How Bill Clinton Is Viewed Could Determine Who Wins Democratic Nomination

It's becoming increasingly apparent that how voters view Bill Clinton's presidency will determine who wins the current Democratic nomination. Will Democrats choose to completely break away from the past or wax nostalgic?

If Democratic Party primary and caucus voters choose Senator Hillary Clinton to be their standard bearer, Bill Clinton's years as president will be an issue that they grudgingly will have to confront. Although the former president is campaigning for his wife, he continually reminds audiences that this election is about Hillary and the future and not about his record and the past. Bill Clinton has received negative reactions from some Democrats regarding his strident attacks against Barack Obama leading up to the South Carolina primary. Consequently, his polling numbers have suffered concerning whether or not voters want to see him back in the White House. ''According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 55 percent of Americans view the former commander in chief favorably, unchanged from a year ago. But just 50 percent said they would be comfortable with him back in the White House, down from 60 percent in September.'' Clinton strategists remind voters that Bill Clinton's tenure as president was a simpler time in American history where the United States was respected in the world and the economy was strong and prosperous for all Americans not just the wealthy. However, Clinton's chief of staff, Leon Panetta, who supports Hillary too, reminds people that Republicans will attack Bill Clinton's legacy if the former First Lady receives the nomination. Senator Obama's assertion that Ronald Reagan was a more transformative figure than Bill Clinton speaks to their ambivalence regarding Bill Clinton. They believe much more positive changes could have germinated from his administration if he weren't involved in so many scandals and didn't pander to the Republicans on such issues as welfare reform. Republicans have a dilemma as well if Hillary wins the Democratic nomination. Although some would love to attack Bill Clinton's record as president, others warn that campaigns are about the future and not the past. Asa Hutchinson was a Republican congressman from Arkansas who prosecuted Clinton in the Senate impeachment trial. He warns Republicans not to bring this up again: ''There were some who were so personally engaged in it that they had a hard time cutting loose of it. They may try to resurrect it this year. But that would be a mistake. History has passed them by. You'll be on the losing side of history if you let this dominate your life.'' By voting for Obama, it will be a clear break for the Democrats. The scandal and intrigue that perpetually surrounds the Clinton's will be removed from the general election campaign.