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politics and politicians Title: Hillary telling friends: If I thought there was an opening in the primary, I’d consider jumping in That is to say (and as others have already noted this morning), this story about rich Dems asking each other Is there anybody else? is really a story about them asking each other Is there anybody else besides Biden who can get in, hold off Warren and Sanders, and beat Trump and not end up confiscating half our wealth to fund their new programs when they do? Klobuchar and Buttigieg have been plugging away, offering themselves as a potential cure for Biden anxiety to moderate Democratic voters, but it just isnt happening for. (Except maybe in Iowa?) Who can save Wall Street liberals from their terrible predicament? There may be
one person. The chances that another major contender decides to run are remote: While Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Bloomberg have both been encouraged to enter the race, Democrats close to them believe the only scenario under which theyd consider running is if Mr. Biden drops out or is badly weakened
Democrats who have recently spoken with Mrs. Clinton say she shares the same concerns other party elites have about the field worried about Mr. Bidens durability, Ms. Warrens liberal politics and unsure of who else can emerge to take on Mr. Trump. But these people, who spoke anonymously to discuss private conversations, say she enjoys the freedom that comes with not being on the ballot. Shes not the only Democrat whos reportedly watching Biden wobble and worrying that something must be done. Theres Bloomberg, whos several months older than Biden; theres another former presidential loser, John Kerry; theres even Eric Holder, who seems convinced that theres some sort of constituency out there for him for reasons that completely escape me. Not coincidentally, these are all people linked to the neoliberal wing of the party. Progressives seem perfectly happy with their choices thanks to the one-two punch of Warren and Sanders: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 22, 2019 Its the bad luck of centrists that Biden has stayed aloft in the polls to date but without gaining the sort of altitude that would inspire confidence in his ability to put Warren away. Either a very good or a very bad showing by Grandpa Joe would have been tolerable to the partys Hillary wing. If he had gotten in and quickly began to sink, thats fine. Plenty of time for a Bloomberg-type to jump in and fill the vacuum. If instead he had gotten in and begun to soar in the polls, putting, say, 20 points between him and the progressives, that would be fine too. Obviously a candidate in that position is a strong favorite to win. But to get in, limp along through multiple debates, and enter the fall basically tied with Warren and only 10 points or so ahead of Sanders leaves moderate Dems paralyzed. If they try to push a big-name neoliberal into the race now, wont that help Warren by splitting the moderate vote? But if they dont push someone into the race, Biden might falter and Warren or Bernie might win the race in a walkover next spring. Let me ask this, though: If Hillary Clinton is the answer, whats the question? Nate Silver wonders that too. Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) October 22, 2019 Theres no reason to think Clinton would do any better head to head against Trump than one of the progressive candidates would. In fact, Id guess that her favorable rating nationally and even within the party is much worse than Warrens or Bernies is. I dont think shed neatly fill the vacuum left by Biden either. Hillary has more diehard fans than Biden does so thered be *some* insta-support for her, but shes literally the one person in America whos a proven failure at performing the core duty of this years nominee, which is, purely and simply, defeating Donald Trump. Shes Biden except with less of an electability argument. Progressives hate her already and would hate her even more for jumping in to try their thwart their Warren/Sanders bid for presidential power once again. Neoliberals may sympathize with her over 2016 but would also naturally look for an alternative, someone like Klobuchar with one one-thousandth as much baggage. Her terrible political instincts havent gotten better over time either. If its true that Hillary is mulling a candidacy, even as just an emergency thing in case something happens to Biden, why would she do something as reckless as accuse Tulsi Gabbard of being a Russian asset? Nominating Hillary again would make Democratic party unity in 2020 nearly impossible even under the best circumstances but smearing a progressive candidate as some sort of Russian operative makes it that much harder. Thats piss-poor politics for someone whos entertaining even the smallest chance of running herself and poor politics even if she isnt considering running. After all, as I said last night, attacking Gabbard will only serve to raise Tulsis profile in the primary and give lefties new reason to disdain the neoliberal wing of the party. All of which is to say that theres no room for Hillary in the primary even if Biden quits tomorrow. Moderate Dems are right to worry about a Warren or Sanders nomination; read this shrewd Sean Trende piece about how far-left candidates risk alienating the Democrats secret weapon in last years primaries, the well-heeled suburbanites who are pretty happy with their health insurance right now. But if Biden quit, theyd have a perfectly solid option in Klobuchar to rally around or, if theyre willing to overlook the fact that shes an awful retail politician, they could always give Kamala Harris a second look. The age of Hillary is done. Not even the coked-up writers of the President Trump reality show we now inhabit could invent a plot arc that restores her to political viability. I think. Poster Comment: The old bitch is tanned, rested and ready to jump in feet first. If only someone would ask her to...
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#1. To: Tooconservative (#0)
There isn't. Even the Democrats hate you Hillary, but by all means, add another defeat to your record.
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