The Clintons: Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

Obama 2.0

Leslie Newell Peacock — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:12:35 -0500

President Obama is already thinking about his re-election strategy, Peter Baker's article in the New York Times Magazine says, and here is where his aides are on the competition: Mike Huckabee is the one to beat.

Obama’s aides say they will most likely set up their re-election campaign around next March, roughly the same as when Bush and Clinton incorporated their incumbent campaign operations. They are more optimistic about 2012 than they are about 2010, believing the Tea Party will re-elect Barack Obama by pulling the Republican nominee to the right. They doubt Sarah Palin will run and figure Mitt Romney cannot get the Republican nomination because he enacted his own health care program in Massachusetts. If they had to guess today, some in the White House say that Obama will find himself running against Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor.

There's mention of that other Arkansas politician, as well. He's the one to emulate.

It would be bad form for the president to anticipate an election result before it happens, but clearly Obama hopes that just as Clinton recovered from his party’s midterm shellacking in 1994 to win re-election two years later, so can he. There was something odd in hearing Obama invoke Clinton. Two years ago, Obama scorned the 42nd president, deriding the small-ball politics and triangulation maneuvers and comparing him unfavorably with Ronald Reagan. Running against Clinton’s wife, Obama was the anti-Clinton. Now he hopes, in a way, to be the second coming of Bill Clinton. Because, in the end, it’s better than being Jimmy Carter.

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Clinton stumps for Lincoln

Gerard Matthews — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:30:16 -0500

Times photographer Brian Chilson was on hand at last night's event to rally support for Sen. Blanche Lincoln. Check out more photos on the jump.

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Chelsea Clinton's wedding: The program

Max Brantley — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:54:48 -0500

The Poughkeepsie Journal scored a copy of the wedding program for Saturday's marriage of Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky. Noted: The wedding party included one Little Rock native bridesmaid, Elizabeth Weindruch, a lifelong friend of Chelsea Clinton who now works in Boston. She's the daughter of District Judge Vic and Susan Fleming. UPDATE: A sharp reader notes, too, another former Little Rocker among bridesmaids — Elizabeth Flammang Puthoff, who now lives in Austin, Texas and who was another school friend of Chelsea before she left for Washington in 1993.

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Clinton wedding photos

Max Brantley — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:17:35 -0500

As readers noted last night, the Clinton family released five photos and a statement following Chelsea Clinton's marriage to Marc Mezvinsky in Rhinebeck, N.Y., Saturday evening.

It would appear the Clintons managed to keep a lid on the affair, not least because the invited guests were family friends, not a celebrity cattle call, who didn't rush to blab to the assembled horde of reporters. Looks like it was a lovely day.

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Chelsea Clinton's wedding day UPDATE

Max Brantley — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:02:56 -0500

Interesting. Nothing, after a number of catty runup articles, in the New York Times today on Chelsea Clinton's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky this evening at an estate within commuting distance of New York City.

The Washington Post on the other hand blows it out. Speculation on the guest list. A roundup of headlines. A promise of "continuing coverage" on the gossip blog. Twitter chatter galore of course (trending snarky).

My own evening plans include dinner about halfway between Gravel Ridge and Otto — heirloom tomatoes from farmer Al Leveritt will be the headliner, along with pork smoked by pit virtuoso David Koon.

UPDATE: As guests begin to surface, names emerged. There was a rehearsal dinner for the wedding party last night, but also a cocktail party at the hotel where Bill and Hillary Clinton are staying for all wedding guests who are scattered in lodgings ranging from quaint B&Bs to a Hampton Inn in Poughkeepsie. Marie Clinton Bruno of Little Rock talked to the NY Times, remembering Chelsea's role as a bridesmaid in her wedding to Gio. Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen turned up, too. Bill Clinton lunched with brother Roger. I'd love to know how the NY Times reporter concluded that the throng of young people in attendance (imagine, Chelsea and Marc asked THEIR friends to the wedding) were a mix of Arkansas and the hedge fund world. Perhaps some were barefoot. Hint to NY Times: Some people may be natives of Arkansas AND work at hedge funds. Ask around.

The vast majority of guests looked to be in their late 20s or 30s, perhaps college and work friends of the bride and groom. Perhaps they will be celebrities some day, but for now they can rest comfortably in their anonymity. They seemed to be a mixture of Arkansas and the hedge-fund world. One blonde in a ballooning yellow dress walked across the street to the gawkfest and took pictures of the locals, then had her picture taken with them, then posed with a bemused and very patient state trooper.

“We don’t know who we’re looking at,” one bystander complained. “My God, they all look like they’re in their 20s. They’re kids! Seriously, I want to see Oprah.”

PS — Lots of web comments on the caftan Hillary Clinton wore Friday night. Says here, by the way, that the $3 million tabloid wedding figure is way off.

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