A 'right-wing conspiracy' against Obama? Clinton says yes.
On Sunday, former President Bill Clinton reminded America that claims of a 鈥渧ast right-wing conspiracy鈥� did not begin with healthcare town halls and the Tea Party protests.
On 鈥�,鈥� host David Gregory asked Mr. Clinton if the 鈥渞ight-wing conspiracy鈥� that his wife famously said was undermining his presidency in 1998 was undermining the Obama presidency. [Editor's Note: The original version misstated Mr. Gregory's name.]
Without hesitation, Clinton smiled: 鈥淵ou bet.鈥�
In 1998, then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton saw a conspiracy in the collection of political forces and shock jocks aligned to push for the impeachment of her husband for his affair with an intern.
The most ardent Democrats 鈥� perhaps the former president included 鈥� now see conspiracy in healthcare town halls where bad-tempered constituents are alleged to be . Tea parties to protest huge government spending are .
But Republicans are not the only targets. With flow charts that they would do Democrat healthcare reform-hawks proud, Fox News commentator Glenn Beck claims that . , making his presidency invalid.
Some of the claims might have more a ring of truth to them than others. But speaking more broadly, they suggest that both sides of the political spectrum, it seems, are increasingly unwilling to accept many of their opponents鈥� views as legitimate.
This plays into a broader trend that political scientists like Richard Reeves of the University of Southern California call 鈥渉yperpartisanship鈥� 鈥� the inability of today鈥檚 parties to play nice 鈥� and they trace the beginnings of the current trend to the Clinton administration.
鈥淚f there is such a thing as hyperpartisanship, it peaked in the impeachment of Clinton, writes Professor Reeves in 鈥淏ridging the Political Divide in the 2008 Presidential Election. 鈥淧artisanship was the rule and it has stayed the rule.鈥�
Seeing the trend as cyclical, Reeves suggested: 鈥淭he next president of the United States may have the chance to unite the country in a way it has not been for several decades.鈥�
In a way, Obama has, with approval ratings that remain relatively high (56 percent), despite a massive and controversial agenda.
Yet it also clear that his person and policies divide people just as Clinton did 鈥� and perhaps even more.
On 鈥淢eet the Press,鈥� Clinton went on to say that the right-wing conspiracy 鈥渋s not as strong as it was because America has changed demographically. But it's as virulent as it was."
One of Obama鈥檚 senior advisers, David Axelrod, said in April that the Tea Parties could 鈥�mutate into something that's unhealthy."
Another former president, Jimmy Carter, said in the wake of the congressional 鈥測ou lie!鈥� incident that much of the opposition to Obama was based on race, not on policy.
So far, however, the president and first lady have tried to stay above the fray. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Mr. Obama doesn鈥檛 think that criticism of his policies is 鈥渂ased on the color of his skin.鈥�
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