She's got one. A big fat huge one. If she chooses to take it.
I've realized this, because I have a memory.
Disclaimer: I'm not a fan of Hillary, I never have been, and I think that Bill did enormous damage to the Democratic party. So, yes, one can take this as the "advice" of a non-supporter if one wants to :-). But she does have a chance to become something very special. She's got the smarts and the perseverence to do it.
Right now? She's a senator without much in the way of accomplishment, she's polarizing with huge fans and huge negatives, she lives on name recognition which cuts both ways, and she just fought a very divisive battle which came close to splitting her party apart.
However, the same could've been said about another Senator, except even more so, 28 years ago.
That Senator was, of course, Ted Kennedy.
I'm a lifelong MA resident. Ted's my guy. I'm going to point out some of his unsavory past here, which is unfair to a guy that just had brain surgery, so don't get me wrong--I love Ted. But I love the Ted we've got now. The Ted in the past? There were some problems. And I point out some of those problems purely to make a comparison with where he was in 1980 and where HRC is now.
I was 15 in 1980 and just becoming aware of politics. My "political life" coincided with Ted's rebirth into what he is now: the Lion of the Senate, God's Gift to Liberals, one of the most conscientious and hard-working people in the Senate.
But that's not what he was in 1980.
If you look for Ted's legislative accomplishments from 1962-1980, you don't find much; and he had much longer in the Senate to do something than Hillary has (and he spent that entire time in the Majority, which HRC has not, and 10 years of it with a Dem president, which HRC has not). His "living off name recognition" was much more acute than HRC's. And his negatives? Come on. Whatever you think about Chappaquiddick, someone died there. There are people who will always consider him guilty of at least vehicular homicide--and when you ask those people about what they feel about him 'getting off', be prepared for a stream of expletives. Don't get me wrong--I don't agree with that. I'd vote for Ted for Pres in a heartbeat, and I would have in 1980 if I'd been three years older :-). But Ted's got negatives--and they were stronger in 1980 because the offense was more recent--that absolutely dwarf anything HRC has to deal with.
Then there was the challenge to Carter. You think this was bad? I was not old enough to vote but I was old enough to pay attention, and the fight was very, very, very damaging. It was a very bad thing to do to the party, and I say that as someone who would've enthusiastically voted for Ted in that primary had I been old enough. But if you take it as "what's good for the Party", what Ted did was a thousand times worse than what Hillary has done. Hillary didn't challenge a sitting president. Hillary, judging by that email she sent out, is prepared to be far more gracious in defeat than Ted was.
Plus, the personal animosity back then--I don't think it quite exists nowadays--but in 1980? Ted loathed Carter. One could make the case that Ted challenging Carter was the most narcissistic thing ever if it weren't for the fact that Ted thought that Carter was a disasterous DINO who needed to be pushed out or we'd get Reagan. Of course, Ted turned out to be right though a case could be made that his challenge of Carter made that a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The point I make by reliving this litany is this: of all the bad things one can say about Hillary Clinton right now...they could've been said about Ted Kennedy in 1980...only times ten.
And what's Ted become in the intervening years? Well, I would propose that Ted has become THE Democrat. I would propose that nobody, but nobody--Senator, congressperson, Governor, president, candidate-- nobody has stood up for and worked for and spoken for basic Democratic party values better than Ted Kennedy has. Nobody. He's it.
So, how did he get from name-recognition nonentity who split the party to TED KENNEDY? Well, he worked his ass off, for one. But, even before that, he had to come to two decisions.
One is irrelevant to this discussion (Ted had to put the bottle down; HRC doesn't have to worry about that, thank goodness).
But the other? Ted had to come to the realization that he was never going to be president.
I'm not pretending for a minute that was easy. He must've felt almost an obligation to try to be president, because of his brothers and the way he was raised (let's not forget that Joe Kennedy was an absolute bastard). But there came a point that Ted decided that it wasn't ever going to happen for him.
Now, when going on here I'm assuming HRC doesn't get offered VP or a cabinet position. (I don't think there's a chance in hell she'll get offered VP but a cabinet position is a possibility). If she gets in an Obama cabinet? Good for her. However, if she doesn't....
....look. Ted's 76 years old. Even if he survives the brain cancer he's not going to be with us forever. We need someone to carry the torch.
Hillary? If you want it, it's all yours. You're a national figure. The Senate is a great platform, as Ted realized. You want to become the Lion of the Democratic party?
Ted did it. Ted had further to come than you do. You're just as hard-working, and, as much as I love Ted, you're probably smarter :-).
There's a lot to be said for being THE Senate Democrat. And if she decided to become THE Senate Democrat under an Obama presidency? Remember, Ted did it under 12 years of Reagan-Bush. Can you imagine HRC doing it under an Obama presidency? Man, what we could accomplish!
I hope she goes for it.