2016 is not far away, but thankfully, far enough away that we’re not bombarded with presidential electioneering right now. That also means the field is wide open, so we are likely to see some wild characters from time to time.
There has already been some nasty work going on. Idiots using the power of their position to crush their enemies. Karma coming back to crush them. It’s all in a day’s work for the politically corrupt minds.
Plenty of names are flying around, but of course, no commitments so far. The PACs are getting ready, but not the candidates.
Hillary Clinton is one of the major names we’ve heard on the Democrat side. A PAC already started for her, “in case she decides to run.”
Hillary will have some competition on her own side of politics. Joe “the joker” Biden is expected to throw his hat in the ring, to give us all a few laughs, but there are others.
It probably means Hillary won’t be unopposed as the Democratic nominee.
Several Democratic governors and senators have already expressed interest in entering the race. One of those is Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, who gave a rousing speech to democrats at the National Convention. Of course, he also tooted his own horn – a lot – while he was trashing Mitt Romney, the likely reason he was chosen to speak.
Over the weekend, Patrick said he “conceivably might be interested after taking time off from politics.”
In political jargon, that means he is very interested. He was at the National Governors’ Association meeting in Washington, and Politico asked him about a possible run. He said, “Maybe, maybe.”
In presidential politics-speak, that means he will if he sees enough backing for him, evidenced by campaign dollars flowing in first. A lot of money will be needed, considering the vast war chest of money Hillary Clinton has at her disposal.
Patrick is well aware of Hillary Clinton’s awesome presence on the national stage. Obviously, she cannot announce she will run yet, but powerful political action committees are already raising millions on her behalf. Also, because she is the best nationally-known possible candidate, she enjoys a double-digit lead in virtually every poll taken.
In a Boston Globe interview, Deval Patrick said, “I’m going to go back into the private sector. And as Diane, my wife, says, pay some attention to our family and friends while they are still willing to have us pay some attention.”
The Massachusetts governor will leave his Governor’s office in 2015 and is “looking forward to a break” but “wants to return to politics someday,” according to a report in Politico.
Someday means sometime soon, if the dollars start showing up.
He made three other comments that should act as a good indicator to anyone looking for a committed candidate.
“I’d like to have another opportunity to serve. I believe in service. I enjoy it.” Then, “I think that my private-sector life has contributed to how I think about public-sector challenges and what I do in the public sector.” And finally, “That’s a decision I have to make along with my wife of 30 years, and she’s a tough one to convince. Let’s just see what time tells.”
We already know how this game is played, so what this tells us is that he is interested. If he hasn’t already talked to his wife about it, he’s leaving it very late, so we really know he’s giving himself a face-saving exit if nobody wants him.
