Why Hillary Will Play the ‘Republican Democrat’

On April 12, Hillary Clinton posted a meticulously-prepared video on Facebook that officially announced her bid to win the Democratic nomination for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Within the video, she states that “Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion.” As the video’s “extras” begin to wax poetic about the American dream, Clinton claims that she is just the person to make sure it stays alive and well.

But reading between the lines of the script, as the official prologue of the 2016 election, it would seem that the video Clinton’s team has painstakingly rehearsed over weeks behind closed doors as their opening move has been carefully sculpted for the ear of a few specific groups.

Despite the fact that the video made a palpable effort to depict various slices of “American life,” the middle class featured most prominently by far, the term “American dream” being a classic middle-class rallying cry. This comes as no surprise, as the middle class comprises the backbone of American society and represents two key pillars of U.S. elections — minor political contributions and votes, and a highly active community, factors that have proven vital to a successful campaign.

Traditionally, the American middle class has identified more with Republican neoconservatism, with even the term “the American dream” being more often bandied about by Republicans and neocons. When Hillary’s husband, former President Bill Clinton “appropriated” this hallmark of Republican campaigns, he was derided as the “Republican Democrat.” As first lady, Hillary intentionally remained relatively distinct from her husband, and was viewed as espousing more traditional Democratic values. Now, however, she is taking a page out of her husband’s book, and as surveys have shown Bill Clinton to be the most well-received U.S. president of the past 25 years, Hillary will not mind risking being labeled a “Republican Democrat,” instead focusing on painting a picture of a brighter future for the electorate.

In the video, Americans from all walks of life make an appearance in much the same style as President Obama’s campaign ads, the objective clearly being to consolidate the Democratic base, as well as attract the youth, women’s, minority and other so-called “Obama alliance” votes. But as a whole, the video is a kaleidoscope of color in form only, with the middle class remaining the dominant hue. This shows that between “preserving the base” by catering to the core Democratic vote and “walking the middle ground” to win over swing voters, Clinton has chosen the latter. Such is not merely a reflection upon her political character, but is more due to her team taking the current electoral landscape into consideration. Unlike in 2008, Clinton is now virtually unrivaled within the Democratic Party, and the most grueling competition will come in the general election. Her likely opponent there will be the similarly-pedigreed Jeb Bush, making approval among moderates of paramount importance. In any case, she is unlikely to lose her own core vote, and may even be able to turn any mudslinging directed at her in her favor.

But as some analysts have pointed out, while the video lays out a grand narrative in characteristically crisp style, Clinton must learn to listen to and interact with the voters, making them feel that they are truly being heard. This may prove difficult for one who is more used to speaking her own mind on matters, but learn she must, as her very political future may depend upon it.