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2020 Hindsight
In the New York Post, Michael Goodwin says Hillary Clinton is onto something.
I believe he’s onto something. It started in 1998. It was always hard for me to believe Hillary was actually planning to run for President. Yet it always seemed vaguely plausible. That is, until it was obvious.
Why did First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton want to become a Senator from New York? The obvious reason would be to establish a track record to run for higher office, but Hillary the future Presidential candidate, seemed far-fetched. She denied it, dismissed it and laughed about it. She was focused on helping downtrodden upstate New Yorkers get jobs and feed their families. That’s all. It didn’t ring true, but could she really become President? She ran for re-election in 2006 winning her seat easily and in that contest remained taciturn about a Presidential run in 2008.
But of course she ran, and lost to Obama and many of us thought that it was probably over for her. 2016 looked like a futuristic world and surely Democrats would have moved on by then.
However, it began to look again more likely after she left her duties to the Empire Staters to enhance her resume as Secretary of State. As the years passed it looked pretty clear she was preparing a 2016 run. That time, we knew.
But following her ignominious and wholly unexpected defeat – which seems like yesterday – many of us thought her career was over for sure this time. She was falling down, seizing up, blaming, shaming and defaming everywhere. She was hated by many Democrats for running a bad campaign, for her treatment of Bernie Sanders in the primaries, and for losing to the clown Trump.
Like the modern audience watching a horror film, we know that the motionless psychopath submerged in the bathtub will bolt upright any second now to continue her blood-thirsty rampage. The timing of these scenes have shortened considerably over the years, the audience can’t be given too much time to catch the setup. Long enough to have them believe it’s finally over, but not too long. “Of course!” We say to ourselves, “and there’s 20 minutes left in playing time!” But we love to be fooled. That’s why they call it the willing suspension of disbelief.
There are several other reasons why it makes sense for Hillary to undertake another run: the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative both rely on the idea that a Clinton might just someday become President in order to leverage funding and influence. (It’s not going to be Chealsea anytime soon…) Without that prospect, why should anyone donate? There are all kinds of worthy charities out there.
She’s feeling the loss of transactional power already. Impending candidacy is necessary to use as an intimidation mechanism to discourage attacks from disillusioned allies.
And who in the Democratic Party has the inside track for 2020 that would be formidable? Joe Biden? A few considerably less experienced women? Who in her center-left lane can mount a serious challenge?
And she wants it. She wants it badly.
So the horror film, coming soon to an election near you, will be another sequel, and like all sequels, coming with a new angle. This time the psychopath goes after her own family in a vindictive narcissistic rage.
Will there be another sequel in the franchise? (working title – Hillary III: Vengeance is Mine)
How will this play out for the Democrat party?
Published in General, Politics
I hope and pray that Hillary will leave all of us alone. Only she could lose to Trump. It is time for her to be a full-time grandmother.
Of course she is running in 2020. Why do you think no serious contender from the Dems are peaking out yet? The game was fixed in 2016 and HRC was a shoe in but Trump and his Russian friends stuck their thumbs on the scale the other way and minimized the setup. I suspect the Dems / Feds have figured out how to minimize Trumps advantage and think they can get her in this time. The only thing that will keep HRC from being the first female POTUS will be her health.
#Hillary2020
I see this as a selfless act on her part. If she doesn’t run, who will formerly conservative virtue-signaling pundits vote for?
But seriously, folks, this is very Clintonian. Hang around, never go away. Hang around, never go away. I doubt she’s really taking another run seriously, but, well, hang around.
That’s why I don’t watch bloody horror movies.
My question to everyone is, how do you think the Democrat primaries will play out if Hillary is in the game? I hope some people here are following the developing split and possible outright war in their party.
The mirror image of what is happening in the GOP may be how this plays out. There will be a strong Never Hillary contingent, but these will be the voters, not the elites. The socialist wing will grow even stronger.
Of course, @michaelramirez has the cartoon for this thread.
I avoid them too. Plenty of horror following politics!
If it weren’t for those brilliant strategists in the Kremlin, we could have the queen witch as President right now. Just think, no ANWR, no pipeline, no tax cuts, no economic growth, 9 Ruth Bader Ginsburgs as Supreme Court Justices, ISIS crawling all over everywhere, no weapons for Ukrainian self defense, and no borders. Wouldn’t it be great! Instead…Trump. What a bummer. Pass the bourbon.
I’ll drink to that!
Three runs at the prize with a stint and Sec. of State for the definitive progressive administration of the age…starting to look like a repeat of the life and times of William Jennings Bryan. (Sorry to insult the memory of WJB that way.) I cannot wait for her courtroom finale…should be one for the ages. As a matter fact, being the unscripted, original icon she is, that would be a good thing for MSNBC or CNN to come up with on the spot at her passing: “Now she belongs to the ages”
I think she’d get beat worse this time. She may have her core group of fans but I think there are Leftists/Progressive that hate her, especially after blowing it to Trump.
I don’t think the racial grievance groups will come out in percentages great enough this time if they didn’t the last. She barely kept the pot from boiling over on her side last time (and she cheated!).
By all mean Cankles – suck as much energy, money, goodwill, patience and oxygen out of the Leftist electorate as possible. She hasn’t gotten wiser, healthier, younger, more sober or ‘easier on the ears’.
I don’t believe it. With her age and health, and being a two-time loser, I just don’t see how she could get support for another run, even if she wants to do it. The Dems will be looking for someone more like Obama, only twice as radical. It would be Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez if she were old enough!
Good. If she runs she’ll lose again.
Moderator Note:
There's no need to personally attack fellow members.Careful, Jamie. You’re fixing to run afoul of Gary
“vote for a Democrat”Robbins.Uncalled for.
Moderator Note:
As a courtesy to fellow members, even those with unpopular opinions, please at least try to pretend that no fellow member deserves belittling. Please stick to attacking ideas, not people.I’m not following you. It’s uncalled for to mention that Gary has advocated voting for Democrats? I’m totally lost here. I’ll admit that I was belittling him,
but he deserves it.Sad to say, but she’s saner than most of the gathering Democratic field. Shrieking lefty kleptocrat to be sure, but some reality principle at work at times.
The biggest obstacle to her scoring a Trump-like victory in the Democratic primaries based on a hardcore faction of supporters is the strict proportional awarding of delegates in every primary and caucus. Even the superdelegates are going to be cut drastically this time through.
The Bernie bros aren’t going to forgive her shanking of their messiah either.
I dont think she’ll win the nomination in 2020. She’ll be too old, too white and to the right of the body of the party. Also, not to be too morbid, but what are the odds that she’s still around in 2020? If she wasnt in such tight control of the media – her health should have been an issue in 2016. I dont think the media will be as willing continue to be an open co-conspirator with Hillary, the next time.
Hey! I heard that!
What a horrible choice, Hillary or Trump! Hopefully, we will successfully primary Trump. Or the Dems will nominate a non-Socialist non-Crook. Or there will be a viable third choice.
Would you act and speak like this at a dinner party?
Yes, I would, I dont get many invitations.
2016 was an unique election – I dont think will be replicated – both parties got locked into an adverse selection process. Where they both selected the worst possible candidate. (knowing what was known in 2016)
To be fair, for some reason all politiicans always deny they’re considering running for President, right up until the day they announce their candidacy.
Ain’t gonna happen.
Who’s the last major party nominee who lost the election and then got renominated for another try – Nixon?
Yes, but not exactly because most politicians start small. They don’t begin their political careers after living in the White House for 8 years, deeply connected and networked with key members of every segment of elites in media, the press, business, donors and other politicians. And it was an unprecedented move which was quite threatening to other Democrats. Being a junior Senator was a step down in status and dignity, and we all know you can’t change the world as a Senator.
The question isn’t, “will she win the nomination”.
The point of interest is will she run for the nomination and how would that effect the dynamics within the Dem Party.
Young people don’t like her. And old people mostly liked Bill. But now, Bill Clinton is seen as old and rapey like Bill Cosby. She has become a punchline and elitists cannot support a punchline. Ask yourself, if you are an elitist in a faculty lounge, who can you say you support in 2020 that would get the most admiration from the others?
As to dinner parties, I don’t go to the ones where people make a habit of bringing up the same subject- or the same aspect of a certain subject – at every opportunity and refuse to take cues from the rest of the attendees, and then hide behind some codified etiquette and act appalled when someone calls out their behavior.
I hope people will address my questions and we can speculate on how the Dems would play out this horror of Hillary in the 2020 primaries, but if not, that’s okay, I can have fun in different directions.
At this point, she is giving the impression she will run. This will suppress the establishment Democrat candidates from starting a run because they know how vicious the Clintons are. Likewise with Democratic establishment electoral money and infrastructure. This will continue until Hillary is not giving the impression she will run or continues to fall over with increasing visability. Therefor, until that time, only cranks from the far left like Bernie, or non politicians like Bloomberg or Marc Weaselburg will announce and start building a machine.
This seems bad for the Democratic party.