In many circles, those that want it suggested that when Barack Obama's 8 years are up, that Hilary Clinton would be the next in line and she would have a very reasonable shot at becoming the first woman president ever in 2016.
I have maintained the opinion all along that was never going to happen. It is going to take one hell of a great candidate, and it will have to be incredible timing and circumstances for that to ever happen anyway.
Hilary Clinton was never going to be that candidate. Now, with her turn for very bad health, we will likely never get to find out if I was right or wrong. Anyway, I will put out my reasons that I think she would not have made it to the top of the mountain if she had remained healthy enough to take on the challenge.
First, and this is the simplest reason. After 8 years of one party, there will be a lot of blaming going on and people will be looking for a scapegoat. That will be the Democratic president. Therefore, Hilary is a democrat, and knee deep in the administration of Barack, she gets lumped in with that. On that alone, she likely would not even get the parties nomination, and even if she did get that have next to no chance at all of winning the election. If anyone is to attempt to overcome that, it is Joe Biden who is the next in line. Not Hilary, healthy or not.
Second, she is a woman. A very large percentage of men (and even some women) still believe a woman is not suitable to be the president. That isn't enough in of itself in this day and age to bring her down, but when you add that to the other factors it is still very significant.
Third, Hilary is a loser. Not in life, but in politics. Many like to forget that she ran for the nomination against Barack in 2008 and it was not a friendly campaign. And..she lost. She lost because Barack was the better candidate. Even if she was healthy, and the blame thing would not be standing in her way, she is now perceived as someone who doesn't cut it and not the best candidate for your party. Whether that is true or not is not the point. The perception is out there. That is enough to push her down the totem pole. Add that to the first two, and she would likely be told in advance not to bother.
Fourth, by the time 2016 comes around, she will be 69. Here is something politically incorrect that most don't want to hear. 70 years old is very old and is now perceived as too old to take on the job. That didn't used to be the case, but it is these days. You would have to be one hell of a candidate, man or woman, to overcome that bias. Hilary isn't that anyway, so on this alone she could also be seen as not viable. I would say that we are unlikely to see a president over 70 in our lifetimes again. And if we did, that would have to be one hell of a candidate. 70 is still very vibrant in terms of living a nice life and to the fullest, but it is considered over the hill for the position of President.
Fifth. Hilary Clinton is perceived as soft and weak by many. That includes me. That is enough for most not to vote for her. Being that she is a woman, that stereotype would persuade many that may agree with her stance on many issues to still shy away from her. This is not a major sticking point, and she could get past this if not for the other factors, but it is just another reason she would not have made it.
And finally, a few minor points. A lot of people simply do not like her and never have. I am one of those. As well, she comes off as very arrogant and so does Bill Clinton. And for better or worse, she is always going to be attached to him on those terms.
Do I think there will be a female president one day? Yes, and I think within the next 30 years. But it will have to be a much better candidate than Hilary Clinton would have been. She simply did not measure up. In much the same way Mitt Romney didn't, only for different reasons.
I know many will not like what I have just wrote and will attempt to challenge me and take me on. That is your prerogative. These are my opinions, not facts. And since she won't run, we will never know for sure.
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