, nearly every poll shows the American public views Obama as a liberal. While this is not a bad thing (I'd even say it says something very positive about the fights the President chose to make in these past two years), let's not kid ourselves that it's a positive characterization for someone who wants to win reelection in a country that is certainly not universally liberal.
A lot of people here and in our party may not like the course chosen by President Obama. But it's the only course that offers him a chance to get reelected and, if the Clinton years are any guide, it's a course that most Americans want to see President Obama take. There's a reason that President Clinton is our most popular living ex-president. His policies worked and they helped raise our standard of living. I applaud President Obama for deciding to look to Bill Clinton for leadership advice.