We all knew it was going to happen, and it did: Hillary Clinton will be seeking presidency in 2016. In a YouTube video released Sunday, Clinton announced her bid for president and thus formally began her campaign. Before she announced, Clinton has been pruning her image these past few months and so far, has been successfully appealing to the public.
Leaving the State Department back in 2013, she immediately started distancing herself from the present administration and its negative approval ratings. Simultaneously, she began her unofficial bid by appearing on most major news networks, including Fox News, and eloquently defended her work as a senator and Secretary of State. While on air, she remained classy and moderated her political language to appeal to a wider audience, showing more early signs of campaigning. She since has been traveling frequently giving speeches all across the US and now, after her announcement, is already traveling to Iowa for their early caucuses. So far, she is the only shining star from the Democratic Party to who seems to carry any serious clout for 2016, especially with other Democrats like Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), declining to run.
With a huge base that supports her, it seems likely she’ll win the Democratic nomination (assuming no other candidate comes out of obscurity like in 2008). Although in the November general election, she will undoubtedly face some tough criticism. Not many politicians have been as steeped in scandals as Clinton who has challenging days up ahead. Besides old scandals like Whitewater or Travelgate, Republicans will likely attack her inadequate response to the events in Benghazi, as well as the recent controversy surrounding the use of her home email for government work. Individually, most politicians could recover from scandals like these, but having so many on her, Clinton will have to address them well. Additionally, she will likely face much scrutiny for changing her political positions on LGBT issues and diplomatic positions towards Cuba, which will make her appear indecisive and irresolute. Despite all of this, her biggest challenge is how she is going to handle
Obamacare. An open advocate of universal healthcare in the past, Clinton will have to address how she plans on fixing the broken Obamacare system without either alienating her base or showing her absolute approval of the legislation.
For now, Clinton is the front-runner for the Democrats, and most likely will be for a long while. Despite her many scandals and controversial decisions, she will still be a force worth contending with in 2016. Republicans will have to strongly rally around their candidate for the election, because currently Clinton not only has a favorable rating and huge support within her party, but arguably the most experience with the executive office. While it is definitely too soon to call, it is an undeniable fact that Clinton will be a central figure througwhout this upcoming election season.
