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Some people just love to hate the Clintons

Spreading dubious theories is a Texas man's full-time hobby. What will he do if the senator loses?

By Adam C. Smith, Times Political Editor
Published February 29, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT Politifact.com The Clinton file [Adam C. Smith | Times] Robert Morrow, 43, an outspoken Clinton opponent in Austin, Texas, has amassed a collection of Clinton books. "I know more than almost all the biographers," he says.

AUSTIN, Texas - Robert Morrow is on a roll, talking loud enough to draw wary glances from two women lunching nearby at Macaroni Grill.

"Chelsea is the seed of Web Hubbell and not Bill Clinton. Would I bet my life on it? No. I would bet my pickup truck," he declares between bites of salmon. "Hillary Clinton was sleeping with both of her law partners, Webb Hubbell and Vince Foster. And she's a lesbian, too."

Morrow, a perpetually indignant, single 43-year-old, pretty much devotes his life to hating the Clintons and spreading wild, unsubstantiated allegations about them. There are untold numbers of Robert Morrows in America, people obsessed with Clinton hatred and Clinton conspiracy theories the way other Americans might be consumed with Star Trek, Beanie Babies or the Florida Gators.

But soon it could be time to find another purpose in life besides worrying about a Clinton in the White House. If Clinton fares poorly in the must-win states of Texas and Ohio on Tuesday, Robert Morrow and others will be looking for a new hobby.

"I've got other aspects of my life when I'm not, you know, stopping Clinton pond scum," insists Morrow, who has no steady job but enjoys a family inheritance. "Um, I like to work out at the gym. I like to go hiking. I like to ride my bicycle."

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Dubious charges and conspiracy theories are nothing new in politics, but they've reached remarkable levels with Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton. As if Monica Lewinsky, Gennifer Flowers and Paula Corbin Jones didn't offer enough salacious fodder, a few clicks on the Internet reveal allegations that Bill Clinton was a chronic bribe-taker, drug smuggler, rapist - and is connected to 50 or more murders.

But Morrow doesn't want to come off looking as reckless as those who say the Clintons have been involved in dozens of killings; he suspects they were only involved with maybe 5 percent of those alleged murders.

Lack of proof means nothing to Morrow. He contends independent prosecutor Ken Starr was either too timid or too incompetent and should have found more on President Clinton after three years investigating.

"Just because O.J. Simpson wasn't convicted of murder, doesn't mean he didn't murder Nicole Brown or Ron Goldman."

Strapping, 6-foot-4 and with an Alabama drawl, Morrow lives in a suburban Austin home with a lot of Ron Paul campaign material, a prominently displayed Hooters calendar and an 8-foot tall shelf packed with Clinton books. In many, he has meticulously underlined passages he deems important and jotted margin notes and stars.

"I have every book that's ever been written. I know more than almost all the biographers," boasts Morrow, who is especially fond of the subtly titled Why the Clintons Belong in Prison.

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The supply of anti-Clinton material accessible to those interested is at least as vast as the right-wing conspiracy Sen. Clinton once described.

In 1994, televangelist Jerry Falwell distributed thousands of copies of the notorious and widely debunked Clinton Chronicles video, charting myriad alleged misdeeds by the Clintons. Avid Clinton haters invoke numerous martyrs, assorted figures in Arkansas who have leveled unsubstantiated charges of criminality by the Clintons.

Morrow started his anti-Clinton crusade about three years ago, when he decided he needed to devote himself to making sure Hillary Clinton never wins the White House. He can't pinpoint what set him on this path beyond his conviction that the Clintons are ruthless "sociopaths that need to be crushed and defeated."

With no job except occasional day trading of stocks, Morrow spends anywhere from one to 10 hours a day researching Clinton dirt or e-mailing and phoning reporters across the country about his conclusions.

Morrow says the Secret Service came to see him last year after he delivered a dossier of accusations against the Clintons to members of Congress, but nothing came of it.

And yes, Morrow thinks he has made a difference. Every time a news report alludes to Clinton being a polarizing figure, Morrow figures his mass e-mails played a part.

Who knows, maybe he did. The folks who swallow stories fed by Morrow and other anti-Clinton zealots aren't exactly swing voters. Still, the existence of such widespread vitriol has some sway.

"I really, really like Hillary, but my concern is about these people that hate her so much," said Bertha Cruz-Gaede, a social worker in Austin torn between Barack Obama and Clinton. "I can't even understand why there is such hatred, but my concern is that she might polarize our country."

For South Carolina's January primary, Morrow funded thousands of recorded calls to voters attacking Clinton. He used his voice on the message, which among other things, accused Clinton allies of trying to silence former White House aide Katherine Willey, who said President Clinton groped her. He said: "They nail-gunned her car tires and stole or killed her pet cat named Bull's-eye. Hillary thinks cats are expendable. Can you trust her?"

As Sen. Clinton's prospects have faded, Morrow has been spending more time trying to mobilize voters for Paul, the libertarian Republican candidate.

If Clinton doesn't win Ohio and Texas on Tuesday, her campaign could be effectively over. Morrow, who graduated from Princeton and got an MBA at the University of Texas, expects he'll take a vacation.

Unless, of course, Clinton pulls it out. Or fights all the way to the convention. Or runs again in 2012.

Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Adam C. Smith can be reached at asmith@sptimes.com or (727)893-8241.

[Last modified February 28, 2008, 22:45:02]