Hillary Clinton’s former campaign chairman John Podesta revealed this week that “Hillary 2020” is out of the question. Ever since her startling defeat at the tiny hands of one of the most unqualified men ever to seriously run for office, there’s been much media speculation as to whether or not a potential 2016 rematch is in the works. With that question finally laid to rest, the Democrats can now work on forging a path forward and can complete the rebranding of their party that is currently underway.
I’m glad Hillary is ruling out running again. She’s tried twice and she’s failed twice. Attempting yet another run would, frankly, be obnoxious. What Clinton — the longtime face of the establishment wing of the Democratic party — should do instead is step aside and let the new generation of Democrats take center stage.
I’m not a Democrat and have no dog in this fight, but Clintonism seems incongruous with the direction that Democrats are headed toward. Clinton and those like her are woefully out of step with the new breed of quasi-socialist young Democrats who are galvanizing young voters and becoming increasingly prominent in the Democratic party.
Clinton and the neoliberal world order that she and her husband represent seem downright reactionary these days. Clintonism still has plenty of adherents, but it seems to me that its days are numbered. The rank-and-file Democrats now want more Sanders-style candidates.
I’m not a democratic socialist by any means, but I think a shift away from Clinton-style liberalism is a net positive. I’ve always thought of Clinton as an incorrigible warhawk, a politician who’s never met a war she didn’t like. The kind of hostile foreign policy that Clinton embraced during her tenure as Secretary of State has, in my view, been disastrous both for the United States and for the world. Even if I disagree with the new Democrats on economic policy, if they are for less intervention abroad, I’m all for them.
Our country needs to undergo a transformation, as we’re currently in a very sorry state. One way to bring about the much needed change would be to alter the political climate, and allowing for fresh blood in politics is absolutely requisite for that.
I applaud Hillary in her decision to abstain from running again, and I am excited for the prospects of a new generation of political figures who will bring fresh ideas to the table while (hopefully) parting from the harmful tendencies of past leaders.