by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 11, 2015
All Rights Reserved.

              Announcing Sunday, April 12 for president, 67-year-old former First Lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton steps back into the fray, offering herself up as the first possible female U.S. president..  Her run is every bit as historic as President Barack Obama’s in 2008 when he became the first African American to win a major party nomination and eventually win the presidency Nov. 4, 2008.  While Obama’s feat may not repeat itself for some time, Hillary’s mission of becoming the first woman president looks more and more feasible.  Whatever the GOP does to discredit Hillary between now and 2016, they can’t take away Hillary’s qualifications, far exceeding any other Democratic or Republican candidate.  Before announcing for president, Hillary’s already seen more mud slung at her than most candidates during the upcoming 2016 presidential campaign.

              Claiming that the Sept. 11, 2012 Benghazi terror attack that killed Amb. Chris Stevens and three other Americans should “preclude her for being considered for higher office, Paul blamed Hillary for failing to provide adequate security to the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya.  “The biggest mistake Hillary Clinton made, and I think this will be an albatross over her neck the rest of the campaign, I don’t think she’ll be able to overcome this, is that when she was asked to provide security for Bengahzi, she didn’t do it,” Paul told Yahoo News Anchor Katie Couric Feb. 26, 2015.  Paul mentions nothing about his numerous infractions for plagiarism in his books, speeches, commentaries, leading up to his April 7 announcement for president.  Paul gets testy when reputable publications like the New York Times point out where the 52-year-old opthamologist lifts other authors’ writing, calling it his own.     

             Paul has much criticism for Hillary over a North African terrorist attack in a remote part Eastern Libya but gave former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney a pass when Osama bin Laden hijacked three airliners and flew them into the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11.  Announcing for president April 7, Paul showed he hasn’t learned much from his past plagiarism.  “We need to boldly proclaim our vision of America.  “We need to go boldly forth under the banner of liberty that clutches the Constitution in one hand the Bill of rights in the other,” said Paul, paraphrasing the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry line, “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Hillary’s video and social media announcement tomorrow will be followed by campaign trips to Iowa and New Hampshire.  She apparently hasn’t heeded Rand’s call for her to step aside.

             Republicans have hammered Hillary over what they say is an email scandal in which she scrubbed her server clean of personal emails, after turning over some 55,000 work-related emails while serving as Secretary of State.  House Republican Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), heading the Benghazi investigation, demanded Hillary turn over her email server to his select committee investigating Benghazi.  House Democrats on the Intelligence Committee led by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) rip Gowdy for using his position to throw mud at Hillary not finding anything new about Benghazi.  Since polling showed Hillary running ahead of hypothetical GOP candidates, the Republican National Committee launched a concerted effort to discredit Hillary.  Recent polls give GOP candidate some hope, showing that Hillary’s email issues have taken a toll.  How long that will last is anyone’s guess.

             Hillary’s decision to announce for president Sunday, April 12, on video and in social media has been criticized in GOP circles as looking too carefully orchestrated.  Whether admitted to or not, Hillary began her campaign months ago, with the Internet group “Ready for Hillary” working tirelessly over the past year to generate buzz over a possible presidential run.  Hillary told women technology executives Feb. 24 in Silicon Valley that it’s difficult working and raising a family.  “Just think about all the hard-working families that depend on two-incomes to make ends meet,” Hillary told attendees, forecasting her campaign strategy of addressing middle class voters.  Instead of ripping potential or announced GOP candidates, Hillary’s laser focused on issues relevant to the 2016 campaign.  While Rand throws mud, Hillary contrasts by offering real-life options for making ends meet.

             Hillary’s 2016 run for president is different this time around.  Unlike 2008, she’s not running against one of the most charismatic African American candidates in American history.  She’s on a mission for posterity to finally break the long-overdue barrier of electing a woman president.  Throwing more mud early on shows the RNC runs scared with Hillary showing the kind of celebrity and name-recognition making her a household word.  While Jeb Bush faces a host of negatives from his family name, Hillary rides a wave of popularity not seen in recent history.  Throwing more mud could boomerang on the RNC, diverting attention away from key foreign and domestic policy issues.  Whether or not the GOP made Hillary a lightening rod in the past, reliance on old news leaves Republicans struggling to sell mainstream American voters on where they’d take the country.

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