Joseph Simonson of the Washington Examiner reports on reaction among progressive Democrats to news that 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton could jump into the 2020 race.
The nervousness among Democratic establishment figures about the quality of the 2020 primary field has prompted mockery from liberal activists who say that the wealthy are worried about losing their power.
There have been a slew of reports that Democrats like Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Michael Bloomberg are thinking of jumping into the race at the last minute because they believe the current crop of top candidates — Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Bernie Sanders — won’t be able to defeat President Trump.
“It would be like it was 2019 and the top three contenders were Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, or Kamala Harris and we were sitting around saying, ‘We gotta draft Dennis Kucinich, it’s the only way we can win,'” said Michael Brooks, Democratic analyst and host of a left-wing radio show.
“It’s not like Barack Obama is waiting in the wings where you have a different policy set but he’s a once-in-a-generation political talent,” he said. “You got like Hillary Clinton getting spicy on Twitter, saying, ‘Don’t tempt me to run again.’ What are you talking about? You lost.”
Democratic activists who spoke with the Washington Examiner compared concern from party elders to the 2016 GOP primary, where the insurgent Trump beat a crowded field while facing concerted efforts from conservative media, donors, and other Republican politicians to derail his candidacy.