Contemplating a Hillary Candidacy?
Any time you see Bill Clinton slithering onto a stage, you can assume something sneaky is close at hand. As BusinessInsider is reporting, Clinton is critical of Obama’s Deficit Plan on the basis that it raises taxes during a recession. Now for all his spouting about being a “centrist Democrat,” the truth is that Bill Clinton isn’t really a small government sort of guy, so you may wonder what’s really going on here. As I explained to you that Barack Obama’s Deficit/Debt Plan, which is a hard-left plan going nowhere, but offered as a way to solidify Obama’s hard-left base, you might consider against whom he wishes to defend his re-nomination. The answer is none other than his own Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
What Bill Clinton is doing in this instance is a step in positioning, whereby Hillary will challenge Obama from “the center” which is ground she doesn’t occupy, but in a contested primary, she might be able to claim, knowing that in any general election, the base will come home to her. It’s basically the Democrat version of what Romney is gambling: Capture the more moderate wing of his party, and gamble that the base will support him in the general election.
This is a strategy with which the Clintons are very familiar. It’s how they managed to climb into power the first time around, with a little help from Ross Perot. Slick is simply laying the groundwork for Hillary, who while claiming she will not run, nevertheless seems increasingly likely to jump in given the extreme dissatisfaction among the base of the party. No in truth, the hard-core left of the Democrat party knows Hillary is every bit as socialistic as they are, but what she offers is a fresh chance to fool independents and moderates. Obama is so damaged with the political middle in the country that it may be completely impossible for him to recover.
The Clintons are gambling on a little positioning to place Hillary to the right of Obama, and Bill’s distancing from Obama’s proposed tax increases is a part of laying that groundwork. Be prepared to be told that “Hillary is a centrist.” Don’t believe it, because it’s a thorough lie, but that’s how it will be presented. This is why Hillary has carefully cultivated an image as a hard-working, always on-the-go Secretary of State: She’s trying to establish her foreign policy and executive experience credentials. As the head of the Department of State, she will claim that experience, but the problem will be in demonstrating her effectiveness.
Don’t be surprised when Hillary jumps into the race. She’s already the most popular Democrat in the country. When you begin to combine all of these stories, you see a clear pattern, and it looks increasingly probably that Hillary Clinton will join the race. That will make for a knock-down, drag-out fight as Obama has lost the confidence of many in his party, and in left-wing intelligentsia. The Democrats aren’t so happy or in nearly the lock-step bliss they would like for you to believe.
This is what I've been thinking about since Hillary has been all POTUS looking lately getting more visible with these last few speeches. Never underestimate the Clintons.
The country has had it with democrats. Expecting one of them to fix the other's mess will not fly with the general electorate this time 'round. If they want to beat each other up in their own primary…fine. SP's biggest challenge is for the nomination and against the "Cocktail Party GOP" establishment. After that, it's a cakewalk no matter who she faces.
There will be some smaller portion of establishment types who will attempt to undermine her even if she gets the nomination. The GOP establishment contains an element that would rather the remainder of the party lose an election than to let a common-sense conservative, non-establishment type win. Thankfully, their numbers are small.
Mark, you're reading this accurately, as you always do.
The scenario raises very interesting questions:
The national mood is one that's fed up, especially with anything that sniffs of liberalism. Does Hillary really want to expose herself to the backlash coming against Democrats in 2012? She'll be seen as complicit in the current mess.
Would the Democrat Party really allow this to happen? I the principle of getting rid of the gangrene (Obama) to save the body (Democrat Party) but it's a gamble that only further jeopardizes their already dire prospects. Yes, i know the Clintons would try to sell centrism and sell the Clinton "prosperity" of the '90s (that he wasn't responsible for) but the nation wants a return to conservation, to traditional values. Two things the nation knows aren't a part of the Clintons' code.
The black vote. They're going to go absolutely haywire if Obama were to lose a primary (or general election). If he were to "bow out" of his reelection bid, the black vote has no reason to turn out en masse to support an older, white, female has-been in Hillary. That only adds to the Dem vote deficit in the general.
The Senate, along with the House, is bound to be Republican after the 2012 elections. Why would Hillary want to work with a Congress that would have no interest in passing anything she wanted?
I don't doubt for a second that a Hillary candidacy/Obama defeat or bow out is being cooked up behind the scenes as we speak. It's a half-brained concoction to "save" the Democrat Party and preserve the Marxist/Soros agenda that Obama and Valerie Jarrett lit. I just think whatever they're scheming will be yet another tone deaf, gross misreading of the country's mindset. Incumbent presidents in poor times, even more importantly colleagues of incumbents in poor times, get punished. I think Hillary and Bill would be asking for it big time.
"I understand the principle of…", I meant. ;)
Don't doubt for a second the Clintons will try this. This is their last chance at getting back in. Hillary will be to old in 2016. There are to many people who will believe whatever the MSM will tell them. The Dem power structure may try to hang these scandals on Obama and tell him either step aside or we will let the hearings begin then it's off to prison for him. If he steps aside they will block any hearings, make up some phony job for him and pay him with their graft and allow him to keep all the money he has stolen.
The problem is the premise that the country has any appetite for Hillary Clinton or for another Democrat president in 2012. It doesn't.
What policies could Hillary suggest? The nation associates the current malaise with Democrats. The 2010 elections and, more recently, New York and Nevada special elections remind us of this.
Again, the black vote will be a problem for Dems in 2012. If Obama steps aside "on his own", and Hillary, a white candidate who will be perceived to have taken their black president away from them, is installed, they'll stay home in mobs. If Hillary primaries Obama and beats him outright, see above scenario.
And again, a Hillary presidency would be lame duck from the start. A GOP congress would starve her of any legislation.
In her interview with Hannity a couple days ago, Sarah Palin essentially said she expects a primary challenge for Obama. I def took note of her demeanor. The look in her eyes spoke volumes about the coming 14 months.