The Looming Threat to Hillary Clinton's 2016 Campaign

Last edited Tue Apr 21, 2015, 10:45 AM - Edit history (1)

<snip>

See Hillary Clinton’s problem? If she supports fast track, it will inflame liberals who will hound her over it all through the primaries. It may even propel a challenge from her left. If she opposes fast track, she will enrage the Obama administration and get blamed if he suffers an embarrassing defeat. She will also tick off Wall Street and risk losing their campaign contributions.

Technically, Clinton does not have to take a position at all. She’s no longer a member of Congress. But she’ll look like a wuss if she refuses to say where she stands on an issue that is galvanizing her party.

<snip>

If Hillary Clinton comes out for fast track, it might get just enough Democratic support to pass. If she opposes fast track, it’s probably doomed. The fate of the measure very likely rests in her hands.

Most Democrats believe she will come out against it. After all, as a senator in 2002, she voted against giving President George W. Bush fast-track authority. It’s too risky for her to antagonize her party when she just entered the 2016 race. It may even do her some good to part ways with Obama on the issue. That would make it harder for Republicans to argue that a vote for Clinton is a vote for a third term for Obama.

Clinton is running a populist campaign. “It’s fair to say as you look across the country, the deck is stacked in favor of those already at the top,” she said in Iowa last week. Supporting a trade deal would open her up to the charge that she’s a phony.

<snip>

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/04/20/the-looming-threat-to-hillary-clintons-2016-campaign/