Mary Matalin: Hillary Won't Run In '16

by JASmius

....mostly because Barack Obama isn't leaving in 2017.

But for all you optimists out there, let's presume, for the sake of discussion, that he does.  Mrs. Carville is taking it even farther than I have:

The wide variety of potential candidates for the Republican presidential nomination boils down to one question in many quarters — which one can beat Hillary Clinton?

But to at least one powerful Republican consultant, Mary Matalin, the "Hillary" question is pointless.

"Hillary Clinton’s lead is ephemeral," Matalin told Politico Magazine. "As soon as she gets in, if she gets in, she will be challenged and it will evaporate. Just the nature of the beast. I predict she doesn’t run."

The Empress's track record bears out Mrs. Carville's analysis.  We all thought that 2008 would be Mrs. Clinton's coronational processional until she had those four flip-flops in three minutes and twelve seconds at a late-2007 Donk debate - which her husband could have pulled off effortlessly but she manifestly could not - after which her star fell like an anchor and Barack Obama passed her up.  Now, with all her Benghazigate baggage, there's no reason to think she would do any better, and ample reason to believe she would do much worse.

But even I don't think she won't run.  Even though she'll be too old, too stale, and too damaged, she won't recognize any of that alongside her life-long power lust.  The promise of the presidency was why the put up with Mr. Bill for all those years; she won't give up that dream for any reason, nor her believe that she can attain it.

Mrs. Carville is spot-on about the conservative grassroots' intolerance for any Republican standard-bearer but a strict constitutionalist.  Which makes Bill Kristol's projected field of particular interest:

Kristol predicts for U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, onetime vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, talk show host and former Florida Representative Joe Scarborough,  and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will be "the regular season starting nine. Maybe."

Bolton, Cruz, Paul, and Scarbourough are eliminated because of their resume; Bush, Huckabee, and Scarborough are eliminated because they're too RINOesque for the base (and Jeb is, you know, a Bush); and Palin is eliminated because she was reduced to roadkill status over five years ago.  That would leave Governors Pence and Walker, presuming Tea Partiers have the sense God gave a doorknob to unite behind a candidate that can actually win.  And if Governor Walker is re-elected (again) this November, he'll be a two-termer, and thus have the edge over Governor Pence.  At least in Kristol's scenario.

Mark McKinnon thinks it'll be Hillary Clinton vs. Jeb Bush, which is all the lack of imagination I would expect from an ex-McCainiac.  Although, to be fair, even he considers Governor Walker a "dark horse".

Byron York, meanwhile, has given up on 2016 altogether and is looking towards 2020.  And y'all think I'm a pessimist.  His 2016 prediction?  A Mitt Romney sequel.  If that doesn't motivate you to run right out and hang yourselves, I don't know what would.

Newt Gingrich has suddenly seen the gubernatorial light and projects a field of ONLY governors.  Which, to my recollection, has never been the case in ANY GOP primary field EVER.

Former Romney aide Beth Myers is sticking by Chris Christie.  Which probably explains a number of things.

Grover Norquist's field is governors with a token senator (Rand Paul) thrown in.

Lastly, John Feehery, president of Quinn Gillespie Communications and director of QGA Government Affairs, has a particularly interesting prediction: New York congressman Peter King, the RINO's RINO.  I think he said that just to piss off Tea Partiers.

What conclusion can be drawn from all of the above?  Obviously, that there won't be a 2016 election, because Barack Obama is president-for-life.  But if there was, the only things we could rely on for certain is that Hillary Clinton won't be the Democrat nominee and Sarah Palin won't run.  Everything else this far out is a total crap shoot.

Which, I suppose, means that I've pretty much wasted your time with this post.  Well, caveat lector and all that.