Pundit: Hillary Is "Finished" as a Political Candidate

Lemme just put up a quick one. This seems pretty provocative. Worth thinking about, anyway, I guess.

This guy doubts Hillary will run at all, and says she can't win even if she does.

By Robert W. Merry

Hillary Clinton isn’t likely ever to become president of the United States. In fact, there is a greater possibility than is generally recognized by the Washington cognoscenti that she won’t even run. If she does, though, the barriers she faces will prove overwhelming. Her 2008 campaign was her last good shot for the office, and she failed. Since then, numerous developments have conspired steadily to diminish her prospects. Those prospects are now near zero.

...

The country is at an inflection point brought on by its crisis of political deadlock. It desperately needs a new brand of politics that can break the deadlock and set it upon a new course toward its future and destiny....

If so, Mrs. Clinton isn’t going to be able to withstand these winds of change. Her recent autobiography betrays a politician seemingly devoid of fresh thinking or even a recognition of what kind of political message is required by the temper of our times. In some eras of our political past, this wouldn’t have been a handicap. In today’s political climate, it is likely to be fatal.

...

And so it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that for 2016, Hillary’s handicaps are insurmountable. [T]here is a greater likelihood than is generally recognized that she will vacate the field before the battle begins.

Eh, I love quoting all that, but I believe none of it.

Merry's reasons for claiming Hillary cannot win -- that we are in a "transitional" period in politics, and Hillary is too hidebound to establishment, "old" thinking -- is maybe something to consider, but it's merely a prediction based on speculation about a hypothesis. We are pretty far, in this statement, from anything tangible.

Furthermore, it is very possible that both the Democrat and GOP nominee will be bound by "old" style thinking.

The GOP candidate will be so pegged whether he aligns with the Establishment or the Tea Party. If the Establishment, well, that's clearly business-as-usual, same as Bush.

If the Tea Party, well, that's bringing us back to the old-style thinking of the 1920s -- same as Calvin Coolidge.

In no election, ever, will the media ever permit anyone but a Democrat to carry the mantle (by the way, how the hell do you carry or wear a mantle? seems pretty heavy) of the future-seeking nominee.

As for Hillary not running at all: The woman is nothing if not -- to say something nice --tenacious, and -- to say something not terribly nice -- ambitious, zealous for the cause of Women Just Like Her, and scheming.

Unless Hillary is in dire health, or suffers from a catastrophic Walker Mishap that renders her unable to run, I just can't see this woman not running.

This is her lifelong singular ambition. She's done very little else except but to position herself to become President. In most cases, her positioning was successful (in as much as each of her schemes did in fact bring her within sniffing distance of the Oval Office).

Now she's on the verge. She will almost certainly beat any comer in the Democratic primary-- which makes the possibility of her becoming president a coin-flip, fifty/fifty.

Better than fifty-fifty, actually, given the nation's unwelcome Preference Cascade in support of big government and socialistic policies. Something like 55/45.

How on earth could anyone not throw her hat in the ring when she's that close -- a 55/45 coin flip in her advantage -- to achieving her lifelong dream?

And she is very, very, extremely old, so when I say "lifelong," I'm talking about decades and decades and old and brokedown and the growing infirmity of the elder mind.

Mantle: Okay, I kinda figured that "mantle" must also mean some piece of clothing or badge of office.

In fact, the first definition is some kind of sleeveless cloak, often worn by bishops.

The "fireplace" definition is definition 14.

Engineering the Perfect Candidate:

posted by Ace at 02:33 PM

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