Is It Hillary’s Time?
Barack Obama’s campaign is in deep trouble, and he knows it. It was in deep trouble well before Mitt Romney chose Paul Ryan as his running mate. The President is obviously desperate. He has no record of accomplishment to run on, and he has spent months attempting to divert the attention of his fellow Americans from this fact. In those months, he spent something on the order of $130 million on preposterous advertisements run in the swing states attacking the prospective Republican nominee as a felon and as responsible for the death of a woman from cancer.
The latest Gallup poll shows the two prospective nominees tied, but it also reveals that 50 percent of Americans disapprove of Obama’s conduct in office and that only 43 percent approve. The data underpinning these results was collected before Romney brought Paul Ryan on the scene. As Americans gradually turn their attention to the choice they have to make, things are going to get worse for the President, and he is going to have a hard time making his case – for he has been spending a lot more now than he is taking in. Moreover, Romney’s choice of Ryan ensures that the enthusiasm generated by the Tea-Party Movement in November, 2010 will not only be renewed in November, 2012. It will be redoubled. Just look at the crowds these two men are now drawing.
So it is time to consider whether the President might not opt for a game-changer. Joe Biden brings nothing to the ticket but the prospect of repeated embarrassment. Hillary, because she is the wife of Slick Willie the seducer, was attractive to white working stiffs in 2008 – the demographic most likely to abandon Barack Obama for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan this time around. She is not especially appealing to younger women, but those getting long in the tooth love her still – some of them, anyway.
I was once strongly inclined to think that it would come to this. But I noticed that, whenever the time came when Bill Clinton would have sought a compromise and would have begun triangulating, Barack Obama tended to double-down. Most recently, for example, when he got into trouble for aping the anti-business rhetoric of Massachusetts’ favorite indigenous American Fauxcahontas, he did not back off. He decided, instead, to give Lieawatha a prominent perch at the Democratic convention whence she could hector a nationwide television audience.
To substitute Hillary for the Delaware Motormouth would be, let’s face it, to eat crow. Barack Obama despises the Clintons. He sees them as sell-outs, and he would rather go down to ignominious defeat than to acknowledge, even obliquely, that he has made a godawful hash of his Presidency.
That is one reason why I suspect that he will balk at the prospect. Were he to surrender to the Clintons, what would he say to Michelle and Valerie? That the man is henpecked is obvious, and hell hath no fury like a Michelle and a Valerie who have been scorned. Just ask Rahm Emanuel, Bill Daley, or Oprah.
There is another reason that I have come to suspect that this will not happen. Hillary looks beat. She seems to be worn out. I have often wondered in the last year or two whether she is well. Bill no doubt would be delighted if she were to get the vice presidential nomination. But I am not at all sure that she would.
I have wracked my brains. Who else could there be? Is there a prominent Democratic Governor or former Governor who could carry the torch? Rod Blagojevich, always an appealing guy, is, alas, temporarily unavailable. Deval Patrick, Jerry Brown, Andrew Cuomo, and Pat Quinn might help a little in Massachusetts, California, New York, or Illinois. But I cannot see what they would add that the President does not already have firmly sewn up. Moreover, the states over which these men preside are not exactly models of fiscal rectitude.
What about the Senate and the House? Harry Reid awaits the call. So does Nancy Pelosi. My bet is that Barney Frank would not refuse, and Ben Nelson has nothing better to do. But is there anyone else – someone more likeable than these ghouls? Debbie Wasserman Schultz? Maxine Waters? In the Age of Obama, is there any other Democrat (apart from Slick Willie and his long-suffering wife) who has any stature at all?
Ah, yes, I forgot. Al Gore, everybody's favorite crazed sex poodle, is no doubt available, and John Kerry might jump at the chance. And we should not forget John Edwards and my classmate at Yale – the estimable Howard Dean.
Sad, isn’t it?
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Comments:
May '10
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
Jerry Brown? Are you serious? Jerry Brown is Joe Biden without the comedy relief.
May '12
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
A better plan for the dems would be for an old wise person (is there one?) from the party to go tell Barack that he will be enshrined in the progressive hall of fame along with FDR for signing nationalized healthcare into law and that for the good of the party he should step aside.
Obama can concoct some story about his health or weight loss, none of his life is honest anyway, and say that he has decided against a 2nd term.
The dems could rally around Hillary, Algore, maybe one of the Senators, use the convention to launch a new campaign, etc.
Enough political fantasy for today's lunch hour. Time for a haircut.
May '10
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
A friend from California used to assure me all the time that there would be no way Obama would make it through one term - that he would end up resigning the campaign. I'm not sure what he based that on, but that's what he thought, and that was at least three years ago.
Dec '10
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
Dr. Rahe, the question was raised over on the member feed (I'll dig up the link here in a bit) as to whether Clinton would even accept the slot if Obama offered it. To put it another way, which is the stronger pull - her contempt for Obama or her loyalty to the party? If the former, she would decline, and Bill would continue as the only two-term Democrat in recent history. If the latter, well, we'll see...
Your thoughts?
Jan '11
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
Oh please, please, please ...
This would be the Gunfight at the OK Corral of politics.
Mar '11
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
I stand by my prediction from yesterday: Obama will dump Biden for Jon Huntsman.
Far-fetched? You betcha - but no more so than than replacing Biden with Hillary Clinton or any of the other usual suspects in Dr. Rahe's post.
Edited on August 13, 2012 at 7:56pmMar '11
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
Replacing Biden with Hillary would be a campaign ad bonanza for the Republicans. With all the vituperation that passed between them in the 2008 primary, there's a gold mine of material. I think Obama's stuck to dance with the guy who brung him.
Your question of who else is out there to take Biden's place raises another question: Who's ready to step up in 2016 who may appeal to the broader Democratic constituency? Obama, Pelosi and Reid's marginalization of the Democratic middle has poisoned the well far beyond their own terms in office.
A win in November puts Ryan in the driver's seat as the heir apparent, and there's a very deep bench coming up behind. This pick was transformational on so many levels.
Edited on August 13, 2012 at 7:58pmJun '10
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
Agree that Hillary looks old and worn out. Either that or someone removed the painting from the attic.
May '10
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
The poverty of the Democrats' bench compared with the strength and depth of the GOP's is the best reason we have to be optimistic.
On the other hand, four more years of the current administration will make this all irrelevant. There won't be a country left to save, in that case.
Jun '12
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
No. No. No. No. No.
King Barack the First will never offer the Veep spot to anyone else for two reasons.
A switch will happen about the time a pack of pigs fly over my house.
Dec '10
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
I just went over to their campaign website, and Joe is featured pretty prominently. It's so late, I don't think it'd be helpful without a precipitating event, one that's beyond reasonable skepticism.
And, honestly, other than the chance to shake up his campaign a bit, changing from Biden doesn't do much good now. He reads canned speeches, staffers Tweet in his name and his gaffes are just ignored by the media.
As far as the debate, despite the truly horrible debate "moderators" I still think that O/B will skip most of them. I'm not sure there'll be one, but if there is a VP debate, the expectations for Biden will be so low, he'll have won if he doesn't trip on the carpet on the way to the lectern.
May '10
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
Illiniguy: Your question of who else is out there to take Biden's place raises another question: Who's ready to step up in 2016 who may appeal to the broader Democratic constituency? Obama, Pelosi and Reid's marginalization of the Democratic middle has poisoned the well far beyond their own terms in office. · 3 minutes ago
Edited 3 minutes ago
On the other hand, given the right set of circumstances, there's one reasonably young, vibrant, charismatic and extremely experienced liberal politician who may be available to put himself forward for the 2016 presidential race. One whom the Democratic party may swoon over if he runs.
For some reason, this person always gets overlooked in the 2016 prognostications. You may have heard of him. His name is: Barack Obama.
Edited on August 13, 2012 at 8:07pmMar '11
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
The attempted facade of smug confidence that Axelrod et alii hoped to project his Sunday fell flat and rang hollow. Underneath it, they sounded concerned.
The Obama campaign doesn't want you to know it, but they're in a tail spin. A confident campaign doesn't blame the other guy of being the cancer fairy. They laugh him off.
Jun '12
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
das_motorhead: Dr. Rahe, the question was raised over on the member feed (I'll dig up the link here in a bit) as to whether Clinton would even accept the slot if Obama offered it. To put it another way, which is the stronger pull - her contempt for Obama or her loyalty to the party? If the former, she would decline, and Bill would continue as the only two-term Democrat in recent history. If the latter, well, we'll see...
Your thoughts? · 23 minutes ago
That was me that raised that question.
I concluded that she'd turn it down because she suspects Obama is in for a thumping at the ballot box, and doesn't wanna be saddled to a losing campaign.
Dec '10
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
ConservativeWanderer
That was me that raised that question.
I concluded that she'd turn it down because she suspects Obama is in for a thumping at the ballot box, and doesn't wanna be saddled to a losing campaign. · 0 minutes ago
Thanks, sorry for failing to give appropriate credit. I've been running back and forth between computer and lab bench, loosing track of Ricochet conversations I shouldn't even be keeping tabs on during office hours :)
I think you make a very good point; the Clinton's hate Obama, anyway, and they hate loosing almost as much. Why would they jump into a rapidly emptying pool for The One's sake?
Jun '12
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
das_motorhead
ConservativeWanderer
That was me that raised that question.
I concluded that she'd turn it down because she suspects Obama is in for a thumping at the ballot box, and doesn't wanna be saddled to a losing campaign. · 0 minutes ago
Thanks, sorry for failing to give appropriate credit. I've been running back and forth between computer and lab bench, loosing track of Ricochet conversations I shouldn't even be keeping tabs on during office hours :)
I think you make a very good point; the Clinton's hate Obama, anyway, and they hate loosing almost as much. Why would they jump into a rapidly emptying pool for The One's sake? · 0 minutes ago
I'm honestly a little surprised that Hillary didn't mount a primary challenge.
I suspect that was the quid pro quo for the SecState job.
Edited on August 13, 2012 at 8:14pmNov '10
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
You need look no further than that. Neither of these warlordesses will tolerate another alpha male, especially one who has the wherewithal to actually engage them in combat. Barack has enough on his hands trying to please his current co-masters. Hillary is off limits.
Aug '11
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
Hillary outshines Obama, so Hillary's views would be sought more often than Obama's, sidelining Obama. Because she would communicate more often with people than Obama does, she would present a risk to his narratives. That would be too risky for Obama. When you add in the clout and aura of Bill Clinton, Hillary would outdo Obama just by living, so I can't imagine he would ask her to be #2. Side by side, she would always look like #1. He can't have that.
Dec '10
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
I don't know why Hillary wanted the SecState job anyway.
First, doesn't she realize that running in 2016 is not feasible? The years have not been kind to her (or Bill).
Second, if you assume she realizes POTUS is not in the cards, why have a menial cabinet job? She can demand millions serving on corporate boards and being a no-show partner at a huge law firm. Are the illusions, the trappings of power so seductive that a nice quite life in the lap of luxury isn't enough for her?
Mar '11
Re: Is It Hillary’s Time?
das_motorhead
I think you make a very good point; the Clinton's hate Obama, anyway, and they hate loosing almost as much. Why would they jump into a rapidly emptying pool for The One's sake?
And the corollary also holds: even if Hillary Clinton were willing to be Obama's VP candidate, would he trust her not to pull a Chinese badminton team tactic on him?