See you around, Joe, thanks for the last eight years, and here is a gold watch for your trouble. We all hope you enjoy where ever it is vice presidents go to retire.
Yes, Brother Biden may have had an inclination to run for the 2016 democratic presidential nomination at some point, but inside he had to know any such enterprise was doomed with Hillary Rodham Clinton in the mix. Now it has become official.
NBC News is reporting the democrat's largest Super Pac, Priorities U.S.A. Action is endorsing the former first lady and secretary of state. That means bucks--lots of them--and they are all headed straight onto the airways enabling Mrs. Clinton's puffy mug to appear in your den sooner than you think.
If that wasn't enough, the final nail was the naming of Jim Messina and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm as co chairs of the Clinton fund raising committee. Messina was the brains behind the first true 21st century presidential campaign. It was a sleek machine which utterly befuddled Mitt Romney's crew, handed Barack Obama the 2012 election, and established a new paradigm in American politics--one where the role of electronic and social media is preeminent.
Given today's report there is really only one question left regarding the democrats when it comes to 2016. Who will Hillary pick as her running mate? Indeed, the only thing which could possibly stand in her way now is some sort of unforeseen health issue.
The same cannot be said when it comes to the republicans. In fact by the time we get to 2016 it appears various factions of the GOP will be in the throes of what amounts to the political equivalent of a prison riot.
The Joe McCarthy wing will feature crazed jitterbuggers like Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and God only knows who else. These are the yokels playing hard and fast to the delusional tea party hacks who have an inordinate amount of influence in republican primaries, especially the ones held south of the Ohio River. In truth, the party is so divided, Utah Senator Mike Lee will be giving the tea party express response to the 2014 state of the union address. It is unclear who will make the, "official" republican party reply. This isn't the first year someone from the tea party edge has tried to rebut the president's agenda independently of the mainstream, but Lee's rant will certainly highlight the splintered nature of the GOP. It is also a sure and painful indication the divides aren't healing, even in the face of a well financed pro like Clinton looming on the horizon.
On the other side of the republican coin, NJ Governor, Chris Christie has problems of his own making. NBC is reporting his staff's skulduggery has begun to catch up to him. A Rutgers-Eagleton poll show his local numbers beginning to shrink. His job approval rating in the Garden State is still 53%, but that figure is 15% lower than it was in November. In addition his favorability rating has gone from 65% to 46% and those who think of him negatively have grown to 43%. The bad news is the numbers may be worse. According to NBC, the poll was part way finished before Dawn Zimmer, the Mayor of Hoboken, started howling about extortion when it came to Hurricane Sandy relief funds. Who knows what it might have shown if everyone taking it had known about Zimmer's accusations?
Nationally, in the last NBC-Marist poll, the governor was viewed positively by 26% of those asked and negatively by 28%. Those aren't exactly, "Go out there and knock 'em dead, Chris," figures.
It is easy to see Hillary Clinton moving back into the white house at this point, but 2016 is a long way off. Besides, in addition to everything else, there could be some reservations in the voters minds when it comes to one party holding onto the presidency over an extended time. In the last six plus decades a single party has controlled the oval office more than eight years in a row only once, although Al Gore had to get mercilessly screwed to keep the record intact. There is something about the same, or similar leadership over long periods that makes Americans of both parties a tad queasy. Mrs. Clinton got a small taste of it when she ran against Obama in the 2008 primaries. There was, during that pre convention season, the distinct feeling of Clinton Overload among some democrats.
Whatever the case, stay tuned--the endless search for power is going to start heating up before we know it. And that is whether we like it, or not.
sic vita est
1-23-14
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