Hillary Clinton does her best not to leave anything to chance. Every word she utters and every position she takes has been poll-tested and focus-grouped to attract the most votes. In most years that calculated approach would be a strength. But the cloud of scandal casting a shadow over this year’s campaign has made her appear flat-footed.
That’s not the perception that Clinton expected to carry with her into the first debate, a debate that has taken on newfound importance given the rise of challenger Bernie Sanders and the possible campaign of Vice President Joe Biden.
While it would seem that Clinton could stand to be more authentic, there’s no doubt that her campaign is already testing out applause lines and pre-manufactured zingers. Here are the five things I predict Clinton will say at Tuesday’s debate:
1. “Republicans are waging a war on women.“
Sadly, the rhetoric she chooses will probably be more strident than simply waging war. In fact, just last week Clinton compared Republicans’ views to those held by “terrorist groups.”
As a Republican woman I am appalled by those comments. To denigrate a woman’s political choices, or to assume that they are single-issue voters who care nothing about the economy, foreign policy, health care or other important topics is to engage in the same kind of sexism of which Democrats often accuse Republicans. At some point we must set aside identity politics and focus on candidates who have the best policies.
2. “My foreign policy experience makes me the person you want answering the 3 a.m phone call.“
But is she really that person? After all, how can we forget the 3 a.m. Benghazi phone call that she never answered? We also can’t forget that her “Russian reset” played perfectly into Vladimir Putin’s expansionist hands. Or that the Afghanistan surge fueled the rise of the Taliban. Or that her strategy of amicable “engagement” with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt created destabilization in the region.
But hey, she did set the record for the most number of countries visited while secretary of state, so there’s that.
3. “Republicans want to tear up Obamacare. I won‘t let that happen.“
Republicans actually want to replace Obamacare with something that is better at controlling costs, but don’t count on Hillary to let facts get in the way of a good talking point.
Although the law was called the Affordable Care Act, the past two years have shown that it is anything but affordable with the underlying cost of an individually-purchased plan rising by 41 percent last year. Already insurers in states like Tennessee and North Carolina have requested rate increases above 30 percent. Higher deductibles and higher out-of-pocket costs have also become the new norm under Obamacare.
Something tells me you won’t hear Clinton mention any of those statistics on tonight.
4. “I‘m going to tackle abuses at big banks and hold Wall Street accountable.“
It will be tough for Clinton to say this one with a straight face. Clinton has long been cozy with the financial industry, which has rewarded her with huge political donations, and enormous checks to the Clinton Foundation.
Clinton’s tough talk about the need for more government regulation and control isn’t reserved for Wall Street; it’s quickly bleeding over to Main Street, where she’s issuing veiled threats against popular “sharing economy” companies like Uber and AirBNB. She’s forgotten that these businesses formed to fill gaps and challenge cartel-like behavior created by government’s heavy-handed regulations. For a so-called progressive she oddly seems opposed to progress.
5. “I pledge to make college more affordable“
Perhaps Clinton deserves some points for attempting to tackle student loan debt. The problem is she’s focusing on the symptom of student debt rather than the disease of college costs. So rather than foster market forces that can encourage competition and drive down costs, she simply wants to throw money at the problem – $350 billion to be exact.
By subsidizing the cost of college, Clinton’s plan does nothing more than accelerate the tuition spiral that is already driving students into the arms of lenders. In fact, it gives colleges every incentive to up their prices, knowing that the cost will be borne by the pockets of the federal government (i.e. taxpayers), not the price-conscious college student leery of future debt.
The arguments Clinton will make during Tuesday’s debate may be easy to predict, but so too are the results of these disastrous policies. Voters, especially young voters, should look beyond the poll-tested rhetoric to see Clinton for what she really is: A career politician who will say whatever it takes to win.
Alex Smith is chairman of the College Republican National Committee. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
