Posted on 10/17/2010 5:39:06 PM PDT by libh8er
LONDON: Speculation is rife that Hillary Clinton may run for the US president's office in 2016, as her husband Bill is back on the campaign trail -- offering thanks to those who backed her in 2008 against Barack Obama, a media report said.
According to Britain's 'The Daily Telegraph', former President Bill Clinton has been laying the foundations for the Secretary of State's another try in 2016, by campaigning for Democratic politicians who helped his wife Hillary run for the president's office against President Obama two years back.
In fact, Bill, now a globe-trotting philanthropist, went to Española, New Mexico, the site of the first European colony in America, last week to campaign for Diane Denish, the Democratic candidate for the governor.
Denish had supported Hillary against Obama in 2008 and Bill was back to repay the debt; he made crystal clear who he was representing on the campaign trail -- and it wasn't Obama, the report said.
"I planned to do about one stop for everybody that helped Hillary run for president because she's one of only two members of the president's cabinet who cannot participate in politics," he told a gathering of 4,000 people.
As Secretary of State, he reminded people, is not permitted to campaign. "Then I got out here and started stirring around and realised that a lot of people were mad and even more confused and I didn't want it on my conscience so I just loaded up and started strolling around," Bill said.
Bill's energetic reappearance on the campaign trail comes just as rumours, some of them eagerly fuelled by the Clinton camp, swirl that Hillary might replace the hapless Joe Biden as Obama's vice-presidential running mate in 2012 or even challenge the President for the Democratic nomination if his popularity continues to slide.
Well in this case please let us all die on Dec 21,2012! No more Clintons!!!!!
Well, it doesn't take a genius to read this ball game, but I appreciate the props.
I should re-state one thing, though, and that is, if Hillary were to challenge Obama in the primary, and won, she'd still face daunting odds against the Republican challenger.
She can't beat The One in the primary unless he and his agenda have been thoroughly rejected and disowned by the Democrat base. If that's the case, then the majority of the country will not give the White House back to the Democrats under (almost) any circumstances.
The way I see it, the Obama agenda has no chance of maintaining any credibility until 2012. In fact, it's already dead, as proven by the coming Democrat defeat in November.
Some questions: Will the Democrat base actually reject and disown the Obama agenda in great enough numbers to hand the nomination to Hillary in 2012? Can she successfully position herself far enough to the right to be believable?
That remains to be seen.
As I said, the Dems have a very tough road ahead, no matter how you look at it. I really wouldn't want to be one of their chief strategists at the moment. I'd probably become an alcoholic .. LOL
While Hillary remains popular, and has ambitions, will it really happen? There was no enthusiasm for a defeated Al Gore or a defeated John Kerry to ever run for president again. People are always looking for new faces, in both major parties. Would Hillary really have a good chance, especially if some unknown charismatic Democrat, not unlike Obama in ‘08, captures the imagination of the Democrat voters and caucus goers and minorities and young people???? Just asking the question. Hillary could well be perceived as yesterday’s news if she ran again.
The only contest Hillary will be running for in 2016 is the Madeline Albright look alike contest. This filly has the inside track.
Totally agreed. I've been saying that since Obama ripped the nomination away from her. Not only is she "old news", she's old. We've never had a woman president before, and I don't think America is going to elect some puffed up old biddy who's already passed her freshness date on the national stage.
Hillary would get her clocked cleaned by Sarah, if it came to a head to head match-up. Sarah represents a new and exciting future of great promise, while Hillary represents more of the grinding misery of progressive government we're already suffering under. That is already being strongly refudiated by the people, and Hillary cannot disown those politics, no matter how hard she tries.
We thought Clinton was dead meat after 1994. He beat the snot out of us the next two elections. Each electoral cycle is different.
Yes, each electoral cycle is different. This one will be one for the history books. Obama has made such a shambles of everything he's touched, that there's no way he can be re-elected. He's Jimmy Carter revisited, on steroids.
Make no mistake about it. The coming Democrat wipe out in November is a referendum on Obama and his agenda. Because of him (and Pelosi+Reid), the Dems will limp through the next two years and thank their lucky stars that they even survived to tell the tale. I think they'll be happy to get yoke of the presidency off their neck in 2012.
How will Hillary whine “They’re picking on the Girl”... When she’s running against Palin and her successfull 1st term in 2016....
Behind the scenes, a face-saving reason for Obama deciding not to run for re-election is invented (i.e. health problems) and he is out of the race. Enter HRC and Obama throws his enthusiastic support to her, nullifying the potential "angry black vote" that would otherwise come out against her.
I'm sorry. I was born and raised in that community, and I can tell you that they will not buy this lie. They are going to deduce that Obama has been thrown under the bus by the Clintons, and they will boycott the elections in droves. That, of course, will guarantee a Republican win.
If the Democrats have any last vestige of fight (or sense) left in them by 2012, they won't try this. On the other hand, if the real movers and shakers conclude that they're out in 2012 anyway, they just may support this to get rid of Obama and the Clintons in one fell swoop.
Of course, they'd have to convince black voters that it was all a plot by the Clintons, in order to keep them on the plantation.
“What they’re really going to need is a conservative, who’s willing to roll back the worst of that party’s abuses. I don’t see any such animal in their party, and I highly doubt that one even exists.”
Could they bring Lieberman back in from the cold, and fake it with him? Or is he too old?
You think so? Alright. Here's your assignment.
Come up with a campaign statement that creates the impression in voters' minds that Hillary Clinton is "historic", and not just "history".
Further, convince voters that Palin is not, and cannot be that "historic" individual.
I'm afraid that the "historic" angle only works if Hillary is running against a white man, and frankly, I don't think that voters are going to be all that much in the mood for another "historic" president. However, they will be very ready for a president who has the right (i.e., conservative) ideas, and the track record to back them up.
Hillary doesn't have the right credentials to win the 2012 election.
Being a Democrat from 2010 onward, is going to be a whole new ballgame. I hope the new ballgame is akin to the "Christians vs. Lions" matinees they used to have at the Colosseum.
As far as Hilly goes, it's 2012 or bust for her. If a large constituency of the Rats, such as the black voter shuns them, then she'll do worse than either McGovern or Mondale. Personally, I like the sound of that.
I don't think there's any way around it. She's already perceived as yesterday's news. Think about it. By 2012, she'll have been on the national stage for 20 years.
If she'd been moving steadily toward the top of the party apparatus as an elected official during all of those years, it might be perceived that the presidency is her next logical step, but that's not the case with her political career.
She hasn't tread the tried and true path to the White House that most presidents have. With the exception of Obama, most presidents have been Governors or Senators (of long tenure). The country is now experiencing what happens when you hand the presidency over to a relative novice with little to no executive experience. They're not likely to repeat that mistake any time soon.
Short analysis: I think Hillary has already been consigned to the same dustbin as other failed Democrat presidential hopefuls.
That’s one Hell of an interesting scenario!!! Very interesting to consider!
I don't think Lieberman would even accept the offer, if tendered, even though he's the closest thing they have to a real centrist.
He'd be a bad pick because he's simply not inspiring, nor does he seem like much of a leader. I'd say that he's their McCain. It would be an admission of abject failure for them to run him, after having stormed the galaxy with The One Light Worker.
I really hope that Hillary and her advisors are smarter than that. 2008 was really her last, best shot at the presidency.
1. She's already been on the national stage for nearly 20 years.
2. She was already Bill Clinton's "co-president".
3. She's already lost one presidential bid.
4. She's got the same political agenda as the current president (which is being soundly rejected as we speak).
5. She's old, and she wears it badly (unlike say, Lady Thatcher).
6. She's already lost much of the PUMA vote to Sarah Palin, who exemplifies the feminist ideal 1,000% better than Hillary does (she's ridden her hubby's coat tails her whole career).
7. She's the ultimate Democrat, which is a negative in the current political climate.
For these reasons, and others, she stands little chance of winning the Democrat nomination, or the 2012 election.
Good points, and all of your analyses are solid and interesting. One factor which would throw a lot of initiative back to the Democrats however, is if the GOP runs another cull. Specifically, Mitt Romney.
If 2012 was Romney v. Rodham, with social conservatives and black Democrats deciding it was a perfect day to stay home and watch the shadows lengthen . . .
Someone would win with a plurality of the vote.
I totally agree. That's why 2012 would be the last shot she'd take. In 2016, she'll be 4 more years removed (and older). She'll be the Rat John McCain.
First of all, RCP has Obama at 44% approval rating and not a truly disastrous 30% or lower. It’s still mid-term.
Obama will have to step aside and endorse Hillary in order for her to succeed in 2012.
With IA and NH (ugh..) voting in early Jan, 2012, the presidential primary season starts in just months.
We haven’t even seen the results of 2010 yet.
The economy could improve enough in 2011 to get Obama reelected.
The economy could drag on and Reps could take the blame when the media screeches about “the party of no.”
Sarah Palin is releasing a new book in late Nov of this year. I think this is her “campaign book” like Obama and Dean each had. Certainly looks like she is running for president.
I wholeheartedly agree.
There is only one person in the GOP who can make the Democrats throw in the towel, and that's Sarah Palin. No matter what anyone thinks of her, she is the 800 pound gorilla in the room, and the person with the greatest momentum and support going into the primaries. There's no one, including Romney, who even comes close to her standing on the national stage.
It's also been said by many observers that Michael Steele's strong validation and indication of support for Sarah at her October 13th Anaheim speech is strong evidence that the Republican party establishment has seen the light, and are now lining up behind Sarah for 2012.
It's become glaringly apparent to many, that all of the stars are aligned for Palin to capture the nomination, then go on to take the White House in 2012.
I honestly don't believe that the other hopefuls stand a chance, at this point. I'm pretty sure that the party insiders have read the Tea leaves, and have realized that they will lose the presidency again, if they DON'T run Sarah Palin.
I believe 2016 is out of the question for HRC for the reasons described above. However, consider this scenario for 2012 which I believe is very feasible:
The GOP takes control of Congress next month and Obama continues to slide out of favor with the Democratic powers-that-be. Sarah Palin announces her candidacy in the spring and opens up a double-digit lead on Obama. Sometime next summer, Obama is told by his handlers that his re-election chances are virtually nil.
Behind the scenes, a face-saving reason for Obama deciding not to run for re-election is invented (i.e. health problems) and he is out of the race. Enter HRC and Obama throws his enthusiastic support to her, nullifying the potential "angry black vote" that would otherwise come out against her.
Obama will have a challenger in 2012. He is just doing to bad of a job. It will be like Ted Kennedy running in 1980.
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