Clinton To Represent Change

The former first lady must now try to forge an appropriate distance between herself and Obama’s government, in which she was a cabinet member during the president’s first term.

For Hillary Clinton, the biggest challenge if indeed she does embark on the road to the presidency will be bringing about change. Her presence on the political stage has lasted a remarkably long time. In fact, she’s been in the foreground of the national political scene for more than 22 years since the very day she donned her first lady suit after Bill Clinton was elected to the White House in 1992. Having grown up in Chicago with a conservative background, she started out supporting conservative presidential candidate Barry Goldwater before radically changing sides while at Wellesley College, a women’s school near Boston.

It seems there’s yet another challenge in store for Clinton. She must try to forge an appropriate distance between herself and the Democratic administration which she served as a cabinet member during Obama’s first term. Brendan Nyhan, an assistant professor of government at Dartmouth College, warns, “She cannot simply rely on the economic success under President Clinton in the 1990s, nor can she search to distance herself too much from Obama.”*

Foreign Policy

In her recent book, “Hard Choices,” which was considered to be more of a consciously political move than a real personal reflection on world affairs, the former secretary of state didn’t hold back from criticizing Obama’s foreign policy. She focused particularly on his refusal to arm Syrian rebels before the Islamic State took control of vast regions in Iraq and Syria. She also assumed a considerably firmer stance regarding Iran policy. Although armed with an international address book, she has not expressed a clear vision of the foreign policy she aims to lead.

In all likelihood, Clinton will have to abandon the overly cautious policies that marked her 2008 campaign, during which she relied too heavily on her advisers. Instead, she must affirm her convictions in order to seduce a weary electorate. As New York’s elected senator, she very quickly made herself known as someone to watch.

Clinton has many things going for her. As secretary of state, she may not have been an “iconic” success. However, the fact remains that she still managed to change the world’s tarnished view of the U.S. after the presidency of George W. Bush. As for social politics, even if she has ties to Wall Street, she remains capable of convincing working-class women to vote for her. And in terms of public support, Clinton has no cause to be envious of Jeb Bush. She already has the backing of a super PAC, a political action committee named “Ready for Hillary,” and is able to raise substantial funds in order to finance an electoral campaign. For Clinton, the biggest error now would be to rely on the inevitability of a successful candidacy in order to justify the investiture of the Democratic Party.

*Editor’s note: Although accurately translated, this quote could not be verified.