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There’s been a lot of talk about the possibility of another Clinton presidential campaign recently, but it’s not Bill Clinton, it’s former first lady Hillary Clinton. When she ran for Senate in New York in 2000, many people viewed it as a potential stepping stone to the White House for Hillary. When she opted not to make a run against George Bush in 2004 many were surprised. However, while many Democrats may dream of a Hillary 2008 campaign, it just might spell disaster for the Democratic Party.
Hillary has a number of problems ahead of her assuming a potential run in 2008. First, she has very high name identification, meaning that few people in the United States don’t know who she is. The problem with this is that there are a lot of people who don’t like her. When the Clintons left the White House in 2001 her disapproval ratings were over 50 percent. If everyone knows you and more than half of them dislike you it makes it hard to get enough votes to win.
Second, Hillary is perceived as being extraordinarily liberal. Whether this is true or not isn’t even important because in politics, perception is reality. The Democrats desperately need a candidate that can bring back the voters they have been losing in recent elections. Clearly, Hillary would have difficulty completing this task, especially if everyone already has formed their own opinions on where she stands on the issues.
Hillary is also not Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton is very charismatic. He commands attention when he speaks, and when you’re talking to him one-on-one he can make you feel like the only person in the room. Hillary does not have this charisma. She isn’t her husband, and the sooner Democrats realize this, the better.
Another problem for Hillary is that there are a number of other potential candidates for the Democratic primary: Governor Mark Warner of Virginia, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. There has also been much talk of Barack Obama running for president; however, he is a freshman senator and has been untested as a candidate.
The field is open for a new face to emerge as the Democratic nominee in 2008. Of course, there are still three years before the next presidential election. Who knows what the future may bring.
Adam Collins is a senior majoring in Political Science and is an news columnist for The Louisville Cardinal.
-mail him at news@louisvillecardinal.com
