Bill Clinton received negative attention for his actions on the campaign trail in 2008. Bill's challenge: Back to statesman

Despite his widely panned performance on his wife’s behalf in the Democratic primary campaign, public relations experts say that if he moves quickly, former President Bill Clinton should be able to avoid any lasting damage to his legacy.

“His opportunity to set things right is immediate,” said Richard Levick, a crisis management expert at Levick Strategic Communications. “He needs to put this story behind him by Labor Day. That’s the time most of America starts really focusing on the presidential race.”


Clinton has long been regarded as a masterful retail politician. His streak of negative press began in early January, when Barack Obama's supporters complained of a racial subtext to the ex-president’s assertion that Obama’s opposition to the Iraq war was the “biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.” A few weeks later, he offered a racially charged comparison of the campaigns of the Illinois senator and Jesse Jackson’s bids for the White House.

Clinton spent much of the rest of the campaign publicly battling with reporters, complaining about the tone of the coverage of his wife and offering comments from which Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign had to back-pedal. And then there was the Vanity Fair story. Published in May, the article was chock-full of salacious details and painted an ugly picture of what it called the ex-president’s “cavernous narcissism.” The Clinton camp responded with a 2,476-word rebuttal — but the damage was already done.



A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released in early June found that 42 percent of Americans disapproved of Bill Clinton, while just 40 percent viewed him positively. Two months after Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy, the same poll had 48 percent viewing him positively and just 35 percent negatively.

Clinton’s return to partisan politics reminded voters of their least favorite aspects of his presidency.

“The basic problem that both the Clintons have is whenever we get too much of them, we remember things we don’t like,” said crisis management expert Eric Dezenhall. “And the problem Bill had with Hillary’s campaign was that he was everywhere, and that’s not good.”

But public relations experts are quick to note that Clinton is a master of reinvention. He emerged from the Monica Lewinsky scandal more popular than the congressional Republicans who had sought to impeach him. And he left the White House in a pardon-related controversy only to take on an elder statesman’s role, founding a philanthropic foundation and working on disaster relief missions with former President George H.W. Bush.

“Unfortunately, in this past primary election cycle he went from statesman to politician,” Levick said. “One really hopes to do it the other way around.” Levick added that Clinton had compounded his image problem by publicly avoiding Obama’s calls after his wife’s concession.

The first step Clinton should take to repair his image now, experts said, is to publicly demonstrate sincere support for Obama. “We loved him as president because he always felt our pain,” Levick said. “He always thought about us first, and right now what he is doing is thinking about Bill Clinton. He has to put the party and country first.”

But while urging Clinton to quickly and vigorously voice his support for the nominee, the professional spinners cautioned that he should be careful not to steal the spotlight, something the former president was criticized for doing during his wife’s campaign. He should limit his involvement in the campaign, they say, to key moments where he can really shine — a rousing convention address in prime time, perhaps, or a few snazzy fundraising events for select audiences in New York or Los Angeles.

“He’s got to also be a more mature, seasoned kind of brand,” said prominent Hollywood publicist Michael Levine. “That young deal was entertaining with the saxophone, but it’s over. You’re not Elvis anymore.”

Next, Clinton should reengage in his statesman side to portray a more dignified ex-presidential image. The Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in September will offer him a good opportunity to showcase his philanthropic work and surround himself with U.S. politicians, celebrities, and business and world leaders.

“I don’t think the election has been as damning globally as it has been in the United Sates,” said Ellis Cashmore, author of “Celebrity/Culture.” “He should align himself with great causes about which there is consensus in the world.”

Clinton could also pick a new issue, ideally one that will help him build bridges back to the African-American community. Levick suggests that Clinton become a champion of Africa, an issue that he says would put Clinton back on the global stage, send a positive message to black Americans and give him a chance to do extraordinary good in the process.

Issue-oriented advocacy also would help him deal with any remaining racial tensions with some subtlety.

“What you don’t want to do is to overcorrect,” Levine said. “A frank discussion on race is what everyone says they want, but there is precious little evidence that that’s true.”

Public relations experts also attributed many of his campaign gaffes to a lack of familiarity with the current media environment. He may be an ex-president, but in the age of Gawker and US Weekly, he’s covered like a celebrity.

“It isn’t fair to lump him in with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, but I think he is because he’s being treated just like that,” said New York publicist Ken Sunshine, known as the “Madonna of PR” for his ability to reinvent his A-List star clients. “He’s a victim of the media age.”

Clinton needs to learn that he lives in a YouTube world where every statement and event is captured on video and posted online. That means no flippant political analysis, offhanded criticism of Obama or unseemly behavior.

He could use some of the new media to his advantage, suggests Levick, by putting out a professional-looking online video of his own. In the past, stories of his collegial relationship with former President Bush sparked a streak of positive coverage. He could do the same today, says Levick, by posting a video of him joking with and coaching Obama.

But whether he embraces new media or keeps it analog, few doubt that Clinton will eventually win his way back into the good graces of at least the Democratic base.

“I’m optimistic because he’s never boring,” Dezenhall said. “Really, the greatest crime in American culture is being uninteresting. He’s an interesting guy, and when all is said and done, that’s what we are all looking for.”