Former President Bill Clinton waves after addressing the Democratic National Convention as President Barack Obama greets in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) (AP)
So the political conventions are over, the great or not so great speeches are over, and now the groundwork toward the November elections begins in earnest.
With every passing day both campaigns continue to go after the ever-so-small-and-getting-smaller group of independent and undecided voters.
Upon reflection, that is what both campaigns were doing even during the conventions.
Even though conventions are supposed to rally the troops, it truly appears that the speakers were talking to people outside the convention, and rightfully so.
The people on the convention floor are the true believers, they are the most dedicated partisans and clearly they will be voting for their respective candidate, so the messages are directed at the independents, at the undecideds.
As objective as I can possibly be, I believe Gov. Mitt Romney did remarkably well. President Obama’s performance was no match for his soaring rhetoric of four years ago; no stadium, no columns, not even balloons. One could even say his speech was just like his governing – disappointing, expectations unfulfilled.
President Bill Clinton, in fact, outperformed him in every way.
I am sure many attendees longed for Obama’s performance to be just like Bill Clinton’s.
Unfortunately for the Democrats, Bill Clinton is not on the ballot, and when it comes to governing, Obama has much to learn from Clinton. And I must add that a Clinton fan I am not.
Today Clinton’s achievements are seen with nostalgia.
His presidency years, a time of great productivity and significant accomplishments -- whether it was balancing the budget, or signing welfare reform -- are yearned by all his followers.
And to be sure, he takes all the credit.
No mention is made about the simple fact that those achievements happened because Congress was held by Republicans and Newt Gingrich was the speaker.
It was Republicans who put those bills in front of him to sign, but who cares about those small details?
Where Clinton was smart enough to work with Republicans and signed the bills that were good for the nation, Obama, by comparison, has not produced a single balanced budget in four years, and now has in fact eviscerated Clinton’s welfare reform requirements.
Where Clinton presided over the longest period of economic expansion, Obama has presided over the longest and weakest economic recovery in the history of our nation.
Where Clinton implemented the don’t ask, don’t tell policy in the military, Obama has ended it, and so on.
Clinton's role to sell Obama for a second term was as awkward as it could be.
There are too many areas where the differences among the two of them couldn’t be starker.
And as far as the independents and the undecideds go, they will not be fooled.
They have had four years of broken promises and missed opportunities. They know Obama is no Bill Clinton.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
