Bill Clinton is standing with Blanche Lincoln, and he’s asking Democratic loyalists to do the same — with a contribution of $5 or more to the incumbent U.S. senator’s re-election campaign.

State Republicans see the former president’s call for money as evidence the Senate Democrats’ health care bill is hurting Lincoln’s bid for re-election next year.

In an e-mail letter to would-be donors — part of a campaign paid for by Friends of Blanche Lincoln, the former president predicts, “She’s gonna win this thing,” but not without a tough fight. He says she’s up to it.

“That’s why I’m standing with her and I’m asking you to do the same,” Clinton says. “She needs to know that we have her back.”

The former president accuses Republicans of “doing what they always do — using fear and misinformation to obstruct. They tried it on me and they’re up to their same old tricks now with Blanche.”

Lincoln, on the other hand, is going about her business, “fighting for the people of Arkansas, being an independent voice for progress and using her influence to get things done,” Clinton says.

According to him, Lincoln’s “one of the big reasons why” Congress is closer than ever to passing health insurance reform he says will bolster those who have coverage, cover millions who don’t and slow health care cost inflation.

State GOP chief Doyle Webb counters that the health care bill is what has Lincoln poised for defeat in her home state.

Says Webb: “Two in three Arkansans oppose the health care scheme Blanche Lincoln supports. You don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to do the math that these numbers point to one thing, a defeat in 2010 for Blanche Lincoln.”

He says Arkansans want their elected officials to focus on jobs and the economy, “not adding $1 trillion more dollars to our massive debt and mortgaging their grandchildren’s future.”

“Blanche Lincoln needs to come out of her house in Northern Virginia and answer to the people of Arkansas,” says Webb, “not Harry Reid and the Democrats.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 2:41 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.