Given the fact that Hillary Clinton lost two presidential campaigns and had to slash prices on her recent speaking tour just to get people to attend, it would seem that most Democrats would realize that people don’t think much of the former Secretary of State. However, the opposite seems to be true as Democrat presidential hopefuls are competing with each other to win Hillary Clinton’s endorsement ahead of what is certain to be a testy 2020 presidential election.
Aspiring presidential hopefuls who have already met with Hillary Clinton include Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Kamala Harris, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. Furthermore, as Clinton spokesperson Nick Merrill recently reported, Mrs. Clinton is willing to meet with just about any Democratic politician who is interested in speaking with her.
There are a few reasons why Democratic presidential hopefuls still think Mrs. Clinton is actually important. One reason is that the Clintons are known to have a strong fundraising network, and anyone running for the presidency is going to need large sums of money to get through a grueling primary and then tackle President Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton’s campaign spent a staggering $768 million dollars in 2016, and it is not unrealistic to think the next Democrat presidential hopeful will need to spend a similar amount or even more, especially considering the fact that hardly any of the Democratic candidates are as well-known as Hillary Clinton. Additionally, many Democrats are aware of the fact that there are plenty of people who still respect Hillary Clinton, even though they are likely overestimating the number of people who would vote for a candidate simply because Mrs. Clinton had endorsed him or her.
Ironically, Clinton isn’t just talking about endorsement possibilities with aspiring presidential candidates. She is also apparently giving advice on how to run a presidential campaign. As her spokesman artfully put it, she is talking to fellow Democrat politicians about the challenges and pitfalls of running for president. However, it’s hard to imagine exactly what type of advice she would share given the fact that, during the 2016 presidential campaign, Mrs. Clinton alienated key voter blocks, paid insufficient attention to swing states and simply assumed she would win.
It has yet to occur to Clinton that these and other mistakes are what led to her surprising loss in 2016. Instead, she has blamed literally everyone else for her loss, including women voters, white voters, former U.S. President Barack Obama, former FBI director James Comey and Sen. Bernie Sanders and his supporters. If Mrs. Clinton is offering advice based on her actions during and immediately after her failed presidential run, those who are listening to her could very well be setting themselves up to fail.
Somehow the Democratic Party cannot get away from Hillary Clinton. Part of the problem is that, of course, Clinton refuses to accept the fact that the American people have soundly rejected her presidential aspirations. In fact, there are still rumors that Clinton is still considering running yet again in 2020.
The other part of the problem is that the Democratic party is essentially leaderless. It does not have an appealing candidate who would satisfy far-left Democrat voters as well as the independent and fairly moderate voters the party would need in order to win a presidential election. Instead, it is open season as a plethora of ambitious politicians gear up to run for the presidency.
Because these politicians lack name recognition, and former President Barack Obama has already stated that he does not wish to get deeply involved in the 2020, desperate Democratic presidential hopefuls are turning to the only person they know who can provide them with the cash.
~ Liberty Planet
