Hillary’s husband is getting more involved in his wife’s re-election efforts. In a recent fundraising letter, former President Clinton appealed to supporters who might think the election is in the bag, especially after Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro dropped out earlier this month.
Wrote Bill: “As Hillary's 2006 campaign prepares for a critical Dec. 31 fund-raising deadline, I'm writing to urge you to send a special year-end donation.”
This is just the second time that Mr. Clinton has helped with a letter-writing effort.
He continued, saying that “I am so proud of Hillary and her work in the Senate. Now I'm asking you to be sure she will be able to continue, and that she'll have the support she needs in the year ahead.”
Then things get a little mushy: “Whether speaking out on the Senate floor about why this latest congressional budget is so wrong for our country ... or traveling to New Orleans to meet with families still waiting for homes - and hope - Hillary is a beacon of strength, intelligence, and generosity of spirit.”
Although there are really no high-profile GOP challengers with any realistic chance of beating Sen. Clinton, who by the way has nearly $14 million on hand, “[c]ampaigns are still expensive,” says political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. And so “the real thing is keeping the rust off the national network, keeping those relationships alive for a potential presidential run.”
Bill also recently told CBS’s “60 Minutes” that America is ready for a female President. “If a woman came across as strong and seasoned and well-prepared, if you said the right things in the right way and you had a good record to back it up, my gut is, yes," he said.
But he tempered his gut instinct by “urg[ing] all of Hillary’s supporters not to think about that, because she’s got to run for re-election" in just 10 months. “And it’s a big hazard for anybody who’s up for re-election to think about anything but re-election.”