The 2018 midterms are just around the corner.
Democrats believe they will sweep into power.
But Hillary Clinton is about to do one thing that have Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi sweating bullets.
Hillary Clinton is planning a book tour.
A nationwide schedule of appearances would keep the failed 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee in the political conversation in the run up to the midterm elections.
Experts believe prominent Democrats like Chuck Schumer are secretly hoping Hillary Clinton remains in political exile.
AL Hunt writes in Bloomberg:
“Democrats, reveling in President Donald Trump’s plummeting popularity and the Republican Party’s civil wars, are looking forward to September. Except for one thing: the rollout of Hillary Clinton’s next book right after Labor Day.
Clinton has promised to “let my guard down” in the book, “What Happened,” explaining her shocking loss to Trump in November. She has already offered up several explanations, blaming Russian interference, former FBI director James Comey, and misogyny, while also acknowledging tactical errors by her campaign.
Many Washington Democrats, though unwilling to criticize her in public, wish she’d “move on,” as Senator Al Franken has put it. They fear that her complaints help Trump make his case that the controversies surrounding him flow from the Democrats’ bitterness about their 2016 loss…
… But Clinton is the wrong messenger. She just comes across as a sore loser.
Or as Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer told the Washington Post last month: “When you lose to somebody who has 40-percent popularity, you don’t blame other things — Comey, Russia — you blame yourself.”
She could take a lesson from another prominent Democrat, one who has kept a relatively low profile since January. That’s former President Barack Obama, who has mostly resisted the temptation to strike back at repeated Trump cheap shots. Today, surveys of voters have found, he’s the most popular American politician. Some Democrats want him to take on Trump a bit more, and are pleased he’ll be out campaigning for a few Democrats this fall.”
Since losing the election, Clinton has blamed a variety of factors on her defeat.
She has identified the Russians, former FBI Director James Comey, the media, racism, and sexism as all the causes for her loss.
But she has not taken any personal responsibility.
So it’s no surprise Clinton is one of the few losing candidates to actually become less popular after their defeat.
Clinton thrusting herself back into the spotlight would remind voters why they rejected her candidacy for President.
She has been an anchor on the Democratic Party.
The more she campaigned in 2016, the less people liked her.
If she tries to play a role in the 2018 midterms, it will only lead to more Democratic losses.