Written by Greta Hyland
I don’t think Hillary Clinton should run for president in 2016. But before you go thinking this has to do with the hyped email scandal, let me state from the start that it has nothing to do with that. Using her personal email address for state matters is not scandalous to anyone but republicans who hope to discredit her; republicans mind you, that are guilty of the very same thing. So no, this has nothing to do with a phony political scandal.
My opinion that Hillary should not run for president has to do with baggage and relate-ability. But since she is running, the Democrats should run a dark-horse candidate against her. Let me explain.
It seems that now days more than ever, in order to get your foot in the door for a job you must take a temporary, seasonal, or contractual entry-level job. There are many reasons for this, the most important being that it is an employers market right now. but what it means is this: 1. employers can check you out before committing to a full-time, full benefits job that would be hard to fire you from; 2. employers can get a lot of work out of you at a minimum of the cost.
This scenario can work to your benefit or to your detriment. If you are a great employee, that foot in the door will probably land you that full-time job you are hoping will come out of the temporary job. If you are not a great employee, the employer can terminate your contract or not hire you back the next season without any explanation.
In the case of Hillary Clinton, she is like the person who was hired on for a season and everyone knows what kind of employee she is, whether you like her or not. When she was running against Barack Obama, she had a strong track record compared to his and made a formidable opponent, but she also came in with baggage that could be picked apart. Obama on the other hand didn’t have that problem. Sure, he had to overcome the lack of experience hurdle, but that’s easier to overcome than a concrete track record.
And it worked for him.
It’s kind of like the saying, “Better to be thought a fool that open your mouth and remove all doubt.” People may have had their doubts about Obama, but they couldn’t quite be sure. Whereas with Clinton, there was no doubt.
Not only that, Obama had the likability factor. Like it or not, the question of who you would sit down and have a beer with has real weight because what it suggests is how relate-able the candidate is. And while Obama may still be an intimidating person to have a beer with, he is no where near as intimidating as Hillary. I’m willing to bet that if Obama thought I was a dunce I might never know it – Hillary on the other hand might make it abundantly clear.
That of course is just my gut feeling, which holds no water, but when it comes to voting, it actually holds a lot for a large portion of the population. And I don’t think I am the only one who would feel nervous having a beer with Hillary.
To be clear, I think Hillary would make a fine president. My opinion has nothing to do with her qualifications, intelligence, or ability. It has to do with her electability. Like it or not, she is a very divisive candidate.
But let’s look at who I think should run. Elizabeth Warren. Why? Well, for one, I think she’s one lady who would be fun to have a beer with. Sorry, let’s just get that one out of the way. Second, she is Teddy Roosevelt kind of progressive. She actually is looking out for the average American and doesn’t seem to be swayed by corporate interests or bankers. Third, and this is the most important, she’s got the same sort of blank past that Obama had.
Elizabeth Warren has been in the senate for two short years now. She has gone after banks and Wall Street, she has criticized the president, and she has consistently stood up for the consumer, the student, and the average citizen. She is a scholar and she comes from humble beginnings. And she’s a fighter. Need I say more?
While Clinton has got the name and the recognition, she has also got all the baggage. I think the democratic party would be wise to put Elizabeth Warren up against Hillary as the dark horse candidate. Email scandal or not, many don’t want another Clinton anymore than they want another Bush, and another largely unknown candidate may work as well in 2016 as it did in 2012.
