The panic that dare not speak its name: Hillary looks like a loser to Dems - Thomas Lifson

by Thomas Lifson

The realization is dawning on many in the [Democrat] party that they have an unappealing, gaffe-prone, self-entitled, scandal-ridden presumptive nominee on their hands.

No Democrats are willing to go on the record with their doubts about Hillary Clinton’s electability – not even the gaggle of hopeless, sad-sack nominal opponents for the nomination: Lincoln “metric system” Chafee, Bernie “socialism now!” Sanders, and Martin “the guy who taxed rain” O’Malley.  But a shocking potential rival is waiting in the wings.

The realization is dawning on many in the jackass party that they have an unappealing, gaffe-prone, self-entitled, scandal-ridden presumptive nominee on their hands.  I called out the growing  subterranean panic three weeks ago.  Now with CNN polling revealing movement away from Hillary, the conservative press (here, here, and here, for instance) is joining me in highlighting the panic that the Democrats still fear open mention of.

The problem for the Dems is that their bench is ridiculously thin.  Leave aside the joke candidates already in the field, and all they’ve got is Elizabeth Warren, who, for all her socialist rhetoric (and personal profiteering from real estate flipping) and her affirmative action gamesmanship as a phony Native American, is a good talker.  But even in deep blue Massachusetts she was unable to deliver a convincing victory in her Senate run.  And perhaps knowing about more hypocrisy in her background, she is not anxious at all to throw herself into a run for the White House, with all the scrutiny that would entail.

So is there a knight in shining armor willing to ride in and save the Dems?  Michael Goodwin of the New York Post (hat tip: Powerline) has a fascinating report of what may be going on hidden from the public (for now):

…now comes word of a bid to entice another big-name challenger, and this one is far more intriguing.
It aims to get former Mayor Michael Bloomberg into the race.
New York Dems friendly to Bloomberg have approached him to gauge his interest. Their argument is that Clinton’s vulnerability with general-election voters, especially independents, could result in a Republican president. They also believed Bloomberg could be interested because, as one of them told me,“Mike can’t stand Hillary.”
One visitor to the former mayor came away cautiously optimistic after a 30-minute meeting, noting that Bloomberg didn’t throw him out of the office or start fiddling with his smartphone.
“That means he wasn’t bored and was listening,” said another man who talked to the three-term mayor. They were also encouraged that Bloomberg said something to the effect that it would be “no problem” for him to drop his unaffiliated registration and become a Democrat again.

Bloomberg has an enormous ego and a hunger to tell other people how to live their lives.  He also the kind of wealth (estimated at $36 billion) that makes self-financing a presidential campaign no problem at all.  Goodwin makes the case:

His strengths would be considerable, substantively and politically. His astonishing business success and record as a bold, can-do mayor in America’s largest city could appeal to voters of all persuasions.
He is socially liberal, being pro-choice, an early advocate for gay marriage and a relentless supporter of more gun control. He’s also a security hawk who supported the Iraq invasion, and was religious about keeping New York safe from crime and terrorism. Indeed, crime rates fell to historic lows under him, a record that burdens his hapless successor.
Bloomberg also believes in pay-as-you-go government, once arguing to me that he is a true conservative because he will raise taxes to provide services the public wants. He talks with conviction about big ideas like public health and infrastructure.
His most glaring weakness is that he lacks foreign-policy experience at a time when the world is on fire. However, Bloomberg is far from parochial, as both his business and philanthropy span the globe.
He’s a wooden campaigner, but there’s an easy answer for that: The incumbent is charismatic, and look at the mess he made! Blanketing the country with TV ads can cover a lot of sins.

Stand by.  This could get extremely interesting.  Hillary would not react well to a challenge from a former Republican, no matter how nominal.  And if Dick Morris is to be believed, she does not harbor kind feelings toward Jews, especially those whose wealth dwarfs hers and who did not stick it out in an unhappy marriage.  Hillary plays dirty, and you can expect American Bridge to unearth a lot of secrets from Bloomberg’s private and business life if he moves ahead on this intriguing notion.

Yippee!  There’s nothing quite like a steel cage death match involving Hillary with someone who’s smarter and richer than she is.

Thomas Lifson

Source: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/06/the_panic_that_dare_not_speak_its_name_hillary_looks_like_a_loser_to_dems.html

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