The possibility of a gift that keeps on giving

Ken Concannon
Published: May 22, 2008

Television comedians of the late night variety are starting to savor the very real possibility of an Obama/Clinton White House. Barack Obama, the soon to be officially anointed Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, has commenced his search for a vice presidential nominee. Some pundits have argued that his strongest choice would be his only remaining opponent for the nomination, Hillary Clinton.

These pundits contend that if Hillary is not on the Democratic ticket come November, what Rush Limbaugh calls feminazis may decide to sit out the election. 

This is the group — liberal, pro-abortion Democratic women, aged fifty and older — that Hillary identifies most closely with. She is their hero, and this is the moment they have been waiting for. If the
Democratic Party decides to deny them their opportunity to put her in the White House, the feminazis’ non-support could cost Democrats the presidential election.

Should the Dems decide to go with an Obama/Clinton ticket, the country could, in January of 2008, for the first time in its history be led by a black man (President Barack Obama), supported by a white woman (Vice President Hillary Clinton) who is married to a white man (Second Gentleman Bill Clinton) who thinks he was the “first black President.” That scenario alone would be ample fodder for any comedy writer.

But the presence of Bill Clinton — the former “Bubba in Chief” and counselor/molester of White House interns and whoever else crossed his path — lurking in the White House background provides comedy writers with a boon last seen during the glory days of the Carter administration. 

As you may recall, not only was peanut farmer Jimmie Carter an amazingly inept president and thoroughly uninspiring leader, he had a younger brother, Billy, very possibly the very first human being to demonstrate that rednecks could be funny just by being rednecks.

Billy was known for his commentary on his own family. “My mother went into the Peace Corps when she was 68. 

My one sister is a motorcycle freak, my other sister is a Holy Roller evangelist and my brother is running for president. I’m the only sane one in the family.” He was also an authority on the redneck lifestyle, and beer. 

“Yes, sir. I’m a real Southern boy.  I got a red neck, white socks, and Blue Ribbon beer. . . Beer is not a good cocktail-party drink, especially in a home where you don’t know where the bathroom is.” He was also the inspiration for and promoter of Billy Beer, which flourished for a while during the Carter administration but eventually disappeared from the market. Billy Carter died of pancreatic cancer in 1988at the age of 51.

Bill Clinton, however, is still going strong. And that will be a problem for both President Barack Obama and Vice President Hillary Clinton because Bubba likes the spotlight even more than Billy Carter liked beer. Given the opportunity, the former president will upstage whoever he shares a stage with. 

And he will say things that may or may not be consistent with administration policy, or in the best interest of his president and his wife.

Meanwhile, television comedy writers will find it difficult to ignore the former president, the gift that keeps on giving.

Ken Concannon is a resident of Prince William County. E-mail him at .