Hillary just put out her first ad. Hotline has it. So I pose a question:
Does she have to run for President in 2008? Not necessarily.
Let’s go back to the basics and think about her position:
- First of all, to quote a friend of mine from IA Democratic politics, “Is there anyone in the world who is persuadable on her?” The answer is, fewer voters every year don’t know who she is. Some die and some become new voters.
- People hate her. Even Democrats hate her.
- Why do people think that she is unbeatable if she runs? She has the largest fundraising operation in the country
So here’s a thought. Why doesn’t she run for VP? You can’t really attack a VP candidate. Is someone really going to vote against the Dem ticket because she’s VP? At the same time, she can deliver her organization for someone else in 2008. And then in 2016, she has a clear shot, and 8 more years of voter attrition and positive name ID as VP…
She and Bill are smart enough. They could be thinking like this.
3 Comments
tainted001 · August 21, 2006 at 9:03 PM
Yes. Yes people would not vote for the Dem ticket because she’s VP. Just like some didn’t vote for John Kerry because they didn’t like his wife. A section of the American public is more fickle than we’d like to believe. Also, no sane President would choose a VP that would a) draw as much attention as she would b)draw as much criticism as she would c)create as many problems as she would.
Hillary is not a centrist not quite a liberal in much of the public’s eyes. If she was VP, she would neither secure the base, or win over moderates. If moderates need to be won over, Evan Bayh could be VP. If the base needs to be secured, Feingold would be able to do that.
I think the most interesting scenario is Hillary as Majority Leader. Would this put her pronounced moderation on hold? The battles between her and a Republican President (especially if a GOP’er wins in 08′) could be historic. EVen as a freshman, she has impressed many with her mastery of Senate Rules and Bylaws…she would be one hell of a majority leader. You know…assuming the Democrats are able to take back the Senate by 08′.
Hillary as Senate Democratic Leader — The Hillary Movement at eyeon08.com · August 22, 2006 at 3:56 PM
[…] What is this about? Ezra Klein writes about this in the LATimes. The answer is simple. It is about turning her into the national boss of the Democratic Party. She would use her fundraising network to raise money for candidates and pick candidates in primaries. She would use her power in the Senate to control the debate to shape the message of the Democratic Party. This is a Newt-like ambition and vision. Her husband failed to shape the party. He tried to tack to the center and the party rebelled after he left, starting with Gore’s populism in 2000. This would be a place from which they could shape their party. The question is whether they are more interested in the office of the President than the future of their party. That is what I failed to communicate the other day in my post on her future. […]
eyeon08.com » Hillary, high name id and familiarity, and running for President with a record · September 3, 2006 at 7:19 AM
[…] Today the Blogosphere is buzzing with the news that people are advising Hillary Clinton not to run for President. Some discuss her future as the Democrat’s Senate Leader. I have written earlier about some of this here and here. Why is she considering this? There are several theories: […]
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