In the 1970 blaxploitation film, “Cotton Comes to Harlem,” Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques played two detectives, Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson who went to Harlem looking for a bale of cotton that contained the life savings of some poor black people who had been ripped off.
Yesterday, Barack Obama went to Harlem to meet with Bill Clinton. He hopes the Big Dog will bail him out of the sticky situation he’s in: sliding in national and battleground state polls. It was their first meeting since Hillary Clinton suspended her presidential campaign in June.
The Wall Street Journal reports:
Barack Obama plans to dispatch President Bill Clinton to deliver his newly sharpened economic message to voters in battleground states in an effort to counter a surge in popularity for the Republican ticket. Over a private lunch of take-out sandwiches and flat-bread pizza at Mr. Clinton's Harlem office, the two men discussed the state of the race, and the Illinois senator sought advice on driving home his economic pitch.
After the lunch, Obama and Clinton released a joint statement:
President Clinton and Senator Obama had a great conversation in Harlem today. They discussed the campaign briefly, but mostly talked about how the world has changed since September 11, 2001. Sen. Obama praised the work of the Clinton Foundation around the world and President Clinton applauded Sen. Obama's historic campaign which has inspired millions around the country. They also spoke about what the next President can do to help make the economy work for all Americans, as it did under President Clinton, and ensure safety and prosperity far beyond the coming the election. President Clinton said he looks forward to campaigning for Senator Obama later this month.
Now that Obama has given Clinton his props and asked for his help, the Big Dog is ready to hit the campaign trail:
I've agreed to do a substantial number of things, whatever I'm asked to do.
Question: Why did it take Obama so long to ask? Newsweek’s Howard Fineman thinks Obama was “too proud”:
Yes, I know, Bill and Hillary got prime speaking roles in Denver. And yes, I know, the Clintons are difficult to deal with and probably hope Obama fails. Still, it’s Obama’s task to latch on to them, even against their will. But he was too proud. Although he’s going to see the former president this week, Obama should have broken bread with Bill months ago. Obama needs the Clintons to defend and work for him.
With Georgia no longer on his mind and tattered coattails, Obama ain’t too proud to beg.
