Gitzo Loc: Indiana

The Democrats’ Dilemma: Clinton May Not Be Salvageable

By Jennifer Rubin February 11 at 9:00 AM





Democrats who think Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is simply a stronger-than-expected sparring partner for Hillary Clinton may be in for a rude awakening. While the Republicans have their hands full navigating toward an alternative to Donald Trump, at least they have people in the race capable of doing so. Clinton, however, may be a dead-woman-walking, leaving the Democratic Party in the untenable position of nominating a socialist whose foreign and domestic policies are antithetical to the great majority of Americans.

Clinton’s problems are threefold.

First and foremost, she has a serious legal problem, one that cannot be wished away by those indifferent to the facts. The FBI does not investigate and devote considerable resources for nothing. It does not lightly send a letter stating it is investigating a former high government official’s use of an unsecured email. And someone (whether in the FBI, the Justice Department or some other corner of the administration) does not without good reason leak a story as damaging as this latest Fox News report:

At least a dozen email accounts handled the “top secret” intelligence that was found on Hillary Clinton’s server and recently deemed too damaging for national security to release, a U.S. government official close to the review told Fox News.

The official said the accounts include not only Clinton’s but those of top aides – including Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin, Jake Sullivan and Philippe Reines – as well as State Department Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy and others.

A second source not authorized to speak on the record said the number of accounts involved could be as high as 30 and reflects how the intelligence was broadly shared, replied to, and copied to individuals using the unsecured server.

This sort of rampant mishandling of classified material cannot be swept under the rug, no matter how much Democrats want to believe this is some political fuss cooked up by Republicans. Whoever is leaking the information seems determined to make sure the FBI and/or the Justice Department cannot evade their obligations to move forward, as they would with any staff person who engaged in this behavior.

In speaking with law professors, former Justice Department lawyers, former Hill staffers who have learned the rules regarding classified material and former national security officials, I have yet to find a single one who believes Clinton’s legal risk is trivial. No, it is serious, and now so public that inaction becomes difficult for the FBI and the Justice Department.

The involvement of so many individuals raises the possibility, as any lawyer would know, that immunity will be granted in exchange for testimony, tightening the noose around Clinton. And that is just one of Clinton’s problems.

Second, if the Democrats — as the Republicans have done with Trump — are waiting around for their voters to recognize how extreme and unelectable Sanders is, they are mistaken. The Democratic Party has fanned the flames of class warfare for so long, Sanders now sounds mainstream to them, and in a sense he is mainstream in a party that has vilified Wall Street, accumulated vast new power over segments of the economy (health care and financial services, for example) and no longer recognizes capitalism as a solution to poverty (despite worldwide evidence of such). Like the GOP, Democrats have indulged in protectionist hysteria in such a convincing fashion that Democrats have come to see trade as a threat and globalization as a negative. The president may not be as extreme as Sanders but his rhetoric has paved the way for Sanders. A president who ran up enormous debt, allowed entitlements to grow unchecked and characterizes most opposition to any government activity as evil or irrational can hardly be surprised when, after seven years, his supporters do not take budget math seriously. With seven years of a president who essentially ignored the multiplication of threats, no wonder Democrats put no weight on foreign policy acumen.

Third, Clinton is exactly the wrong person to stop the Sanders runaway train. In her concession speech in New Hampshire, she declared: “What are we going to do? And that is — that is the fight we’re taking to the country. What is the best way to change people’s lives so we can all grow together? Who is the best change-maker?” Honestly, it wouldn’t be her. She — who won’t release her speeches to investment bankers — cannot plausibly be the best person to take on Wall Street or clean up campaign finance rules. Maybe Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) or former senator Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) could make that case, but not Clinton.

Clinton and her supporters thought gender loyalty would save her. It has not. Now she thinks minority voters will ride to her rescue. But why should they? Sanders is giving away free stuff and telling them the system is rigged. Voters under 40 years old don’t remember the Bill Clinton years; they remember Hillary Clinton as the candidate who tried to take down then-presidential candidate Barack Obama and the person who jetted around the world while Obama was delivering on health care. She has not as yet shown the talent to reconstruct the Obama coalition, despite her faith that identity politics will win the day. (In case you have forgotten, her “identity” is a rich, white woman.)

Clinton may not dig herself out from all of this. Democrats who don’t think so are whistling past the graveyard of the Democratic Party. For months Democrats worried about an alternative to Clinton; now they should be worrying about an alternative to Sanders. Clinton may just not be up to the task.

Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.




Reader's Comments (keep in mind here, 98% of people who read the WaPo are libturds, so do expect too much )


entprof
6:29 PM EST
You'll know it's getting serious when the first poll putting Biden back in the race is released. Somebody in the Democratic Establishment will have paid for that in an attempt to draft Biden. If the Super delegates boycott or vote Biden it'll be a brokered convention allowing Biden to run.


Deborah Lapatina
6:28 PM EST
HillBill will be indicted and she will sing loudly, play the victim, spew blame everywhere while being buried in the evidence of her many crimes. They all have deep dirt on each other and she will make a deal to escape prison. FBI has probably been waiting years for the right opportunity to begin this disclosure saga.


Brian Fitzpatrick
6:28 PM EST
You can put a pantsuit on a beachball but, when pushed, it's still going to take the most "convenient" path........which, of course, is downhill. Now let me count the reasons given by Billary Inc. for voting for her.......1) she is a woman...........2) it's her turn.............3 her fabulous experience as SOS.........4) she is such a heroine for standing by her man during his wanderings. Juiced up yet ?


MacKenzie-Childs
6:29 PM EST
Read the front page. The Inspector General's office has now subpoenaed documents from the Clinton Foundation. The investigation is broadening, not wrapping up.


noseitall
6:24 PM EST
Thank you Hillary Clinton for dragging the Democrat party into oblivion.


Sophie Rose
6:23 PM EST
She has been a "dead woman walking" since she lost to first term Senator Obama in 2008.


Above The Law
6:27 PM EST
A lot of Democrats have serious problems with the Clintons, Jennifer is not originating anything here.


Diann Lewis
6:21 PM EST
dead - woman - walking, caught my eye, it would be a good = bumper sticker - slogan. Most America could relate, at least the ones who watched her leave the White House with Bill.


noseitall
6:21 PM EST
She was a loser in 2008 and will lose again in 2016.


Howleyesque
6:22 PM EST
Lady I don't cheer for incompetent fools whose arrogance has endangered our national security.


Deborah Lapatina
6:24 PM EST
You just defined a parasite chameleon with a lot to hide; that is what drives her, not anyone else's well being.



My comments;
Judging from the comments from the mostly liberal readers of the WaPo, it definitely looks like the dimoCRAP base is deserting the Hillary ship in droves! Now they want to drag out old "foot in his mouth every time he opens it" Joe Biden; (Trump will have a ball with that clown! ) I think the best thing Hillary could do at this point is suddenly fake falling out of bed on her head, have her "useful idiots" drag her of to some far-off desert island, and leave her there for the next 20 years and hope that everyone will have forgotten about her by then.

Maybe Twurdlow will show up (as usual ) and come up with some preposterous scheme to save his "heroine"........on 2nd thought, he'll probably want to take her home with him!



.

Kinda Reminds Me Of An Old Barn


Hillary Telling Huma How Big It Was?


They're Going To Put Debbi Blabbermouth Schultz On The Next One

green Loc: 22.1749611,-159.646704,20

you're right, Bern the witch!

davefales Loc: Virginia

They always have Jerry Brown to save them.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Well one thing about Bernie....he "seems" to be an honest person unlike Hillary.

BigBear Loc: Northern CT

I don't believe they ever expected Hillary to survive her woes before November. She was put up in the first place just to gather a large enough base needed for whomever they have ready to replace her as soon as she is taken out.
Not sure who it is, but it has to be someone her base is going to like and be willing to support right away.

green Loc: 22.1749611,-159.646704,20

If the presidency was about honesty and integrity... it would be Bernie vs Ben.

green Loc: 22.1749611,-159.646704,20

both sides are in a bit of a quandary. The establishment backed candidates have glaring weaknesses...it should be interesting.

I predict this is the election that scares the shit out of the establishment and almost elects a true outsider.

BigBear Loc: Northern CT

I hope that is the case and that it isn't 'Almost'.

green Loc: 22.1749611,-159.646704,20

:thumbup: me2

BigBear Loc: Northern CT

Dude … You're really scaring me.
You are making me think about which side each of us is on.

green Loc: 22.1749611,-159.646704,20

do you have $1,000,000 sitting in the bank right now? If not, we're on the same side.

BigBear Loc: Northern CT

Ok .. So we're both poor 'eh. :shock:

NeilL Loc: British-born Canadian

Wait 'til the bribes start rolling in.

green Loc: 22.1749611,-159.646704,20

we call it lobbying in this country.

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

Spot on Homer. However neither one will ever occupy the White House.