Will Hilary Clinton make that final crack?
The moment finally arrived – former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially announced her candidacy to run as President of the United States in 2016. After much speculation about her candidacy over the past year, the publishing of her biography ‘Hard Choices’, the media’s Hillary hysteria that has written on her every move, she finally made the official announcement and has hit the campaign trail. Most people have said that it was inevitable. She could not turn down the opportunity when it, for the time being, seems so clearly in her favor to win it all.
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Clinton’s actions over the last year have been typical of potential candidates, including her involvement in the November 2014 General Elections, as well as publicly announcing her stance on policy issues such as immigration, the economy, U.S.-Cuban relations, and women’s issues. After her first failed run for the Democratic nomination in 2008, Clinton continued to remain in the public eye and rumors circulated on the potential for her to run on the ballot with her former opponent, Barack Obama, as Vice President. The role of Secretary of State was instead offered to her by President Obama, which she held through his first term as President and then left the political arena for sometime. Speculation of her preparing for her candidacy began after the time she left, even with the harsh media and political criticisms following the Benghazi attacks.
When Hillary Clinton conceded her loss in 2008 as the Democratic Presidential nominee in Washington D.C:, she said: “The glass ceiling is shattered.” It was indeed a phenomenal run and an even harsher loss for the women’s movement that championed her. It seemed voters were not quite ready for Hillary at that time. But are they really ready for Hillary now?
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According to polling data on RealClearPolitics, they are. Clinton continues to lead all other potential Democratic nominees by double digits and holds a lead against all Republican nominees and potentials by at least 7.5 points or more. It seems that voters are definitely ready to make Clinton their Democratic nominee, though the same could have been said back in 2008 until then-Senator, Barack Obama shocked her campaign and claimed victory. However, although a few Democrats, such as Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders have hinted at running, Clinton is the only candidate that has officially declared her candidacy. This has led some to believe that her Democratic nomination is a foregone conclusion in the race because other Democrats have yet to step up to the plate. Meanwhile several Republican’s have already declared their candidacy.
If anything, the 2008 Presidential and 2014 General elections should be ones to learn from. The 2008 Presidential election saw a top candidate defeated by a younger, more progressive, more tech-savvy, and less experienced candidate, as well as an increase in partisan politics. The 2014 General Election saw the GOP take control over the Senate, even though they had the Congressional leaders that
spearheaded the shutdown of the government and plummeted their approval rating. The one thing to take away from these events is that U.S. politics never has a foregone conclusion. Hillary Clinton may seem inevitable, but it is only the beginning of her campaign – there are smear efforts yet to come, Democratic underdogs yet to emerge, debates yet to be had and scandals yet to occur.
The “Ready for Hillary” campaign is definitely not looking at her as a foregone conclusion and neither is the candidate, who appears to have learned a lot from her previous effort. Clinton’s campaign has started off strong, taking advantage of new technology to promote her campaign and mobilise supporters, especially younger generations, much like Obama did on his campaign. She has also taken some
surprisingly populist stances on issues, diverging from her previous image of ’too Wall Street’ and praises efforts from liberal dynamos like
Elizabeth Warren in combating the influence of Wall Street in the politics.
Clinton’s entry into the race has also lit a fire under the GOP and right-wing Presidential candidates who are putting their resources into combating the Ready for Hillary campaign. Whether Republican’s will be able to counter her campaign is questionable; Hillary’s baggage from the Bill Clinton scandal to Benghazi has already been highlighted over and over in the media. Likewise, her exit as Secretary of State several years ago has allowed her to stay away from the political realm (and any potential scandals that could have occurred) while still allowing her to remain relevant because of the publishing of ‘Hard Choices’ and her philanthropic work on vital issues afterwards.
Rand Paul is the 2016 Republican Presidential Nominee. Image Source: http://theatln.tc/1KxYJpP
The Republican Presidential candidates, such as Rand Paul, have begun
investigative efforts to hinder Clinton’s campaign, but they have yet to combat her stance on the issues at this time. With focus continually on her past, it seems that the right is hoping to create enough doubt in voters by showcasing the less glamorous moments from her past. However, the Clinton campaign appears to hold solid ground on most if not all of the issues that could derail her momentum.
As it is, Hillary Clinton’s entrance into the race could be a game changer for U.S. American politics. While an increase of bipartisan politics would be difficult to predict, especially when the void has become more significant since Obama has taken office, her political influence is globally significant. Hillary Clinton has already broken records for votes gained by any female contender during a campaign and if she does win the Presidency, she will be marked in U.S. history.
foreign countries are ready for hillary, are you America?!! be sure to have enough cash to donate so you won’t lose to the highest bidder!!!
There are two Presidential candidates that we should not vote for: Mrs. H. Clinton and Mr. J. Bush. I’m not going to argue their fitness for the job… I will argue that we must put an end to the notion that the Presidency somehow belongs to a select family… a Dynasty.
If not either of them, then who? I’d argue that Jeb Bush’s chances to get the Republican nomination are not as likely as Clinton’s to receive the Dem.nom. Hillary Clinton has been a leader for the left, however Bush and almost all the Republicans in the race right now are lacking party leadership.