Chelsea’s out talking up Mom

Remember when the Democratic grandees went by the acronym FOB (Friends of Bill)?

Well, now there are FOC (Friends of Chelsea), and they were out in force this week as their girlfriend-in-chief made her first solo foray into the presidential campaign, stumping through California and Nevada for her mom, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Call it Chelsea Clinton’s coming-out party. Until recently, the 27-year-old hedge fund executive has led a quiet private life in Manhattan, but that was then and this is now. On Wednesday, for example, Chelsea was out campaigning in Reno with “Ugly Betty” TV star America Ferrera. Chelsea knew that her mom needed her, so she put aside her own plans -- and inhibitions -- and went out on tour.

After accompanying her mother on the campaign trail through Iowa and New Hampshire, the young Clinton decided it was time to step out on her own to help win over the young voters who have become an increasingly important part of this election (many of whom are enchanted with Sen. Barack Obama).

“I realized we weren’t doing enough to get the message out [to young voters],” Chelsea told a group of sorority women at UCLA this week. “So if me coming here to talk to you makes my mother more real to you, than I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Like the Kennedys, the Clintons are one of those families with retail politics in its DNA. They’re just born with the ability to shake a stranger’s hand and look them in the eye, which is what Chelsea was doing one recent morning at the iconic Farmers Market at 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue, a place where locals, tourists and an occasional visiting politician like to mix.

So Chelsea found herself chatting with a skeptical Sarah Johnston in the latte lane at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Johnston, a public defender, bluntly told Chelsea that she likes Obama. “I want someone inspirational,” she said

Chelsea, who has grown into a poised and diplomatic spokeswoman for her family’s politics, quietly put the contrary case. “Well, I find my mom very inspiring.” She paused and smiled. “But I’m biased.” Johnston smiled too. As Chelsea walked away, Johnston commented: “I’ve been waiting for Chelsea to speak out. It was nice to see her here.”

The Clinton campaign’s decision to deploy Chelsea on the streets in two crucial Western states is interesting on several counts.

First there’s an acknowledgment that an important part of this campaign is about generational differences.

Younger women, according to the polls, seem to lean toward Obama, their mothers and older sisters toward Hillary. Older African Americans remain loyal Clinton supporters; younger blacks tend to support Obama. A majority of Hollywood’s establishment is favoring Hillary (at the moment), while the younger celebs are charmed by Obama.

The Clinton campaign’s strategists’ endorsement of Chelsea’s decision to hit the streets on her mother’s behalf was a signal that young voters, particularly young women, matter tremendously in this campaign. And they see Chelsea as a star equal in magnitude to any of the young actors and actresses aligned with Obama.

We won’t know until the Feb. 5 California primary whether that calculation is correct. But as Chelsea made her way across Los Angeles with a posse of longtime friends -- some from childhood, some from the White House years, some from summers on Martha’s Vineyard, some from her days at Stanford University and some with Hollywood connections -- it was clear that she’s got all the poise and self-confidence of a red carpet veteran.

Her friends are thrilled that she’s joined the campaign ranks on her own terms. Constantly at her side is her best friend from high school, Emily Hawkins (her father is a leading environmentalist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an organization that these days has as much clout in Hollywood as any studio).

Hawkins serves as the traveling cheerleader to Chelsea’s message: “What we have seen is pretty remarkable,” she said. “There are more women coming out to vote.” The “ultimate glass ceiling,” Hawkins added, could finally be broken with this election.

Along with Hawkins, Chelsea is shadowed by a number of other friends: Stanford classmate Elsa Collins (Chelsea was one of Collins’ bridesmaids), childhood friend and U.S. Marine Zach Iscol (their families summered together at Martha’s Vineyard) and the gregarious Ben Schwerin (he worked for Chelsea’s dad in the White House before going to work for Bono and U2; now he’s a consultant to L.A. billionaire and big-time Democratic giver Ron Burkle). College buddy Michael Kives gives Chelsea an official Hollywood connection, since he’s an agent at CAA.

During her appearances -- mostly in small-group settings -- Chelsea delivers her message with an authority that comes from years of deep interest and a grasp of every nuance to her mother’s message. She gets asked, constantly, can her mother really be president?

“I’m absolutely convinced that my mother, more than her two leading Democratic opponents, is best suited to win in the general election,” Chelsea said at one UCLA gathering. “Why? She has the deepest record . . . and on a comparative basis, she is more compelling.”

In part that’s a daughter’s admiration for her mother, but it’s also born from watching her mom push through every battle.

The family’s best politician is also a proud father these days. In a telephone interview this week, former President Bill Clinton said he’s bursting with admiration for his daughter and for her decision to add her own voice to the chorus of support for her mother.

“She has a wonderful wholeness about her,” Bill Clinton said. “She’s an integrated person: her mind and her heart and her spirit.

“I’m bursting always. I have to hold myself back so I don’t sound like a babbling idiot. I’m just so proud of her. She’s turned out to be a wonderful human being.”

For her part, Chelsea -- who says, “My mom is the best person I know” -- is frank about her parents’ collective influence.

“For better or worse my parents have pounded it into my head when I was little and growing up that you being a good citizen and being an active participant in our democracy is part of being a good person.”

She would love to see her parents back in the White House but quips that she has no intention of going back there herself.

“Would you want to move home at 27?” she asks.

Maybe you don’t have to, if you’re already at home with your parents’ politics.

--

[email protected]