She Can Claim Otherwise, But Hillary Most Certainly Is Part Of The Establishment
There have been numerous reports now saying that Hillary Clinton is or isn’t part of the establishment in Washington since this seems to be an anti-establishment year in politics. With the rise of candidates like Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, even those who are part of the Washington elite want to seem like outsiders so they can compete and draw on the rage and angst of the American populace. Hillary is no different than some of the other candidates trying to use that fury, but to try and claim that she isn’t part of the establishment is just foolish and everyone knows it.
During the 6th Democratic Debate in New Hampshire, Mrs. Clinton argued vehemently that only Mr. Sanders would consider her an establishment candidate, to which she received loud cheers and applause. As I will point out here, and has been pointed out elsewhere, that isn’t exactly true, which of course leads people to her other perceived fault, dishonesty. Wouldn’t it just be better to accept who you are and not wage this ridiculous campaign to try and prove you are someone you aren’t?
No offense to those who support Hillary wholeheartedly, but this is how she is part of the establishment. Even though she is, don’t mistake me by thinking that I equate that as always being a terrible thing. You absolutely need establishment figures sometimes to get things done, because they are willing to compromise their beliefs at times to get something through Congress that the country may actually need – even if it isn’t perfect.
Even before Hillary announced her candidacy for President, everyone knew she was going to, and people were lining up to support her and get in her good graces if they were Democrats. If they were Republicans, they were trying to figure out ways to derail that possibility and destroy her Presidency before it even began. That wouldn’t even occur to a candidate who wasn’t part of the establishment and considered a serious threat. Bernie Sanders is a perfect example of how no one considered getting behind him or planning on how to defeat him even after he announced.
Consider how the media covered Hillary until the weeks before Iowa. A year ago she was considered a lock for the nomination. Sure they knew she would have some people challenge her, but they assumed they would drop out after a few quick defeats in the early state primaries.
One of the best examples of how deep in the Democratic establishment she happens to be is the numerous endorsements she has received from party members. She is even using these as a cudgel saying that other members of the party don’t trust or think Bernie can do the job, especially those who have worked with him.
That isn’t exactly the way a lot of those endorsements work. Most of the time party people will give their endorsement to the person they believe will win, whether they like them or not. That is done in the hope that they will be remembered and rewarded when that candidate wins the Presidency. It is part of political strategy amongst the political establishment, and generally has nothing to do with who you like, trust, or even want to win.
I know Hillary likes to point out how she has fought hard against the establishment and has the scars to show for it. The establishment she is talking about is the Republican establishment, not her own. Each party has their own firm ground which the other assails regularly in hopes of dislodging the other from.
Like I said earlier, there is nothing inherently wrong with an establishment candidate. You need them sometimes. However, an establishment candidate never dreams big and never shoots for the stars. They are happy with a small gain when there are larger gains to be had. Sure they will fight for you, but their passion is often tempered with what they think is pragmatism. In reality, it is a cowardice that they will fail to achieve greater goals and then not get the support they need to get re-elected. I say don’t settle for the short gains, because you may not even get those if that’s all you ask for. Ask for the world, and your opponent may have to give you continents, at least if you have enough support
