Not A Matter of If, But When

It’s that time of year again. State campaigns are in full gear and even though the presidential election is two years
away, the speculation of top presidential candidates has begun. There have been several names mentioned as potential nominees for the Republican Party, but one name seems to have already captured the nomination of the Democratic Party: Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

Clinton has been a strong force in the Democratic Party for years, dating back to 1992 when her husband, Bill Clinton, defeated George H.W. Bush for the presidency.  Even though Bill has been out of office since early 2001, Hillary has never allowed her presence in politics to fade. 

Clinton’s resume is impressive. She was the first lady of the State of Arkansas, the first lady of the United States, a lawyer and graduate of Yale Law School, a member of the impeachment inquiry staff during the Watergate scandal of the 1970s, a former member of the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart, senator, Secretary of State, 2008 presidential candidate, and author. 

Even though Clinton ran a bitter campaign against President Obama for the 2008 Democratic nomination for President, Clinton, who served as the Secretary of State under President Obama, is also associated with Obama’s administration and some of its controversial decisions.  Her decision to join the Obama cabinet is a testament to where her beliefs truly lie.  

Can it be argued that Clinton’s main agenda is not for the betterment of our country but instead is to build her own resume by adding the title of President of the United States or becoming the first woman to be President? Over the past year, the speculation of her running again has grown. Clinton has neither confirmed nor denied if she will actually run, but instead has only given a time frame of when she will announce her decision.  

When Hillary ran in 2008, she waited until 22 months prior to the general election to announce she was running.  So why won’t she just come out and say it now? According to time.com, Clinton would benefit more by waiting to announce whether she is running or not than she would by making an early announcement.  

A reason for Hillary to wait is that if she announces she will run for President, everything she does or says from that point on will be intensely monitored and criticized, even more so than now. 

For example, Hillary’s second memoir, Hard Choices, which was released this summer, was a total flop.  According to thefederalist.com, it only sold a little over 85,000 copies the first week. In what many believe was an attempt to seem relatable to the majority of Americans, Clinton wrote in Hard Choices how she and Bill were broke immediately after his presidential term ended in 2001.  

However, even if Clinton’s assertion of her financial status in early 2001 is correct, in reality, she can not relate to the average American because she is a multimillionaire now and clearly has been since shortly after Bill left the White House. Tatum Roessler (Junior) read the memoir and said, “I think it was a cheap shot trying to relate to the general public in that manner because she was trying to portray herself as something she wasn’t.”  

The controversy surrounding Clinton’s personal finances brought negative attention to Clinton. However, it would have caused much more damage to her potential presidential campaign had she already announced she was running. Clinton has said she will announce her decision after the first of the year. Will we be seeing those famous pantsuits on a campaign trail? Many would bet "yes" but only time will tell.