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Clinton works to save Democrats this fall

Former President Bill Clinton waits to speak during the Early Vote Rally held by Florida Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Alex Sink at Miami-Dade College in Miami, Florida on October 21, 2010. UPI/Martin Fried
Former President Bill Clinton waits to speak during the Early Vote Rally held by Florida Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Alex Sink at Miami-Dade College in Miami, Florida on October 21, 2010. UPI/Martin Fried | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Some Democrats express concern about the popularity of former U.S. President Clinton, while others say he connects with voters while stumping for candidates.

Clinton has embarked on a full tilt sprint to rescue his party, which political analysts predict will receive an old-fashioned whuppin' Nov. 2, and use his credibility as the only president in modern times to balance the federal budget to defend President Obama's economic policies, The Washington Post said.

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Some Democrats said they're concerned that Clinton, out of office for a decade, is a bigger draw than Obama and the party's current leaders.

"Bill Clinton is not going to live forever, and it's time for the Democratic Party to develop other voices," Bob Rucker, a journalism professor, told the Post as he left a Clinton rally in California.

Polls indicate Clinton remains a popular figure nationally, even if his party is on the outs with voters.

"Look, folks, I've seen this movie before, in 1994," Clinton said during a rally in Everett, Wash. "I called the president the other day, and I said, 'Relax. They haven't said anything about you they didn't say about me. The only reason they're being nice to me right now is because I can't run for anything anymore.'"

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Clinton connects with "how normal 'walking-around' folks are feeling," said Paul Begala, a former top strategist in the Democratic Party. "Both the right and the left have mocked that I-feel-your-pain empathy, but Americans have always liked it. It's the core of him, even more than the brain. It's real."

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