I’ve already gotten a lot of interesting responses to my Hillary question below. And I’m going to be publishing a lot of them over the weekend. But this one has a fascinating twist.
From TPM Reader EB …
Here are my thoughts on Hillary…
Back in ’06 and ‘07, I was 100% against Hillary and pulling for Obama to first enter the race and then become the nominee because I thought that Obama would give us the best chance, if he won, to move beyond the partisan politics of both the Clinton and Bush years.
Now, after having watched Hillary serve as Sec. of State and knowing that the Republicans had a dinner a couple of days BEFORE Obama’s inauguration where they vowed to block anything he did as President, I’m fully behind Hillary as President for ’16. Her becoming President might finally be the straw that breaks the camel’s back when it comes to actually governing. I’m not counting on it and if it doesn’t, at least she cements Obama’s gains and legacy.
It makes me sick to imagine where we would be in terns of our economy and infrastructure if Obama had gotten any reciprocity for the open hand he showed to the Republicans numerous times during his first six years in office. And because of that, screw ‘em. Go Hillary ’16.
Late Update: TPM Reader S adds to the theme …
I was 100% Obama in ’08, not because I thought the GOP wouldn’t do what they do, but because he had the best shot at not getting dragged down by drama and hangers on like the Clintons. Hillary though, I’ve always thought would be an excellent cleanup hitter to what Obama signed into law. 8 years after a Hillary presidency, healthcare as a citizen right will be baked into society, and no one is probably more ruthlessly prepared to defend Obama’s gains than her.
It made sense to get the “nice” Obama Presidency finished first, then send in the Hillary knife fighters. If there’s nothing more than eight years of drama, that will still mean no going back on Obama’s progressive gains. As much as I love Warren, the next 2 Presidential terms should be about gain consolidation. By the time her terms are up, the demographics will be so stacked against the GOP hardliners, it won’t matter much who the Dems run.
