US Politics

Former Clinton adviser: Hillary will run in 2020

Two-time Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will mount a third bid for the White House, longtime Clinton adviser Mark Penn wrote in an op-ed published Sunday by The Wall Street Journal, predicting that the former first lady and secretary of state is readying a "Hillary 4.0" campaign for 2020.

In the Journal op-ed, Penn, an adviser and pollster to the Clintons from 1995-2008, and former New York City politician Andrew Stein wrote that in a 2020 run, Clinton would reinvent herself “as a liberal firebrand." The twice-failed presidential candidate would not “let a little thing like two stunning defeats stand in the way of her claim to the White House," they wrote.

Although she has routinely shot down talk of a 2020 run, Clinton said in an interview earlier this month that "I’d like to be president" after answering "no" when asked whether she wanted to run for president again.

Another longtime Clinton aide, Philippe Reines, told POLITICO last month that he thought it was odd Clinton’s name wasn’t “in the mix” of potential 2020 contenders, though he said more recently that he couldn’t think of a Democrat who would be able to successfully challenge President Donald Trump.

Clinton’s surprise loss to President Donald Trump in 2016 sent shockwaves through Democratic Party, but Penn and Stein write that two years of hand-wringing and reflection — as well as some denial on Clinton’s part — will strengthen Clinton and put her in the best position to take Trump on again.

Though the duo did not offer an outline for how Clinton will improve her dismal standing in the Midwest or move past the scandals that plagued her in 2016, they wrote that voters should “expect Hillary 4.0 to come out swinging,” relegating former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton to fundraising roles. “She has decisively to win those Iowa caucus-goers who have never warmed up to her. They will see her now as strong, partisan, left-leaning and all-Democrat — the one with the guts, experience and steely-eyed determination to defeat Mr. Trump.”

Penn and Stein offer a scathing criticism of other expected Democratic candidates, writing that Clinton “will not allow this humiliating loss at the hands of an amateur to end the story of her career,” and that while another run would likely infuriate Senate Democrats looking to take control of the party with a 2020 run, the two authors wrote that White House hopefuls in the chamber fumbled moments like the Kavanaugh confirmation as if they were “bumbling amateurs.”

Garth wrote:Either way, I think it's time for the older Dems to bugger off, frankly. Let some new blood in.

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Jerome Corsi, an ally of longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone, said Monday that he expected to be indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller for perjury.

Corsi, a conspiracy theorist who has been meeting with Mueller‘s team for two months, said that he spoke to prosecutors for around 40 hours but that talks had “all blown up.“

“I‘m going to be indicted,“ he said in a livestreamed video. “I anticipate being indicted.“

Reports have suggested that Mueller‘s interest in Corsi stems from a review of communications between him and Stone in 2016 about an impending release of Clinton campaign emails by WikiLeaks, the transparency activist organization. Mueller is investigating whether any Americans had advance knowledge of the email dump, which dominated the final weeks of the campaign.

Corsi called the impending indictment the result of a “perjury trap,“ though he emphasized that he wasn‘t totally sure what the indictment might be for. Corsi‘s attorney declined to comment.

Corsi also repeatedly emphasized his continued support for Trump‘s presidency and urged backers to send him money for his legal defense.

...

“I think my crime, really, is supporting Donald Trump,“ he said, in between long rants about voter fraud and suggesting that Democrats intend to overthrow Trump.

... he expected to be indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller for perjury.

...

“I think my crime, really, is supporting Donald Trump,“

twitter.com/politico/status/1062158117058809856

A scandal not nearly as infamous as Bridgegate could have major implications for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie if he’s nominated to become the next U.S. Attorney General.

In 2016, the Christie administration paid a $1.5 million settlement to a former assistant county prosecutor who claimed the administration took over his office and fired him, all with the aim of dismissing the office’s 43-count indictment against several of the governor’s allies that embarrassed one of Christie’s major contributors.

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twitter.com/GlennKesslerWP/status/1062013039011119104

Garth wrote:WTF is he doing?

Garth wrote:Looking better for Dems in 2020 now.

Edit: "first Democrat to take that seat in 30 years and the first openly bisexual U.S. senator"

twitter.com/erichaywood/status/1061989225774559233

Drumstick wrote:Decent article from the Beeb concerning the Democrats and 2020.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46120582