Perhaps you may have noticed a rather curious number of diaries recently in support of a Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential run. While I appreciate the right to express one's opinion here (within the bounds of acceptability on this privately-owned site, course), I really have to question the purpose of such diaries, considering we haven't even technically finished counting all the votes from the last election that returned our president back to the Oval Office.
Now, the primary wars that were waged here back in 2008 were before my time. Though that makes me a newbie, it also makes me rather untainted by the results of these pie fights. As I understand it, they were nasty. Some people were left bitter and had difficulty accepting an Obama nomination. Others accepted it, however slowly, moved on, and put their efforts into supporting the nominee who won the primary.
Given my lack of prior experience here in 2008, I can't help but wonder if some of these diaries in support of Hillary might be motivated by some long-simmering feelings that now, no sooner than the "obstacle" of ensuring our Democratic president's second term has been overcome, waste no time in being resurrected. If this is an inaccurate reading, I apologize.
My intent is not to disparage anyone, nor to instigate a pie fight. It's simply to remind us, with mild frustration, of a couple things that seem to make a Hillary 2016 candidacy a rather moot point, at least at this stage:
- Hillary Clinton is not running in 2016. Until she starts dropping hints that she's reconsidering, maybe we should instead remember...
- We just elected Barack Obama to a second term. The ballots are still warm.
For the record, I am not anti-Hillary. If she changes her mind and runs, that's fine with me. I'll evaluate the candidates competing with her for the nomination, and make my decision as to whom I will support when the time comes.
In the mean time, I respectfully offer this for your consideration:
To assume Hillary is a foregone conclusion three weeks after re-electing Obama distracts us from the issues we face heading into the second term of our current Democratic President.