The New York Times-20080129-In Harlem- Backing Up Bill Clinton

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In Harlem, Backing Up Bill Clinton

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Omega Nelson had stopped for a cigarette in the heart of Harlem on Monday morning when he found himself in a political debate. As many are these days, this one was prompted by a reporter and focused on Bill Clinton's role in Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign.

Look, said Mr. Nelson, who was sitting at the curb near Mr. Clinton's office on 125th Street, all he's doing is what any man would do. When your woman tries to get somewhere, you got to help her. His wife is running for president and, being his woman is involved, so he got involved, too.

Mr. Nelson, 61 and unemployed, was not alone in his forgiving stance toward Mr. Clinton, who, by the sound of things on Monday, is as popular in Harlem now as he was when he opened his office there in July 2001.

While the blogosphere and commentariat rang this weekend with angry declarations that he had crossed a line in his criticism of Barack Obama, many in Harlem seemed to mull it over, shrug their shoulders and say they understood, even if they didn't quite agree.

What Bill Clinton said -- well, his wife is running for office, said Tonya Burnett, who was waiting outside the building to visit a city housing office. He's got to represent just like she represented when he was running. I don't think it's such a big deal.

To be sure, interviews conducted on a single day, in front of a single building, are apt to produce a narrow point of view. Yet the building, at 55 West 125th Street, is an important piece of real estate in Mr. Clinton's world.

Many in Harlem were overjoyed when he moved in. A crowd of 2,000 -- chanting We love Bill! -- gathered on the streets, serenaded by a violin rendition of We Shall Overcome.

Nonetheless, it was somewhat odd --and perhaps unexpected -- to hear so many passing through the doors on Monday suggest that Mr. Clinton's comments were a natural reaction in support of his wife.

It ain't about race and it ain't about issues, said Guy Wellington, 48. It's about his wife. He wants Hillary to follow in his footsteps. That's what husbands do.

Of course, there were some outside the building who said they were disturbed by the attacks. (Mr. Clinton compared Mr. Obama to Jesse Jackson, in that both men have won the South Carolina primary, Mr. Jackson twice, leading many to surmise that the former president was suggesting that Mr. Obama could win the black vote but not the general election.) But even those who professed to be angry acknowledged it was wholly understandable for a man to stand up for his spouse.

He's pushing the race card as much as he can, said Tyrone Matthews, 47, who was also visiting the housing office. He wants his wife to win -- any man would want his wife to win -- but not like that.

Confusing matters greatly -- or making them more interesting, depending where you stand -- is what many have described as Mr. Clinton's virtual status as America's first black president. Harlem (or at least that portion of it represented by the traffic passing in and out of his building) presented itself on Monday as a postracial neighborhood, one that saw the elections more in terms of the economy and war in Iraq and less in terms of black and white.

A lot of black people aren't really looking at race; they're looking at who does good and who doesn't, said Tasha Wilson, 27. Many in the crowd suggested they would happily vote for Mrs. Clinton (or her husband, if he were running). As for Mr. Clinton's jabs at Senator Obama, it's not going to affect the impression of him, not in the black community or not outside the political offices among the general people, Ms. Wilson said.

In one of those offices -- the one belonging to Representative Charles B. Rangel, the dean of Harlem Democrats and a supporter of Mrs. Clinton -- there was a feeling this weekend that Mr. Clinton should scale back his involvement in the campaign. He's got to, Mr. Rangel said on Sunday. The focus has got to get back on Hillary.

But people on the streets said that the focus was already on Mrs. Clinton and that Mr. Clinton's jibes, while perhaps unfortunate, were also to the point.

You got to attack, said Spencer Wilson, 63. You got to. It's ridiculous, but it's politics. He's not doing it because of racial stuff. He's doing it for his wife so they can have another turn up in the White House.

The Clintons' marriage has always been an inscrutable affair, inaccessible to easy explanation from the outside. In Harlem, however, people said it was transparent. Victory was the glue.

He ought to be careful what he's saying, said Tyrone Rose, 41, but the fact is he wants his wife to win. The campaign's going to get nasty and I think Bill Clinton has a good chance whenever he wants to win.

Bruce Gordon, 47, had visited a notary inside the building. He said the criticisms might even sharpen Mr. Obama.

These questions have to come up. If Obama gets the nomination, folks will ask, 'So who are you?' So far, he's a nice white middle-class guy, said Mr. Gordon, acknowledging the cheekiness of his remark with a cagey little smile. You try to pull a black thing on Bill Clinton, he's going to say, 'Now wait a minute now.'

[Illustration]PHOTOS: TYRONE MATTHEWS: Outside Bill Clinton's office at 55 West 125th Street(PHOTOGRAPH BY HIROKO MASUIKE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)(pg. B1); Outside the building housing Bill Clinton's office, many called his tactics an understandable effort to help his wife.; Tasha Wilson, left, said, A lot of black people aren't really looking at race; they're looking at who does good. Omega Nelson, center, said, When your woman tries to get somewhere, you got to help her. Bruce Gordon said of Barack Obama, So far, he's a nice white middle-class guy.(PHOTOGRAPHS BY HIROKO MASUIKE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)(pg. B5)