Evening Must-Read: Ed Luce: Hillary Clinton’s rickety bridge to the White House
Hillary Clinton’s rickety bridge to the White House:
“Voters lack a compelling reason to embrace Democrats…
…as opposed to simply rejecting Republicans…. Without a credible economic plan, the US left risks being little more than a rainbow coalition. This is the danger facing Mrs Clinton’s candidacy. It is possible–perhaps even likely–that Republicans will select a nominee who has alienated so many Americans that he will be unable to compete in a general election. It is also plausible that Mrs Clinton will appeal to enough women, Hispanics and others to ensure her electoral maths are prohibitive. That is the working theory. Unless Mrs Clinton can find a positive story to engage America’s middle classes it is the only one that is likely to work in practice….
Mrs Clinton’s network of donors are comfortable with social liberalism. The bulk of her money will come from places like Wall Street and Silicon Valley, which are either neutral or supportive on social issues. Their focus is on lower taxes and fewer regulations. Mrs Clinton’s challenge will be to square her donors’ priorities with America’s increasingly apolitical young voter…. Those who are unemployed want jobs. Those who have jobs want a pay rise. All that most will remember is eight lean years under President Barack Obama…. Mrs Clinton will need new ideas and new faces. Who they will be–and what they will advise–is anyone’s guess…. In the absence of new ones, Mrs Clinton’s bridge to the White House looks rickety.