NEWS AND OPINION:
It is a lot of work to be a larger-than-life public figure, particularly one who has become a symbol for an entire political party. Such is the case, perhaps, with Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been first lady, U.S. senator, Secretary of State and now global-minded motivational speaker with an infatuated grass-roots following and some tall orders to live up to. “The American dream — Hillary Clinton is writing a new chapter,” says a new video outreach from Ready for Hillary, the independent political action committee that has raised $6 million for her campaign. “She’s fierce, she’s funny. She’s focused and she’s a fighter,” the organization declares. Well, alrighty.
Mrs. Clinton also has the burden of multiple public opinion polls that relentlessly suggest she’s the sole Democratic hope in the 2016 White House derby — a high maintenance job indeed. She leads by “historic margins” among New Hampshire Democrats according to a new Bloomberg Politics poll, where 62 percent say she’s their one-and-only. A Rasmussen Reports survey has identical findings — 62 percent of likely Democratic voters would choose Mrs. Clinton, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in distant second place with 17 percent of the support.
Journalists are murmuring, meanwhile. “When will Hillary Clinton stake out her policy positions?” wonders National Journal. “Yes or no, Hillary Clinton?” asks the Washington Post. And from Buzzfeed comes this: “Clinton shadow campaign gets ready for the real thing.” Which leads inquiring minds to wonder if Mrs. Clinton, new car smell and all, is ready to live up to all of this and hit the campaign trail.
“The question is not so much is Hillary ready for ’Hillary’,” a source observes. “The real, more serious question is this: Is Hillary actually ready for the White House?”
LIBERTARIANS NOT READY FOR RAND PAUL
Some are not happy with Sen. Rand Paul’s recent resolution for a declaration of war against the Islamic State. “Everyone knows that you’re posturing to get the Republican nomination for president in 2016. But for this long-shot hope of winning the nomination, you have endorsed a roster of hawkish big government Republicans — from Mitt Romney to Mitch McConnell. And now you’re calling for sending our troops back to Iraq, which will be a death sentence for many of them,” says Libertarian Party chairman Nicholas Sarwark in an open letter to the Kentucky Republican.
SEE ALSO: Ted Cruz: ‘Iran will either stop, or we will stop them’
“Just how much can your long-shot presidential bid be worth? Is it worth the lives of these young men and women? The Libertarian Party says ’Absolutely not!’ While we agree with your view that no funds should be allocated to an illegal war, a policy of non-intervention remains the only just and reasonable approach to dealing with the Middle East — a land halfway around the world where the United States does not belong,” Mr. Sarwark says. “Your bid for a declaration of war against ISIS is unjustifiable and dangerous. Please withdraw it immediately.”
CPAC 2015 IS PERCOLATING
Now just over 12 weeks away, the countdown is underway for the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference, affectionately known as CPAC. The emphasis is on the action part of things. Even as big names like Sen. Ted Cruz and Mark Levin join the speaker roster, organizers are perfecting final plans for “Activism Boot Camp,” an aggressive, boots-on-the-ground outreach which has Ben Carson as an adviser.
“Taking back our country will start with the grass roots joining together,” says the potential presidential hopeful of his new role. “I am certain we will make a difference, like never before.” The emphasis will be local, with input from such groups as the Leadership Institute, Intercollegiate Studies Institute and Young Americans for Liberty.
“Few people in history have built from scratch a grass-roots movement based on speaking truth to power. Dr. Ben Carson is one of those few,” observes Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union. “His common sense ideas rise above partisanship.”
THE WHITE HOUSE IS NOT PERCOLATING
SEE ALSO: Jonathan Gruber warned of Obamacare premium spike as president promised savings
It’s not rock bottom. Yet. At this point in time, 39 percent of American voters approve of President Obama’s job performance according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday. The president’s lowest-ever score was 38 percent, about a year ago. Democrats and voters under 30 years old are the sole demographics who approve of the president, the pollster says. The findings also reveal that 47 percent trust Republicans to do what is best for the nation, compared to 42 percent who feel that way about the White House. A majority are satisfied with Republican control of the U.S. Senate, though over two thirds expect partisan gridlock to follow. Forty four percent blame Mr. Obama for that, 42 percent the GOP.
“American voters are happy the Republicans have the ball, but don’t feel confident there will be a lot of scoring on the deal-making front. If that’s the case, the numbers say blame will fall on Obama as much as Republicans,” observes poll director Tim Malloy. “With the exception of voters born after 1985, Obama’s approval is deep under water.”
THE CRUZ ALLIANCE WITH ISRAEL
The recent Louis B. Brandeis Award National Dinner in New York City attracted 1,100 guests and multiple luminaries who dined well, made spirited conversation and listened to the words of — among many — Sen. Ted Cruz and Harvard University scholar Alan Dershowitz. Organized by the Zionist Organization of America, the event drew philanthropist Sheldon Adelson and wife Miriam, Fox News legal analyst Jeanine Pirro, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Gary Bauer, Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and pastor John Hagee.
“The threats to Israel have never been greater. We need leaders who will act decisively to strengthen the unshakable alliance with the nation of Israel,” Mr. Cruz told the crowd, citing recent bipartisan legislation “to bar entry to the United States of the proposed Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, which passed the Senate by a vote of 100 to zero and the House by a vote of 435 to zero. A known terrorist cannot simply live in Manhattan,” he said.
“I also pushed for legislation offering a $5 million reward for the capture of terrorists who have murdered American nationals, which also passed the Senate by 100 to 0,” the Texas Republican said.
“We should not only reimpose sanctions on Iran, but strengthen them and make it clear that unless Iran dismantles all 19,000 centrifuges, hands over every pound it has ever produced of enriched uranium, terminates its ICBM program — a program which can only exist to deliver a nuclear warhead to Israel or the U.S. —and ceases being a state sponsor of terrorism, we do not have a deal. Instead, under President Obama, we repeat the mistakes we made with North Korea.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 75 percent of U.S. voters say Congress will try to repeal Obamacare in the future; 68 percent of Republicans, 74 percent of independents and 83 percent of Democrats agree.
• 56 percent overall say an effort to repeal the law will fail; 51 percent of Republicans, 58 percent of independents and 62 percent of Democrats agree.
• 54 percent overall oppose Obamacare; 89 percent of Republicans, 54 percent of independents and 16 percent of Democrats agree.
• 48 percent overall say Congress should try and repeal the law; 82 percent of Republicans, 48 percent of independents and 12 percent of Democrats agree.
• 46 percent overall say Congress should let the law stand; 14 percent of Republicans, 45 percent of independents and 82 percent of Democrats agree.
• 40 percent overall support Obamacare; 8 percent of Republicans, 38 percent of independents and 77 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A Quinnipiac University poll of 1,623 registered U.S. voters conducted Nov. 18-23.
• Murmurs and asides to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.