If you’ve been around for more decades than you care to admit, you may recall comparisons made between John Kennedy’s life and Abraham Lincoln’s. Since that era, politicos have taken up such comparisons as hobbyists of sorts, most looking to match up presidents by policy rather than an eclectic mix of fascinating coincidences.
That stated, there are an amazing number of commonalities shared by Presidents Clinton and Obama and when the Public Broadcasting System aired a groundbreaking documentary study of Bill Clinton on February 20th and 21st, my hunch grew new legs. While the entire Obama story has yet to write itself, whether you’re fan or foe, you may wish to consider the following symbiotic comparison – if only to speculate about what could come to pass in the future.
• Mama-Mia: As the eldest sons of dynamic mothers who birthed only one sibling each after two marriages – the close bonds between both Bill Clinton and his mother Virginia and Barack Obama and his quirky mom, Stanley Ann, are legendary. Boys who assume the role of “the man of the family” when their moms were as charismatic as were Virginia and Stanley tend to be very protective of their mothers and neither denies it.
• The Double Letter Thing: You’re probably thinking that I should get a life, but the fact remains: it’s downright quirky that the two dudes share so many double letters. The most obvious example is, of course, Bill and Barack, but remember that the two were born in Hope and Honolulu and there’s that nickname thing: Bear Obama v. Bubba Clinton. Dare I mention first canines Bo and Buddy?
• Marry Me: Bill Clinton and Barack Obama both married energetic, bright women who grew up in the Chicagoland area and became lawyers. While Michelle Obama probably learned a lesson from Hillary Clinton’s experience as CEO of the East Wing, there’s no denying that their strong and insightful personalities continue to shape their husband’s perspectives. Both women gave birth to daughters forced to grow up in the public eye and the solid Midwest upbringings and values the woman share compare dramatically when lined up against former first ladies like Laura and Barbara Bush, Pat Nixon and Rosalind Carter.
• Leftie All the Way: Can it be a coincidence that both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have exactly 11 letters in their names? Not if you’re a believer in serendipity, so it shouldn’t surprise you that both are as left handed as they are left leaning. With idealistic penchants for improving the lives of Americans via entitlement programs that create an equal playing field for all citizens, the two emerge, bruised and battered, from conflicts and adversaries that have become increasingly right-wing and extreme as the 21st Century experiences its’ second battle-weary decade.
• Longing to be Loved: Read books written by journalists about the first Clinton and Obama campaigns — and replay the aforementioned PBS documentary. You’ll find a strong thread winding through the lives of both men that speaks to each one’s longing to be loved and liked. Bill Clinton’s aides – from Dick Morris to James Carville — agree that Clinton can be obsessive when querying friends and colleagues about how he could have handled the crises he weathered in better political and personal shape. Journalists covering the first Obama campaign write of watching the candidate’s face if crowd sizes were smaller than expected at public appearances. That collective longing — to be liked and accepted by the American public — remains an endearing part of each man’s humanity.
• Alienated The Party: The fact that both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton made kamikaze attacks on America’s health care system with equally disastrous results within their first terms of office is another commonality. In particular, both were masterful at alienating the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party when moving toward the center after taking office for the first time. Promises made were quickly ignored by each president’s propensity to become more centrist, leading to slings and arrows coming from both sides of the Congressional aisle. Revisit the acclaimed 1993 movie “The War Room” and watch the 2012 movie, “Game Change” to see how many similarities the men shared while on the campaign trail.
• Legendary Leos: Even if you refuse to believe that astrology has a thing to do with personality traits, you’ve got to wonder how it is that Barack Obama’s birthday is August 4th and Bill Clinton’s falls on August 19th. Despite a 15-day spread between their birthdays, both men fall within the astrological sign of Leo, the jungle king. Leos are powerful people with bigger-than-life personalities and egos and while Bill Clinton is certainly the more ebullient of the two, you’d be hard pressed to ignore each man’s magnetic “presence” that transcends their height and warmth. Having met both, I can attest to being rendered almost mute, a statement likely to shock those who swear my photo appears in the dictionary under the word loquacious.
• Leaning on Hillary: The battle for the presidency was fierce in 2008. Even if you don’t believe every rumor circulating the Beltway, it’s hard to dismiss all of the visceral, antagonistic feelings that bubbled up between the Clinton and Obama camps during the contentious race. The non-written peace accord signed by all parties once the people spoke resulted in an unprecedented alliance: the appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Both men continue to rely heavily on the council of the woman who wasn’t reticent, under the worst of circumstances, to throw lamps and/or lampoons at either head of state if that’s what it took to get their attention.
You, of course, are welcome to add your own conjecture, but even Bill Clinton doesn’t deny comparisons. When he spoke to 6,000 people at Tufts University at the end of 2011, he told the crowd: “It burns me up when people compare President Obama unfavorably with me.” He knows whereof he speaks and given the metaphysical bonds that tie the two, you may wish to study Clinton’s rise, fall and rise when you speculate about the future. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” cautioned the Spanish philosopher George Santayana. If you’re an Obama fan, you probably hope he’s right.