Former Clinton Lawyer Urges Hillary Not To Run In 2020 “For Her Family’s Sake”

The last week has seen mounting speculation that former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is seeking to make a “comeback” and challenge Donald Trump a second time in the next U.S. presidential election of 2020.

Rumors of another Clinton campaign in the works comes amid the former candidate’s recent uptick in public appearances and fund-raising appeals, and after writer Michael Goodwin floated the idea that Clinton could be gearing up for a presidential run in 2020 on Saturday in the New York Post. 

As Mint Press News’ Whitney Webb writes, Clinton’s recent return to the public arena coincided with her efforts to challenge Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, particularly the scandal caused by separations of migrant families at the U.S. border. Even though Clinton has long advocated for building a border fence and similar “zero tolerance” immigration measures comparable to those of Trump, she used the outrage to launch her return to the public eye, raising more than $1.5 million for separated families.

Clinton has also used the recent resignation of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy as another rallying point, having announced a new partnership with groups contesting Trump’s judicial nominees soon after Kennedy’s announcement.

And Clinton gave a campaign-style speech today at the American Federation of Teachers conference in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania is a key swing state in presidential elections. (via The Daily Caller)

“We have to gear up again, because the challenges we face now are truly unlike any that we’ve seen for quite some time,” Clinton told a crowd Friday. “We thought we had won. Now the pressures and forces against progress are stronger than ever. They control our government and they are determined to have their way.”

“I am very grateful for your support during the 2016 campaign and I’m even more grateful, however, that, here and now, you continue to stand up for the values we share,” Clinton said. “I believe with all my heart that the test of any society is how we treat the most vulnerable among us. Particularly, our youngest, our oldest, our people with disabilities. And right now my friends, our country is failing that test.”

Clinton said Friday that, under Trump and Republican leadership in Congress, “We have never seen such organized cruelty.”

“People used to hide the way they felt. They wouldn’t come right out and say what they were thinking, which was good. That is part of the process of civilization. But, boy, not today,” Clinton said.

Clinton detailed a list of things she finds cruel and un-American about the president’s and Republicans’ policies. She said Friday:

Over the last 18 months, this administration has tried to rip away health coverage for millions and tried to end coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. They’ve given tax cuts for the wealthiest few and they’ve paid for them on the backs of children and working families. They’ve gutted funding for public schools and universities and they’ve rolled back protections against discrimination for students. And, unimaginably, they have ripped children away from their parents. They have forced toddlers as young as one-year-olds to appear in court. I find this beyond politics. The inhumanity of it. The disgrace, the indecency of it should incite all of us to know that we are not those people. But look at what else they have done. They tried just recently to block a World Health Organization resolution intended to raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding babies. And why do they do these things? Ideology? Religion? Corporate power? They have a lot of rationals and excuses. But the net result is they are trying to rip the heart out of America. They want to turn us into transaction units … It is like a man eat man and woman eat woman society. They want to turn us against each other. They want to divide and conquer.

The former secretary of state likened the U.S. at the current moment to the French Revolution, arguing the famous opening passage of Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities,” is a perfect description for the state of the U.S.

“Dickens may have been writing about the years leading up to the French Revolution, but he might as well have been writing about this moment in America … Fundamental rights, civic virtue, even facts, reason and evidence are under assault,” Clinton said.

Her next scheduled public appearance will take place this weekend in New York’s central park during Ozy Fest.

We are sure President Trump is chomping at the bit to take another shot at the former Secretary of State (and what about Dwayne Johnson)?

However, as The Hill reports today, it’s not just the Democrats that are unsure if she should run.

Former special counsel to President Bill Clinton, Lanny Davis, told Hill TV’s Krystall Ball and Buck Sexton on ‘Rising’ that he would advise Hillary Clinton against launching another presidential bid.

“She has so much to give in public service, and for her sake and her family’s sake, she has so much to give in public service, I hope she doesn’t put herself through it again.”

Davis, also a Hill opinion contributor, added that he does not know whether Hillary Clinton is actually considering another run.

Davis was hired to join the legal team of President Trump‘s former fixer, Michael Cohen, last week. 

To outside observers, rumors of another Clinton campaign may come as a surprise, given that she – along with Trump – ranked as one of the most despised political candidates in U.S. history.

However, Clinton’s difficulty in accepting blame for her defeat – blame which she has continued to deflect on unproven “Russian meddling,” James Comey, misogyny and a host of other factors – suggests that the woman who has come the closest to becoming an American president still feels that she is as electable as ever, despite popular sentiment to the contrary. Whether another embarrassing defeat for Clinton would be necessary to permanently dislodge her presidential ambitions is anyone’s guess.