I like and admire Hilary - she’s certainly a strong woman.
But I do think there are two hurdles…
And she has already announced that she does not want it until then. She plans to leave the job next year one way or the other.
I think that was more of a problem for her when she was a partisan figure who conservatives hated whose only accomplishment was that she was a junior Senator.
Now she has a 60+% approval rating, Obama has succeeded in making conservatives reassess the Clinton Presidency, and that unfriendly demeanor if anything might help her be taken even more seriously.
Likeability is less of a factor when you are a person to be taken seriously. Most unlikeable candidates only think they should be taken seriously.
I’d vote for her, too. Hard to think of anyone more qualified for the job.
Lots of people more qualified for the job. Bill Richardson, Mark Warner, Joe Biden, Howard Dean, and that’s just the first few that come to mind.
Her experience consists of: First Lady, 8 years as a Senator, and Secretary of State.
Richardson: Congress, two term governor, Secretary of Energy, UN rep.
Warner: wildly successful businessman, governor, senator
Dean: longtime governor(12 years), DNC head.
Biden: Senator forever, VP
I like Clinton but I’ve never thought the President job was a good fit for her. At least in 2008 she had a huge chip on her shoulder which would have made her more hawkish than she really needed to be, and I’m not convinced that chip has gone. Conversely I think the SoS job is very well suited to her temperament and she’s done a good job there.
I also suspect that some of the 2008 dirt would be dug up again, most notably the “under fire” incident.
Such a rumor might have done some real damage back in the '90s, but these days I doubt most people would give a shit whether or not she had a lesbian fling back in the day.
After all, we’re all well aware of Bill’s indiscretions, and that doesn’t seem to be affecting his popularity.
One thing that I’ve never seen anyone argue with is that she is a very hard worker. She threw her heart and soul into her Senate job as well as Secretary of State. She’s smart, she’s hardworking, and her political philosophy is quite close to mine- what’s not to like? If she runs, she wins. The Clintons are very popular among blacks and Latinos and she would enjoy an even larger advantage among women than Obama does.
The only person who could seriously challenge her is Joe Biden. As much as I love Joe, he simply wouldn’t be as good a campaigner as Hillary.
Best part about a Hilary presidency would be watching the right wingnuts’ heads explode.
Biden can only challenge Clinton on paper. As a candidate he always implodes, assuming he gains traction in the first place. Plus Biden is actually old and seems old these days. Cute gaffes now are senior moments tomorrow. Clinton won’t have that problem.
The biggest challenge to Clinton will be Cuomo, O’Malley, Warner, or Schweitzer. There’s some seriously awesome Democratic governors who will be ready for the Presidency by 2016.
And the wingnuts heads won’t explode. That’s what happens if Obama wins a 2nd term. The Clintons are a lot more respected by the right than they used to be.
I’m not convinced Clinton is a “good campaigner”. Smart, savvy, hardworking - absolutely. But 2008 was hers to lose and she lost it.
And I can’t see Biden realilstically running either. The “new generation” will be on the move by 2016.
How strong was this hint?
Clinton: 'Evening, BBC!
BBC: Good evening.
Clinton: My uh…my wife’s a goer, eh? Know whatahmean, know whatahmean, nudge nudge, know whatahmean, say no more?
BBC: I, uh, I beg your pardon?
Clinton: My, uh, my wife, she’s gonna go, eh, in the future eh?
BBC: Well, she sometimes “goes”, on trips, yes.
Clinton: Aaaaaaaah bet she does, I bet she does, say no more, say no more, knowwhatahmean, nudge nudge?
BBC: I’m afraid I don’t quite follow you.
Clinton: Follow me. Follow me. That’s good, that’s good! A nod’s as good as a wink to a blind bat!
BBC: Is she, uh,…is she running for something?
Clinton: Running! Very good, very good! Ay? Ay? Ay? Oooh! Ya wicked Ay! Wicked Ay! Oooh hooh! Say No MORE!
Yeah, plus she’s only a secretary! (And the president is a mere community organizer.) By almost all accounts she’s done an excellent job as secretary of state and her resume is impressive.
She’s said almost since the inauguration that she intends to serve one term. In general that’s typical for secretaries of state, although there have been exceptions. In some cases she’s said she’s looking forward to retirement and professorships, and that’s the main obstacle here: she’d make a very strong candidate but I’m not sure she wants to go through all of that again. I think Bill certainly wants her to become president and thinks she’d do very well, but I’m not sure that indicates she’s really going to run. My inclination since 2009 has been that this is it for her.
I think that’s a little harsh. She spent eight years in the Senate working her way up and demonstrating that she was serious about that job, and I think she accomplished that. As it turned out, 2008 proved to be a great electoral cycle for a newcomer and Obama ran an excellent campaign. It’s true that her campaign screwed some things up, but all campaigns do. If she runs again she will almost certainly hire people who have a better understanding of how to work the caucus system.
During that primary season, I was a bigger fan of Obama than Hillary, but it was the first election for a Democratic Primary that I would not have been wildly upset if the opponent (Hillary) had won. I think most Democrats felt the same - two really good candidates - win/win situation. I believe there were all kinds of polls, even here on the SDMB, that showed Democrats would have gladly supported either candidate who won the Primary.
As Secretary of State, Hillary has been great! Plus, with this experience, she now knows every world leader by first name and can tell you about every political nuance in every country in the world.
As a Senator, and yes as First Lady, she also knows the ins and outs of our political process. She also has the proverbial Rolodex of every major player, from both parties, that she can count on when needed and would be able to [del]strong arm[/del] convince or sway many of the others.
She will be 69 then, but Hillary will will be no pushover for anybody - internationally or domestically, and she will be a force to be reckoned with. If there is anybody who has been put through the wringer and come out stronger and more determined, it is Hillary Clinton.
If she is feeling good and wants it, I pity anybody who tries to get in her way.
I’d vote for her.
There’s no link in the OP to see how exactly the “hint” was phrased but on The Daily Show Bill Clinton said that he had no idea whatsoever what her plans are. I doubt that’s true, but that’s not in any way a hint.
She’s not going to do it. She looks tired all the time now. Comparisons with Reagan are meaningless. Hillary can’t not work 16 hours a day.
She’s not going to run. Biden isn’t going to run. Nobody from this election cycle is going to make a serious run, except possibly Paul Ryan, and he’ll find that running for President as a Representative will be an overwhelming handicap. It will be all new young faces in 2016, and infinitely more interesting than this year’s race.
Here is the story I presume the OP was talking about (I’ll go back and add a link). It’s pretty much the same thing: he says she plans to retire but he “has no earthly idea” what she wants to do regarding a campaign in 2016. This is nothing like a hint that she’s going to run.
Fair enough, I was unaware she had been talking about retirement. But if she follows through after this election, I think it’s a sign she’s genuinely retiring and has no plans for a presidential run. But if she’s planning on a 2016 run, she’ll stay around a while and time her “retirement” to fit in with the start of her presidential run.
Are you talking about just the four nominees? Because I agree you probably won’t see Romney or Biden making an attempt in 2016. But Santorum? Almost certainly. And maybe Bachmann and Cain.
If she wanted to run in 2016 I think she’d have to step down around 2013 anyway. The primary campaigning will start by mid-2015, and before she could go around the country campaigning she’d have to recruit donors and hire staff and try to enlist support behind the scenes. That sounds extremely time-consuming on its own and I don’t think she’d be able to stay at the state department very long into the term anyway, so she might as well go in January 2013.
Look, are you insinuating something?