Paul Giorgio: Are We Really Ready for Hillary?

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Paul Giorgio, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

I must confess, I receive at least a dozen emails a day exhorting me to be, “Ready for Hillary.” This movement is the largest political business I know. I don’t know how many employees they have. I do know that they are trying to have people sign petitions to help Hillary Clinton make up her mind about running for President in 2016. I don’t think Hillary Clinton needs my help in deciding what she is going to do. I feel that this is in her DNA.

In addition to the “sign this petition” effort, there is also a massive fundraising apparatus in place to assist this group. On top of that they have an entire merchandise section, where you can buy everything from bumper stickers to tote bags.

So, I have a confession to make. I am so not ready for Hillary. I wasn’t with her the last time she ran in 2008; I was with Barack Obama and was honored to serve as one of his representatives on the Platform Committee at the Democratic National Convention that year.

Hillary is like Teddy

Hillary Clinton is a great deal like Ted Kennedy was. She will never be as popular as she is the day before she announces for President. For Teddy, it was downhill from there. And like Ted Kennedy, she only has one way to go and that is down. Hillary is bright and tough and effective; she would make a great president. But I don’t think it is in the cards for her. I feel that she is to polarizing a figure. I yearn for the days of Bill Clinton; I know Bill Clinton and Hillary is no Bill.

But who will take on Hillary in the primaries? Will there be a generational shift? Joe Biden is thinking about running, but he won’t. He is older than Hillary.

Elizabeth Warren is younger and a woman, but she is disclaiming any interest in running in 2016.

Next Generation of Democrats

So who is in the new generation of Democratic leaders? I feel the Democratic Nominee will come from the cadre of governors. You have Massachusetts own Deval Patrick, who in my opinion puts Obama to shame, but he is too similar. You have Andrew Cuomo of New York who may be too mercurial to run.

Another star of the governors in Maryland’s Martin O’Malley. At 50, O’Malley has served two terms as governor and before that, two terms as the mayor of Baltimore.

O’Malley has a lot going for him. He is Irish Catholic, who won reelection in a majority Black City with over 60 percent of the vote. Although, he is catholic, he has the correct positions for Democratic voters. He is young, smart and personable. Coming from a border sate he can lay claim to the south.

The last Governor who maybe in the mix is Terry McAuliffe, the Governor of Virginia and a Clinton friend. He maybe a potential candidate, but not if Hillary is in the race.

Governors tend to be better candidates for president than do members of the senate. Maybe it is because governors deal with real problems. Outside of Elizabeth Warren, no one from the Senate leaps out at me as having star power. I would even dismiss big city mayors from the mix. Most of them are Democrats, but the last two mayors to attempt a run where both from New York: Ed Koch and John Lindsay.

So, I will go out on a limb and state that if Hillary runs, she will be challenged by a governor.

Is America ready for Hillary, yes. But the question remains, are we willing to elect her.

Paul Giorgio is a longtime Democratic Party Activist who has worked on numerous campaigns. He was a Lead Advance Person for President Clinton & Vice President Gore. He was Deputy Director of Special Events for President Clinton’s first Inauguration. He has been elected a delegate to numerous Democratic National Conventions and recently served as one of President Obama’s representatives on the Platform Committee. In 2013 he was chosen as a Presidential Elector. He is the President of Pagio, Inc., publishers of Pulse Magazine, Vitality Magazine and Worcester Medicine.