‘How do you solve a problem like Obama?’

Yes, it’s a The Sound of Music reference.  It’s also a real issue for any Democrat out there who is thinking of running for President in 2016.  Basically, the President is not getting any more popular – quite the opposite, really – but his base supporters still love him.  Or at least still pretend that they do.  Figuring out how to balance the two, mutually contradictory objectives is going to be a fun game for the Other Side to play for the next few years*.

Hillary Clinton apparently decided to not even try

In a speech in Washington on FridayHillary Clinton repeatedly criticized economic and social conditions under President Obama, barely mentioning the accomplishments of the man who appointed her secretary of State. Clinton’s address, at the New America Foundation, was a broad indictment of the country’s current leadership, with exactly one — one — note of praise for the Democratic president Clinton has called her partner and friend.

Byron York thinks that this means that Hillary Clinton is going to run with a big, healthy distance between her and Barack Obama. I agree that this is a legitimate interpretation, but so is the one where we conclude that this speech means that she’s not going to run at all. Personally, I would prefer that she does – I like the idea of the opposition candidate being older and less healthy than mine – but it’s not up to me, more’s the pity. And not that it really matters, anyway.  What really matters here is that we are seeing confirmation of something that we already knew: to wit, that Barack Obama did not transform Washington.  He currently mildly embarrasses it, or at least the portion of it that is associated with the Beltway.

Via Instapundit.

Moe Lane

*Spoiler warning: they can’t actually win that game.

4 thoughts on “‘How do you solve a problem like Obama?’”

  1. Obama could run as a complete phony because he had an obscure background (though if you looked hard enough, you could see what he was).
    Hillary’s problem is that everyone knows what she is.

  2. I reiterate the theory that Hillary isn’t running, she’s clearing the way and catching early flak for someone else, with the intent of securing Team Clinton’s position as elder statesbeings* and kingmakers…
    .
    Worth noting that the Dem stable is .. pretty empty. Biden can’t run away from Obama the way Hillary is; Cuomo could run away, but he’d be a disaster on several other fronts; Deval Patrick is an even worse option.
    .
    What this cat thinks is *really* going on is Hillary isn’t running, she isn’t clearing the position, she’s saving her party .. she’s keeping all the minor candidates who have a prayer in 2016 hidden under rocks until it’s too late, then she’ll bow out on a medical and the party – the “superdelegates” specifically – will pick someone they think can win.
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    Mew
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    .
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    * because “statespersons” is species-ist and “statesmen” is doubly so

  3. While I would relish the idea of beating a Clinton in the General, the GOP as a whole seems to have ingrained in their minds that Hillary is some sort of Giant and that only a specific candidate with David like qualities can beat her and no one else.

    I for one thing she’s incredibly vulnerable in the General and even the primary ( as Obama showed in 08) but leave it to the GOP not to test that.

    Despite her weaknesses and age, Hillary is the only candidate the Dems have that could credibly win in 2016 ( others can’t win short of a GOP implosion)

    Cuomo would’ve been credible by virtue of being the Gov. of New York ( lots of Govs from NY run for POTUS both R and D or are potential candidates)

    But he threw it all away on gun control and further ruined his image as a “moderate” when he pushed for non-doctor abortions.

    So far our side should be allowed a quest for purity in 2016 though I fear the usual suspects ( DrewMtips, Michelle Malkin, etc.) are going to poison the well and burn as many candidates to the point that only the least conservative candidate can win ( e.g. Jeb Bush or Chris Christie) kind of like what they did in 2012 that resulted in Mitt Romney ( specifically the asinine Gardasil argument against Perry and the dispute over instate tuition)

    They’ve done it to Jindal, they’re currently doing it to Pence, and will soon do it to Walker ( who took some funds from ACA to temporarily expand Medicaid, the point of contention over Pence right now who used the funds to expand the existing HIP program rather then Medicaid)
    And Walker has supported Common Core consistently to my knowledge, whereas Pence’s mistake was to listen and then attempt to act upon the concerns of Common Core opponents ( but apparently not to their liking) so now he’s being accused of “rebranding” it. Comparisons to Mike Huckabee of course abound.

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