There couldn’t have been a better prelude. The blazing winds roared, the winter iciness chilled, and the atmosphere was electric. Yet it was merely a brewing anticipation before an even bigger storm inside the ARC Pavilion. Davis, a relatively quiet town, thundered to life in welcoming President Bill Clinton’s arrival—undoubtedly the most famous personality to visit UC Davis in recent years.
Listening to Bill Clinton speak is like listening to two powerful messages being spoken at once. On the one hand, he imbues you with a certain warmth, while on the other he engages you with his hope, intention and vision for the country.
As a person, Clinton is easily charming, if not mesmeric. While he appears avuncular, easily mistaken for your next-door uncle, he impresses the audience with a deft sureness in his voice. Gracefully, his speech achieves a balance between rapport and rapture, passion and polish.
As an elder statesman, meanwhile, Clinton is dignified and knowledgeable. Fondly reminiscing, he recalls the progress he made during his term in the White House while diligently explaining the complex challenges the nation currently faces and his wife’s plans for solving them. He doesn’t mince or wince while he convinces.
When he finishes his delivery, the gravity of the moment seemingly descends, and the audience, transfixed, spontaneously rises to a mind-numbing ovation. The performance is over. The audience appreciates, even loves it. A great chapter is relived, delivered aptly by a great orator.
Yet one could almost feel a certain degree of irony about the message of his campaigning for Mrs. Hillary.
In his speech, President Clinton outlined precise reasons for her victory. Yet at times his words seemed almost contradictory. “Every election [is] about [the] future,” he remarks, yet it is difficult to imagine his reoccupation of the White House as the future, simply because a Hillary presidency is seemingly an invitation to relive the previous Clintonian times and the challenges that accompanied it. In this sense, her candidacy is not the “tomorrow” he promises but rather the “yesterday.”
A fundamental problem here, as noted by UC Davis Professor Walter Stone, an expert on elections and electoral behavior, is the polarization and partisanship that has long permeated the national mood. This feature started with President Reagan’s triumph in the Southern states during the 1980s which opened a culture of division—characterized mainly by an unwillingness to compromise.
In a way, this division is a subscription to a culture of absolutism, where issues are defined in complete rights and wrongs. Actions by certain parties are often denounced by their opposition, sometimes for purely ideological reasons. Mutual understanding appears to be a word from a historical era. The fact that not too long ago the U.S. Senate Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid called President Bush a “loser” and a “liar” only further illustrates the degree of this system’s brokenness.
Here’s where the dilemma lies. Part of a president’s duty, President Clinton mentioned, is to “empower other people.” Nobody doubts his charisma or ability to accomplish that task, yet the candidate isn’t Bill but rather, Hillary. It is difficult envisioning the creation of a positive climate for discussion in Washington should Hillary be elected, as her past reputation for being too polarizing are potentially disempowering. If the national polls indicating a youth age-group leaning towards a “change” message, the somewhat lackluster response to the President’s mention of Mrs. Hillary was deafening. The anticipated chants, simply said, were conspicuous by their absence.
Ultimately, what President Clinton believes might or might not be the best for the nation. The voters will decide. But for once, UC Davis will be grateful for the opportunity to listen to President Clinton speak in person. We saw a former President who was dignified, respectful and presidential. Braving the chilly winds of the winter season was merely a small price to pay.
Tell ZACH HAN your experiences and opinions in listening to President Clinton speak at zklhan@ucdavis.edu.
