Third time’s the charm: Hillary Clinton giving serious consideration to losing another White House bid in 2020

Published November 12, 2018 3:19pm ET



Historically unpopular former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will make a third failed run for the White House in 2020, according to former Clinton adviser Mark Penn and former New York City Council President Andrew Stein.

Because self-delusion is what happens when you surround yourself with sycophantic yes-men, as the Clintons have.

“Mrs. Clinton has come unbound. She will not allow this humiliating loss at the hands of an amateur to end the story of her career,” Penn and Stein said this weekend in an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal, adding that the two-time failed presidential candidate could win the whole thing in 2020 if she rebrands herself as even more liberal this time around. “You can expect her to run for president once again. Maybe not at first, when the legions of Senate Democrats make their announcements, but definitely by the time the primaries are in full swing.”

They add, “Mrs. Clinton has a 75% approval rating among Democrats, an unfinished mission to be the first female president, and a personal grievance against Mr. Trump, whose supporters pilloried her with chants of ‘Lock her up!’ This must be avenged.”

[Also read: It’s on! 2020 Democrats turn to toppling Trump]

Funnily enough, the pair segues immediately into recommending that Clinton adopt former President Richard Nixon’s successful 1968 White House strategy, which came after some hard-learned lessons from his 1960 loss to former President John Kennedy. It’s funny because I’m not sure invoking Nixon is the wisest play following a paragraph that just argued: She is not a crook.

Penn and Stein continue, writing:

She will enter through the front door, mobilizing the army of professional women behind her, leveraging her social networks, and raking in donation. She will hope to emerge as an unstoppable force to undo Mr. Trump, running on the #MeToo movement, universal health care and gun control. Proud and independent, this time she will sideline Bill and Mr. Obama, limiting their role to fundraising.


Oh boy, yes. Clinton running on the #MeToo movement would be exceptionally entertaining, especially the part where longtime Clinton adviser Philippe Reines is asked to explain what he meant when he said that the woman who accused former President Bill Clinton of rape is “full of shit.” Also, the part where Clinton is asked to explain her role in destroying the women who’ve accused Bill Clinton of sexual abuse would be interesting to watch.

“Don’t pay much attention to the ‘I won’t run’ declarations,” write Penn and Stein. “Mrs. Clinton knows both Mr. Clinton and Mr. Obama declared they weren’t running, until they ran. She may even skip Iowa and enter the race later, but rest assured that, one way or another, Hillary 4.0 is on the way.”

Come on, fellas. No one wants this. Clinton’s approval numbers are underwater across the board. Gallup shows her floundering at a record-low 36 percent approval rating nationwide, which is remarkable considering she isn’t even in office. A Hill.TV American Barometer survey conducted between Nov. 5-6 showed elsewhere that Clinton is running 18 points behind “None of the above.” Lastly, there’s the fact that she lost the 2016 election to a reality show host.

Stop trying to make Hillary Clinton happen.

If the Clinton faithful genuinely believe “third time’s the charm,” they’re free to try again in 2020 — and the committee to re-elect President Trump thanks them for their efforts.