It's worth pointing out that the Clintons have been going around campaigning and fundraising for party figures for literally a quarter of a century and had built up quite a library of favors from party figures from top to bottom. The Clintons had been there for a large variety of figures and they ended up there for the Clintons.
This is neither a defense nor a criticism. Politicians who take care of their allies get taken care of in return, and the Clintons had been building up favors since before Bill was even President and never stopped doing so.
Basically this, a huge amount of the Democratic establishment are people who in some way owe the careers to the Clintons (My Congressman, Derek Kilmer, is a Bill Clinton protege for example).
