How Hillary 2.0 Succeeds
For the front-runner for the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, she will battle Bernie Sanders at least until June 7th. . Barring some kind of disaster, she will be the 2016 presidential nominee. Over the past nine months, because of Sanders or simply because she has evolved as a more Progressive candidate some of her stances on the core issues have changed.
Clinton reset her focus on many issues such as lowering student debt, criminal justice reform, improving healthcare coverage, women’s rights, and lowering the costs of the Affordable Care Act.
Her speech in New York on April 19th was a true turning point in her campaign, as she declared her support for civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, LGBT rights, and rights for people with disabilities.
Stating to the city of New York, “…And we are going to keep our families safe and our country strong, and we are going to defend our rights. Civil rights, voting rights, workers’ rights, women’s rights, LGBT rights, and rights for people with disabilities”.
The major issue in “Clinton World,” is how to battle populism with reality and what actually can be done in a Washington that will remain divided no matter who wins in November. We know Clinton wants to raise minimum wage, create good-paying jobs, and build an overall stable economy, –the standard Democratic issues. But Hillary 2.0 is a candidate who has changed her stance on other issues.
Some of those issues include gay marriage, vaccines for children, and being a hawk on military matters.
Clinton stated in January of 2000: “Marriage has got historic, religious and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time and I think a marriage is as a marriage has always been, between a man and a woman”. In June of 2011, Clinton spoke to legalize same-sex marriage stating “I’ve always believed that we would make progress because we were on the right side of equality and justice”. Later in December of 2011 Clinton went on to say “Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights”, in a speech she made in Geneva on International Human Rights Day.
Now, that she sets her sights on the general election her goal changes to beating the Republican outsider Donald Trump.
Trump has come after every candidate that has tried to bring him down a peg. One-by-one, he has knocked them out of the presidential race. He is the most unconventional candidate that Clinton has ever faced. He will go after her record on such high profile issues as Benghazi, her relationship with Wall Street, the Clinton Foundation and the whole email scandal. However, Trump is likely to even get personal by adding former President Bill Clinton’s extra martial affairs to the list of items in his campaign playbook.
Recently in an interview with CNN, Clinton explained that she is used to dealing with men who are “off the reservation” in the way they behave and speak. Trump accusing the Democratic front-runner to playing the “woman card” and nicknaming her “Crooked Hillary”, hasn’t really seemed to affect her too much, and has given her some ammunition instead. She told CNN “I’m not going to deal with their bullying or their efforts to try and provoke me”.
What many are saying is her biggest problem, is not necessarily her actual message, but more in how she delivers her message. Clinton is not the retail politician that her husband was, or the gifted orator that Barack Obama was during the 2008 campaign.
Clinton is someone far more comfortable talking policy and domestic issues with the hopes of resolving some of the problems the country faces. That makes for some pretty dry stump speeches especially when Sanders and Trump have connected with voters with their populist messages.
The key to Clinton returning to the White House, this time as president, is if her newly honed Hillary 2.0 message resonates with voters.
In a race that features Clinton, “the policy wonk” vs. Trump the populist, “street fighter”, it’s all about making sure that Hillary 2.0 is selling what voters want. The question as to whether or not Clinton will become president is still up in the air. That won’t be decided until November, but her ability to frame the issues in the general election against Trump will be the key to getting a permanent residence in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
