Subject: MUST READ: CNN opinion: Paul Begala: “Why Hillary Clinton won't say she's running in 2016”
From: Burns Strider <[email-masked]>
To: CTRFriendsFamily <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 09:34:51 -0400
List-Id: <CTRFriendsFamily.americanbridge.org>

*CNN opinion: Paul Begala: “Why Hillary Clinton won't say she's running in
2016”
<http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/19/opinion/begala-hillary-clinton/index.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter>*

By Paul Begala

September 19, 2014, 9:03 a.m. EDT

"Are you running for president?"

"When will you announce that you're running for president?"

"Why won't you just announce that you're running for president?"

"You wouldn't be have gone to Iowa if you weren't running for president,
would you?

Despite the world aflame, Ebola spreading and the Washington Nationals in
the playoffs, it seems the only thing the political press can do is
speculate about a potential Hillary presidential candidacy.

Keep in mind we are two years and two months away from the next
presidential election. And yet the urgency is fierce, bordering on
indignation: "Why won't she just tell us if she's running?"

Well, why should she? An announcement now would be stupid, and Hillary is
definitely not stupid.

If she were to go Open Kimono on us now it would draw attention from
crucial midterm elections, siphon campaign donations from Democrats
struggling to hold onto the Senate and possibly even eclipse important
debates on how to fight ISIS and whether to shut down the government
(again).

There is little such insistence about, say, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
or Indiana Gov. Mike Pence or even two-time loser Mitt Romney. We presume
they're running -- just as most folks presume Hillary is. But we're not
hectoring them at every turn; we're not resentful that they haven't made a
formal announcement.

Probably because we just don't care as much about them. They're not leading
in the polls by a million points (nor will Hillary, if and when a campaign
is underway), and they simply do not rivet the national attention the way
the former first lady, former senator, former secretary of state and future
(?!) first female president does.

I have not been in touch with Hillary, so I do not speak with intimate
knowledge. But I have known her for -- jeez, 23 years. And I actually
believe her when she says she has not completely made up her mind.

Hillary is a wonk who's had to learn the rhythms of campaigning. That's
very different from, say, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a glad-handing natural for
whom it can be said that if an idea wanted to cross his mind it would need
to bring a canteen. Hillary believes politics should be about ideas -- a
clash of visions, of competing plans to promote the general welfare and
provide for the common defense.

This, after all, is a woman who rings in each New Year by standing and
singing "God Bless America." But there are aspects of campaigning that she
loves: a vigorous honest, face-to-face debate; a town hall meeting in which
folks ask substantive questions; meeting people who pour their hearts out
to her, who hold their baby daughters up to her, who share their hopes and
their heartbreaks with her.

So I can imagine that there is an angel on her shoulder whispering, "Who
needs it?" Who needs the phoniness, the vacuity, the mind-numbing,
bone-wearying, soul-crushing grind? But on the other shoulder stands
another angel, whispering, "Because it's worth it." If you care about, say,
universal pre-kindergarten -- an issue Hillary has cared about and worked
on for decades -- or finding ways to stimulate job growth; if you care
about peace abroad and supporting our military families at home; if you
care about the climate crisis and full equality for LGBT Americans and
voting rights and a million other issues: the best way to make turn those
ideas into action is through the presidency.

Hillary will decide soon enough. In the meantime, let's let her listen to
both of the angels debating for her heart. And maybe we can even give her a
little breathing room as she becomes a grandmother.

We have plenty of other potential presidential candidates. I suspect they'd
love the attention.