The Laughable ‘Hillary Clinton 2024’ Talk Has Begun
Democrats are screwed — the internet dunking on the idea would hopefully discourage promoting one of America’s most unpopular politicians
I can’t believe we’re going to have this conversation again. I can’t believe people are really writing the articles claiming — AGAIN — that ‘it’s her turn’ or that in some universe Hillary Clinton coming back into a Democratic leadership position is going to save Team Blue during the midterms and help them win the White House in 2024.
This freaking opinion piece in The Hill called the candidate who outraised and outspent Trump but still lost a ‘savvy political insider’ like ninety-five times and even used the expression ‘change candidate’ more than once, showing they’re completely out of touch.
CNN contributor Chris Cillizza, bless his heart, routinely has some of the worst political takes on American television. Check any of his 2020 Democratic primary opinions, and you’ll see what I mean when I say that dunking on him is such low-hanging fruit that I almost feel bad. But he does get paid ridiculous money to play a ‘journalist/expert’ on TV, so is open to public criticism.
Mainstream media ‘journalism’ jobs are not about being correct or even intelligent; they’re about toeing the line. If you’re saying the right things and unflinchingly promoting Team Red or Blue, you’re going to get a seven-figure deal to bark your bullshit on American airwaves or in corporate-owned newspapers.
And to be fair, Celliza’s piece was only reporting what he’s heard, and he didn’t fully promote a Hillary 2024 run. But CNN was so thoroughly laughed at, ratioed, and ridiculed online that I felt it was worth a mention.
Plus, Democrats are that bad at the game of politics and in a horrible position moving forward. With Biden and Harris at embarrassingly low approval ratings — seventy-one percent of the country DOES NOT want him to run for reelection — and a completely useless DNC, Hillary could actually end up being shoved down our throats as the freaking candidate — again.
We could be told she’s ‘the only’ option again and that we needed to hold our nose and get out and vote for ‘no change’ again.
And she would lose — again.
And Hillary and the Democratic Party would blame everyone but themselves — again.
Mainstream media ‘journalism’ jobs are not about being correct or even intelligent; they’re about toeing the line. If you’re saying the right things and unflinchingly promoting Team Red or Blue, you’re going to get a seven-figure deal to bark your bullshit on American airwaves or in corporate-owned newspapers.
The Hill recently had back-to-back promotion pieces. One saying Hillary needed to get more in the forefront to help with the midterms and another claiming she’s the best bet for the 2024 Democratic ticket.
Juan Williams, who actually contributes to Fox News, wrote that ‘Clinton is exactly the right person to put steel in the Democrats’ spine and bring attention to the reality that “ultra-MAGA” Republicans, as President Biden calls them, are tearing apart the nation.’
In the wake of the Roe decision, as a prominent female politician, Williams argues she could be a strong messenger on the subject, helping the Dems rally and not get absolutely hosed in the midterms. And that would be true if she were popular. But the truth is, she has a lower rating than freaking Joe Biden.
If you’re the Democrats, why would you trot out a figure that is only liked by 36% of the population? In today’s divided political atmosphere, very few prominent figures have a positive rating but still.
Even Chris Cillizza in CNN had the sense to mention how galvanizing a figure Clinton is for Republicans. They’re already motivated to get out, Hillary would add tons of fuel to that fire while simultaneously turning off a huge portion of progressive Democratic voters.
If they’re going to run somebody that unpopular, why not just go with Kamala? Hillary already has a wonderful track record of garnering zero enthusiasm and losing to a game show host clown.
On what planet is she a strong candidate for 2024?
Somehow, Republicans slam their extremely unpopular agenda through while Democrats speak on issues and pretend to support very popular measures but always come just short in the votes.
Democrats never win because Democrats aren’t trying to win. If they put half the effort into beating Republicans as they do for beating progressive challenges, they would have codified Roe, raised the minimum wage, and rolled out a public option years ago.
I recently read a tweet thread that rang true about how Republicans get things done and Democrats don’t. It basically came down to clear goal-setting and really fighting to accomplish something.
Overturning Roe has been on the Republican agenda since the decision was made. It was an explicit objective, even though their judges always pretended it was ‘settled law.’ Republican politicians ran on it, got their base fired up about it, and tried to pass bills restricting it. They tried various routes, failed, got states to implement trigger laws in the meantime to keep the base happy and engaged, and learned that getting Federalist Society judges in place all throughout the justice system was the most effective way of accomplishing their goal.
Little by little, over the course of decades, they made it happen.
It was a far-away dream that they focused on and accomplished.
Juxtapose that to Democrats. They have no clear goals and no vision. They waffle. They say one thing then do another, like Obama promising to codify Roe ‘first thing’ and then a month in saying ‘it’s not high on the legislative agenda.’
Far-away dreams are deemed foolish or unrealistic, progressives are told to shut up and think smaller. So, unlike Republicans, there’s no movement toward a larger goal. There are only teeny tiny compromise wins that are often undone once they lose the next election because they never delivered the bigger change they promised, leaving voters further disenfranchised.
And that disenfranchisement is only growing.
When it came to American political party affiliation or leanings, Democrats had a nine-point lead when Biden took office. By the end of the year, it was Republicans with a five-point lead in party identity. That’s an unprecedented shift away from Dems.
And that’s not surprising in the least. It is what happens when you promise and promise and promise and don’t deliver. Somehow, Republicans slam their extremely unpopular agenda through while Democrats speak on issues and pretend to support very popular measures but always come just short in the votes.
It’s a dog and pony show. It’s a revolving door of villains from McConnell to Manchin to the parliamentarian when, in reality, they’re not trying to get things done.
The party is not there to deliver change. It is serving the same corporate masters as the Republicans; it’s just the liberal wing.
The GOP is surely much much much worse, but Democrats are in a sinister position of forever saying, ‘Vote for us or the authoritarian Christian theocrats win. We won’t do anything for you but we at least won’t immediately usher in the Handmaid’s Tale as they will.’
Cycle after cycle of voting, giving them control of Washington, and nothing getting better leaves voters bitter and disappointed. Then Republicans win and Dems scold and say, ‘you didn’t vote hard enough and now these Christian fascists are setting policy.’
They need to own the fact that they’re unpopular because of their inaction, inability to get anything done, lack of real policy goals, zero fight, bullshit ‘procedural’ excuses, and constant constant constant willingness to compromise with a GOP that never returns the favor and throws the rulebook out the window the second it gets in their way.
That’s why young people are chanting, ‘Voting Democrat is not enough’ at pro-choice rallies.
That’s why fewer and fewer people are identifying as Democrats.
That’s why they’re going to get taken to school in the midterms.
And that’s why Hillary freaking Clinton would lose — again — in 2024.
The question is: are there other options? I’m sure they could find someone, but once you launder them through the DNC machine, they’re the same pro-corporate ‘speak a big game but change nothing’ candidate.
And all Americans want right now is change.