Bill Clinton returns to New Hampshire, where he’s among ‘so many’ old friends
Don’t call it a comeback: He’s been here for years.
Bill Clinton, who famously dubbed himself the “comeback kid” after a strong second-place finish in the 1992 New Hampshire primary, couldn’t help but be in a nostalgic mood as he returned here Monday to campaign for his wife. (As are we, with the quarter-century-old LL Cool J reference.)
In his familiar soft Southern accent, Clinton started off with an expert retail politicking move: noting “so many of my old friends” were in the audience, including Nashua’s new mayor, who just won the job back after serving until 1992. Clinton called it a “good omen,” referring to his own ascendance to the White House that year.
Clinton, 69, conceded that as he has watched the 2016 election play out -- especially the Republican race -- he feels like “I don’t fit anymore.”
So he played the role of the elder statesman that he is. In a sober, yet concise, 30-minute speech to more than 700 supporters, the former president laid out what he saw as the critical questions of the election.
“How do you have inclusive prosperity, inclusive social policy, more inclusive politics, and stop us from going in reverse at the very moment when we’re poised to grow together?” he asked.
He detailed his wife’s record in elected and appointed office but just as importantly, he said, what she did before she “was elected to anything” - citing programs she launched and bipartisan policy she pursued as Arkansas’ and the nation’s first lady.
“Everything she touched, she made better,” he argued. “She was just a change maker.”
He made little mention of his wife’s potential Republican opponents and none of the Democrats she must first defeat to win the nomination. But there were occasional allusions to the policies of Republicans like Donald Trump as he urged voters not to discount the heated rhetoric of the opposition.
“It’s kind of scary this year, but believe it or not, most everybody actually tries to do what they say they’re gonna do when they’re running,” he said. “They are telling you what they believe. And so you’ve got to take them seriously.”