John Podesta recently told CNN that Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, first lady, statesperson, humanitarian, popular-vote getter, health-care expert, brilliant futures trader, feminist, benevolent carpetbagger, best-selling author, lawyer, wife, friend, mother, that she will not be running for president against Donald Trump in 2020. “She would’ve been a great president but she said she’s not running for president,” Podesta said.
She should reconsider. There’s not a single convincing argument for her not to enter the race.
Age? In a 2017 piece dissuading Clinton from running, CNN’s Chris Cillizza point out that Clinton “will be 70 this October.” Guess what? Clinton is younger than men like Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders––and even Michael Bloomberg, for that matter. Would anyone tell those old-timers not to run? Hillary, incidentally, is only two years older than Sen. Elizabeth Warren will be by the time the campaign kicks in. Is anyone lecturing Warren to spend more time with her grandkids? Of course, people do not suffer health ailments chronologically, but the idea that septuagenarians can’t serve the nation is crass ageism.
Is freshman Senator Kamala Harris, who hasn’t helped pass a single consequential piece of legislation in her entire career, the most qualified person in the country to be president? No. Because Hillary, as Barack Obama once explained, is the most qualified person in the country to be president. And Barack Obama never lies. As a matter of glass-ceiling breaking, does Amy Klobuchar or Kirsten Gillibrand, Hillary’s successor in New York, have a better claim to be the first woman president? We’re talking about a senator who took momentous votes on wars and a secretary of state who oversaw our missions in Syria and Libya. If you’re saying she was wrong about on issues, why did you support her in 2016?
You might be thinking she’s not likable, but don’t say it. It’s sexist. Is Sherrod Brown, who has the disposition of a local union shop steward, more likable? How many Americans have ever even heard of Michael Bennet? Cory Booker? Laughable. Hillary was in the room watching Navy Seals take out Osama bin Laden.
Hillary could crush Beto’s soul with a side glance.
It’s also true that Hillary has a more convincing, principled and historic claim to the presidency than any other Democrat. For one thing, Clinton won more individual votes in 2016 than any other candidate, which is perhaps the greatest moral victory a politician can ever earn. For another thing, you may argue that she had her chance and lost, but we all know the election was stolen. I’ve been told for two years that “Russian intelligence carried out a successful plan to pick the government of the United States” by buying a few thousand dollars of Facebook memes and highlighting some hacked emails. But now that voters are cognizant of Vladimir Putin’s meddling, they can change back their votes and fix this historic wrong so America can finally heal.
