One of the things that keeps me from weighing in with any opinion on Hillary Clinton is the profound lack of any middle ground so far expressed in the many diaries I've seen.
So, when I read this, Help Wanted: The Case for a Generational Challenger to Secretary Clinton, the temptation to throw out a couple of paragraphs and link was irresistible.
When was the last time in the United States that a Democrat who was not the incumbent US President, and who was older than the Republican nominee, won the White House?
The last time that happened was 158 years ago, in 1856, when Democrat James Buchanan, 65, defeated Republican John C. Fremont, 43, and former President Millard Fillmore, 56, of the Whig Party (the last president who was neither Democrat nor Republican).
The road to the White House is littered with the failed campaigns of institutional candidates whose turn it surely was on both sides of the partisan aisle: from Hubert Humphrey to Bob Dole to John McCain – and Secretary Clinton follows snugly in their footsteps – elder statespersons of political parties have not inspired young people and minority voters turn out to vote the way that FDR, JFK, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama did to return the Democrats to power. The winners made elections “cool” and exciting for young Americans and marginalized groups to participate in ways they normally do not (a consequence of the more common dynamic, in which these core Democratic constituencies do not vote, will be felt this November in the US Senate and House elections, where the only question is how bad the results will be for Democrats).
You may not be an Al Giordano fan - indeed, the last time I remember a post here by him was a while ago, and the level of negative reaction surprised me - but I think this is a fair recap of the general situation, without getting into the prominent "I hate Hillary" meme.
I won't be commenting much, if at all, on this, but I thought it was worth presenting for your attention. I think it's well worth a full read.