Because stories like this suggest that maybe she doesn’t:
An internal debate among Hillary Clinton supporters about the timing of when she should launch her expected campaign for the presidency has erupted once again.
Several Democrats have told CNN that there is a desire on the part of Clinton and her innermost circle to go as late as possible. But the potential for a summer start to the official Clinton 2016 campaign, first reported this morning by Politico, is only one of the options on the table. The spring launch plan is still seen by most Clinton watchers as the most likely timing scenario. Under the spring scenario, Clinton could form an exploratory committee or other official vehicle, which has FEC-regulated restrictions for potential candidates, but would enable Clinton to publicly indicate her intentions and begin a new phase of the process without formally launching a full blown campaign until later in 2015.
Look, I’m not trying to be cute, here. If the people running the campaign have one opinion, and a sizable part of the campaign has another opinion, and the people running the campaign are not automatically winning that particular debate, then there’s something strange going on with the way things are being communicated in that campaign. And the most obvious reason for that is because the candidate herself is reluctant to commit to running – and it would, of course, be devastating to the campaign if the candidate dropped out of the race. I mean, these people have been clearing their schedules in order to be Ready For Hillary since, oh, 2009 or so. What shall they do if Hillary’s not ready for them?
Via Legal Insurrection.
I remain convinced that she’s not running, that she’s soaking up fire for a Dem to be named later in exchange for getting the Elanor Roosevelt Grand Dame of the Democrats throne and ring-kissing apparatus dusted off for her.
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Recall that, prior to JFK, the way one won the Democrat nomination was by tying up the superdelegates in back-room talks, and *then* getting coronated in public.
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Mew
I ain’t saying you’re wrong: I’m just wondering where the heck all the competent and credible Dem replacements are hiding. 🙂
As much as it pains me to say this, Moe … Bob Dole.
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Mew
I remember people getting “Ready for Hillary(tm)” in 2003. Since she seems to be nearing her sell-by date, she also seems to spend as much time doing damage control as actual campaigning these days.
And by “damage” I mean political and physical. She has not looked well of late.
I don’t think she’s running. She’ll make some money making speeches [although she’s apparently stopped doing this recently, which makes me wonder], she’ll have a kingmaker role, and maybe work towards something for her daughter.
The only thing worse than losing, and tarnishing her record further, would be winning, with 4 years of “that’s not how Bill would have done it.”
Chelsea is fit for a quiet sinecure somewhere doing something vague but impressive-sounding and cutting ribbons as a side-job. She has not made a name for herself in anything that she has done – and with the power behind her that says a lot.
The only thing the Democrats have to fear is a populist firebrand with little background erupting from nowhere and catching the hearts of the Democrat grassroots. Since William Jennings Bryan is (a) too fundamentalist Christian and (b) too dead the Democrats will have to wait for Elizabeth Warren.
(I can see Hillary tossing and turning at night as in her nightmares Liz Warren intones “Cross of Gold speech, Hillary. You already sold yourself to that master, and I can give that speech and have all of the delegates reject you. It was sooo close, Hillary, but always past your grasp…muah-ha-ha!”
And then she wakes up and yells, sinks back down to the pillows with her eyes darting about the room, thinking “It was just a bad dream; just a dream….”
Of course Hillary doesn’t want to run for President. No one sane does, it’s soul destroying thing (which is why Obama does enjoy it).
The real question is “does she want to be President enough to run for President?” I’m trying to figure out how much hell she’d get if she putzed around until August, sucking all the air out of the Democrat side of the race, and then announced she wasn’t going to run. I guessing it’s too much for her to do it, but that’s only my uninformed guess.