In case you missed it, Bill Clinton had a few billion things to say last night during his DNC speech. The former president spoke for approximately 48 minutes (and might still be talking right now, so somebody better check).
But it's all good, baby. Because America loves Bubba.
He's become the de facto elder statesman for the Democratic party, and is remembered as the guy who was in charge when things were roses and sunshine.
The man single-handedly defeated the Cowboys and Giants last night.
So when Bill Clinton has something (or several thousand somethings) to say, people really don't mind. And that can be a key factor in Obama winning Florida again come November.
In the latest Gallup poll, just 43 percent of white respondents said they view Obama favorably, compared to a 63 percent favorability rating for Clinton.
Clinton also beats Obama 67 percent to 46 percent among white voters 55 and older.
And while there's no scientific data or polls on it, everyone knows he does well with the ladies.
Ads featuring the silver haired William Jefferson Clinton have begun to pop up on television screens all over Florida recently. There he is, looking sharp, glint in his eye, Arkansas drawl, those long fingers. His silky smooth message in those ads: Obama wants to build a strong middle class just "like when I was president." *bites lip*
And in last night's speech, Bill was able to kill the Republicans softly with that Clinton charm by reminding everyone of how shitty things truly were when Obama took over.
How bad?
So bad that, "not I even I would be able to fix it in just four years," he told America.
He hit the raucous DNC crowd with a "now listen to this," before launching more proverbial kicks to the Republican's proverbial groin.
He defined the GOP's message in Tampa in a single Clintonian sentence: "We left him a total mess, but he hasn't cleaned it up fast enough, so fire him and put us back in."
He went after Paul Ryan when the vice presidential nominee attacked Obama for cutting $716 billion from Medicare, even while his own budget proposal includes those same cuts.
"You gotta give him one thing," Clinton said of Ryan with a smile. "It takes some brass to attack a guy for doing what you did."
Only Bill Clinton could evoke the size of a dude's balls into a speech and bring the crowd to its feet.
He was engaging, intelligent, funny, and charismatic.
In other words, he was Bill Clinton.
Historically, Florida has always loved Clinton. He won the Democratic primary here in 1991, and won the state during the general election for his second term in 1996. His wife won the state over Obama in the 2008 primary by 17 percentage points.
"Bill Clinton is golden in Florida," said Dan Smith, a University of Florida political science professor.
Golden, you say? Awww yea...
