Charles Cooke of National Review Online assesses the missteps that have characterized the opening of Hillary Clinton’s latest presidential campaign.
It is always diverting to poke fun at the arrogant. But what has been infinitely more fascinating is just how off-kilter Clinton’s substance has been, too. Love them or hate them, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Rand Paul all came out of the gate with a clear and distinct pitch. Thus far, by contrast, Hillary has not said anything coherent at all. Rather, she has submitted variously (a) that the leadership that her party has provided for the United States in the last decade has failed to bring about the change that America needs; (b) that rich, well-connected, politically powerful figures such as herself are what is primarily wrong with the country; and (c) that while she is in the race there will be no platitude that is too banal to share. In so doing, she has set herself up for some obvious and potent criticisms. We are talking here, remember, about a woman who has become a critic of income inequality despite being a prime example of that overhyped problem herself; who has glommed onto the cause of campaign-finance reform while planning the best-funded campaign in American history; and who has argued that the game is “rigged” despite being a staunch advocate of precisely the sort of government-led corporatism that ossifies economies and traps people in their places.
