Mediaboss Marketing

In discussing a possible Hillary Clinton 2020 presidential campaign on Sunday, ex-Bill Clinton adviser Dick Morris said that the former secretary of state wants to enter the race because she believes "God put her on the earth" to become president.

Morris weighed in on whether "the ghost of Hillary Clinton" will enter the election during an interview with radio host John Catsimatidis. "My feeling is that she wants to," he explained. "She feels entitled to do it. She feels compelled to do it. She feels that God put her on the Earth to do it, but she's hesitant because she realizes the timing is bad."

Morris went on to explain some factors deterring Clinton from a 2020 run, including her fear that the "#MeToo movement will turn on her."

"In the whole issue of sexual harassment, the focus has shifted from the perpetrator, the offender, to the victim," he explained. "Now we're increasingly looking at the women who were victimized and the agony they went through.

"When your focus is on the predator, that's Bill Clinton's problem and isn't directly Hillary's responsibility. But when you look at the victim and you say, 'what made her life impossible?' That's Hillary Clinton's responsibility," Morris continued. "When she had private investigators digging up dirt on the women that her husband had victimized to keep them silent."

When asked for a definitive answer on whether he thinks Clinton will launch a presidential bid, Morris responded: "She's hoping for a set of circumstances where she could."

"She's got to wait until Biden drops out because he's obviously next in line for it and if he goes away, there's an opening for her. At that point, all the Democrats are doing to say, 'Oh my God, are we going to nominate Elizabeth Warren...We need a moderate to come out'. And Hillary will dust off her credentials and say, 'I'm a moderate. I was that when my husband was president and I'll be that now.'"

Morris also noted that Clinton will use the fact that she got more votes than President Donald Trump in 2016 to convince voters of her ability to win the election.

His remarks come after two unnamed sources close to Clinton told The Washington Post last week that the former 2016 Democratic nominee is still not ruling out entering the 2020 presidential race as a Democrat. The New York Times on Tuesday also reported that Clinton has indicated in private to those close to her that she would consider a 2020 bid if she believes she could win against Trump. However, according to the newspaper, Clinton is skeptical that would be the case.

Continue reading here:
Ex-Bill Clinton adviser predicts Hillary will run in 2020 if ...

Mr. Clinton pointed to Mr. Cummingss bipartisan friendships as proof of his commitment to a free and diverse society.

No matter how hard he fought or how passionately he argued, he tried to treat everyone the way he wanted to be treated, Mr. Clinton said. The way he thought Americans should be treated. You cant run a free society if you have to hate everybody you disagree with.

In addition to Mr. and Mrs. Clinton, other prominent politicians who spoke at his funeral were former President Barack Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator and presidential candidate.

Elijah wrote his funeral program and decided who he wanted to do what, Bishop Walter Scott Thomas, the pastor, said after Ms. Warren and Representative Marcia Fudge, Democrat of Ohio, read from the Bible. Some of you may be wondering why you are not doing anything, so I wanted to give you clarity.

The funeral was held at New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, where Mr. Cummings could usually be seen seated in the front row on Sundays. The church seats 4,000 people, but was expected to draw far more for the funeral on Friday.

I love this man, Mr. Clinton said, gesturing toward the coffin. I loved every minute I ever spent with him, every conversation I ever had with him. I loved his booming voice. But we should hear him now at the quiet times of night, when we get worried, and we get discouraged, and we dont know if we can believe anymore.

Again referring to the story of the prophet Elijah, Mr. Clinton said Americans should remember Mr. Cummings as a still, small voice that keeps us going, keeps us grateful, keeps us happy and keeps us moving.

Visit link:
Elijah Cummings Funeral: Bill and Hillary Clinton Urge ...

In fact, in the unlikely event that Clinton took a last-minute plunge into the primary, she might struggle to win the backing of any Democrats from a chamber in which she served for eight years.

Clinton has plenty of goodwill in the 47-member Democratic Caucus. Most of them like and respect her for her service and still smart over her 2016 loss to Donald Trump. But the sentiment that her time has passed is one shared by moderates and liberals alike.

I dont think it would be good for her, said Montana Sen. Jon Tester. Shes been through this war once. The Republicans have made a target out of her for 30 years and shes still going to [be] that same target. I just think it would be tough.

That would be a mistake, said Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. Asked to expound, he repeated: That would be a mistake.

Absolutely not, said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

Philippe Reines, Clintons longtime aide and adviser, doesnt see things that way. On Fox News this week, he declined to rule out a Clinton bid and said that there might be a reason that shed be the best person to take on Trump and govern in the aftermath. But he also acknowledged shed have to win a crowded primary, a difficult endeavor.

Clinton herself invited the scrutiny, jokingly replying, Dont tempt me when Trump tweeted that Clinton should take on Sen. Elizabeth Warren for the Democratic nomination. Meeting the fundraising and polling thresholds to qualify for the debates likely wouldnt be a problem. And she's already shown a willingness to mix it up with at least one other candidate having swiped at Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, suggesting the Hawaii lawmaker is being backed by the Russians.

But most of her Democratic allies dont take the buzz seriously and say they are happy with the field as it is, despite griping by some in the establishment about the current roster of Democrats.

We have a lot of really fantastic candidates out there already. Let's leave it at that, said Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono.

Democrats also dont believe Clinton herself has any real interest in being a candidate again. Her political career has been a grueling one: first lady of Arkansas, first lady of the United States, U.S. senator, secretary of State and presidential nominee.

I can sort of see the expression on her face, of sort of disbelief and dismissal, said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Clinton seeing reports that she might make a third run for president. Its just my instinct that theres no way she wants to go through this meat grinder again.

In 2013, every female Democratic senator signed on to a letter to Clinton encouraging her to run for the presidency. By 2015, most of the caucus had coalesced behind Clinton, cutting off oxygen to any potential opponents. Only one Democratic senator, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, ended up endorsing Clintons primary opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Clintons coronation by the party establishment left many Democrats feeling burned, particularly after she ended up losing to Trump. And todays landscape couldnt be more different.

Its hard to know whether the world has passed on or not, said California Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Im a friend of hers and Im extraordinarily fond of her. But thats a factor.

There are a half-dozen Democratic senators currently running for the nomination. And former Vice President Joe Biden already has a bloc of senators and congressmen backing him, including Feinstein. Candidates like Andrew Yang and Pete Buttigieg offer options from outside the Beltway.

None of that would change if Clinton got in.

I cant imagine that [Clinton] would want to get back in the race, said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who said she prefers candidates from the middle of the country. If she wants to, then she goes through the same process as everyone else. And well see what she says in the debates.

What is true is that many in the party are anxious about what lies ahead. The House is plunging into impeachment, the Senate will have to hold a trial and Democratic voters have a long way to go in pruning the field of presidential contenders.

Yet Democrats largely believe that reaching back into 2016, when Clinton handily won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College to Trump, isnt the antidote for the partys current plight. It would shake up the race, but perhaps not in a good way.

I just want to make sure we want to stay united. There are good people that are running. I can support any one of them, said Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin.

The field is somewhat set, added Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.), shaking his head when asked whether Clinton should reconsider. I think we need to move forward.

Read more:
Senate Democrats tell Hillary Clinton: Time to move on

After shutting the door on a 2020 run again and again, might former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton still have it ever so slightly open?

A new report from The New York Times describing how some Democrats are "daydreaming" about another candidate making an unlikely late entrance into the race includes the detail that Clinton, in recent weeks, has been saying that if she "thought [she] could win," she "would consider entering the primary," although she's "skeptical there would be an opening."

Still, Clinton is reportedly being encouraged to enter the race. The report details how she has "concerns" about the Democrats' 2020 field, worried about the "durability" of former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign and the "liberal politics" of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and being "unsure of who else can emerge to take on" Trump.

The Times report comes days after the endless 2020 speculation surrounding Clinton ramped up when she took a shot at Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) on a podcast by suggesting Russians are "grooming" her to run as a third party candidate. Gabbard hit back by challenging Clinton to "join the race directly." Clinton, who recently tweeted at President Trump that he shouldn't "tempt me" to get into the race, would consider a run if Biden "drops out or is badly weakened," the Times reports, citing Democrats close to her.

Clinton isn't the only name being floated to possibly make a late entrance, with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also reportedly telling allies he'd run if he saw an opening, and with former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) also reportedly being urged to enter. Will any of them actually join the race with just months to go until the Iowa caucuses? Almost certainly not, but as Patrick told the Times, "it's nice to be rumored about." Brendan Morrow

View post:
Hillary Clinton has reportedly been saying she'd consider ...

Hillary Clinton says she believes that the Russians have "got their eye on somebody who's currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate."

In a recent interview, Clinton didn't mention Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii by name, but said she believes one candidate is "the favorite of the Russians." Asked if the former secretary of state was referring to Gabbard, Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said, "If the nesting doll fits..."

Gabbard responded with a furious tweetstorm Friday afternoon, where she blasted Clinton as "the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that sickened the Democratic Party for so long."

"From the day I announced my candidacy, there has been a concerted campaign to destroy my reputation. We wondered who was behind it and why. Now we know it was always you, through your proxies and powerful allies in the corporate media and war machine, afraid of the threat I pose," she added in subsequent tweets, challenging the 2016 Democratic nominee to enter the 2020 race.

"It is now clear that this primary is between you and me. Don't cowardly hide behind your proxies. Join the race directly," the congresswoman tweeted.

Merrill responded within minutes, saying, "Divisive language filled with vitriol and conspiracy theories? Cant imagine a better proof point than this."

Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.

Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics

Gabbard told NBC News Friday night in an interview in Iowa City, Iowa, that Clinton had "blood on her hands" for her support of American military action, and said the former first lady is accusing her and others who are against "regime change wars" of being "traitors and foreign agents." She said Clinton was lashing out because "it's clear to her that she can't control me."

"If I'm elected president," Gabbard said, Clinton "won't be able to manipulate me."

During a podcast appearance on "Campaign HQ" with David Plouffe earlier in the week, Clinton said the unnamed Democratic candidate was "the favorite of the Russians." "And that's assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not because she's also a Russian asset. She's a Russian asset! I mean, totally. They know they can't win without a third-party candidate," Clinton said.

The Mueller report and congressional investigations have shown that Russia's interference in the 2016 election included bolstering Green Party candidate Stein's third-party run.

Stein responded to Clinton's comments on Twitter, saying, "It's a shame HRC is peddling conspiracy theories to justify her failure instead of reflecting on real reasons Dems lost in 2016."

Gabbard, who has defended Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said she has no plans for a third-party run. After Gabbard's Friday tweetstorm, Merrill tweeted at her that it was "Assad day for your candidacy."

Some Democrats and critics have called Gabbard a Russian asset, which she blasted as "completely despicable" at this week's debate.

Merrill said Clinton's comments are not "some outlandish claim. This is reality. If the Russian propaganda machine, both their state media and their bot and troll operations, is backing a candidate aligned with their interests, that is just a reality, it is not speculation."

An NBC News analysis in February showed Russian news sites and social media linked to the Kremlin were promoting Gabbard's candidacy in the run-up to her campaign announcement. That activity has continued in the months since, The New York Times reported this week.

Gabbard, who resigned as Democratic National Committee vice chair to endorse Bernie Sanders' presidential run in 2016, took some digs at Clinton in Tuesday's Democratic presidential primary debate in Ohio.

"I agree with Hillary Clinton on one thing, disagree with her on many others," Gabbard said at one point. She also referred to Clinton's line about President Donald Trump being supported by a "basket of deplorables," saying: "When I look at our country, I don't see deplorables. I see fellow Americans, people who I treat with respect, even when we disagree and when we disagree strongly."

Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Monica Alba is a political reporter for NBC News.

Maura Barrett is a 2020 campaign embed for NBC News.

Associated Press contributed.

Go here to see the original:
Hillary Clinton suggests Russia is grooming Tulsi Gabbard ...