Ron Fournier is National Journal’s Senior Political Columnist and Editorial Director.
Mr. Fournier is avidly disliked by the left, because he has no problem seeing things as they are – which means, sometimes seeing things in a way that would be pleasing/beneficial to Republicans as well as Democrats.
Here is an example: his take on the two Hillary Clinton-related situations/scandals, currently being discussed by media, either of which could seriously damage her presidential chances:
“Don’t buy the spin, they [Democrats] are scared to death. And there’s a lot of them who are already starting to think ‘is she really the best candidate for us?’ … Their bench, compared to the Republican bench is awfully, awfully thin. And there’s a lot of Democrats, by the way, who are saying ‘follow the money.’ A lot of Democrats are really worried about the Foundation, that’s what they’re really worried about”
Is Mr. Fournier correct?
Well, put yourself in the shoes of a dedicated Democrat operative, one who avidly wants his party in the White House after January 20, 2017. What do you see in Hillary Clinton?
On the positive side you have universal name recognition, a tie to husband Bill Clinton – one of the great politicians of our time and one who, many people feel, left the country in far better shape than he found it, and a major edge among women – some of whom adore Ms. Clinton and others who, even if they’re not enthusiastic about her, would vote for any woman running for President.
On the negative side, however, you have to construct a strategy that somehow glosses over Ms. Clinton’s remarkable lack of accomplishments over a 30 year period, you have her serious deficiencies as a campaigner (how did she ever lose the primaries to an unknown Senator 8 years ago?) You have two hot scandals (email, foundation contributions), either of which potentially could deep-six her candidacy, and you have a lineup of scandals and bad patches throughout her history (whitewater, travelgate, Castle Grande, the Rose Law Firm) which, though way on the back burner right now, would almost certainly be resurrected if either or both of the current ones continue to have media traction.
Would you be worried? I’d be.
In any event, Ron Fournier has stated his warning. If Ms. Clinton decides to run (and let’s never forget that her candidacy is not a done deal yet), don’t be surprised if I, and others, find ourselvesare referring back to it as events progress.
