I bet Hillary WON’T run: Former Clinton aide says Hillary's life is so good at present he thinks she won’t take a shot at the White HouseContrary to popular opinion, former White House press secretary to Bill Clinton Mike McCurry thinks Hillary Clinton 'might not run' for president in 2016
I'm probably the ...last person in Washington who'd be willing to take some bet that she might not run,' he said.
McCurry said Hillary could opt to continue her work at the Clinton Foundation rather than go through the hassle of pursuing higher office again
By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS
PUBLISHED: 09:31 EST, 14 May 2014 | UPDATED: 11:48 EST, 14 May 2014
Hillary 2016 is all but a done deal for nearly everyone who follows American politics.
But former White House press secretary to Bill Clinton Mike McCurry says he's not convinced there's going to to another Clinton in on the ballot.
In a segment on Real Clear Politics 'Changing Lanes series, where the news organization interviews influential figures while driving through the nation's Capitol, McCurry said Hillary may opt to continue the work she's doing with the Clinton Foundation instead of pursuing elected office again.
'I'd like to say I'm the only person left - I'm probably in this car the only last person in Washington who'd be willing to take some bet that she might not run,' McCurry told RCP co-founder Tom Bevan and Washington Bureau Chief Carl Cannon.
McCurry said he wasn't sure Hillary would want to go through the hassle of running again at this stage in her life, especially when 'she's doing terrific work' and 'finding other ways to make a contribution.'
'We all know what running for president is like,' McCurry said. 'It's kind of hanging around in Manchester, New Hampshire... at the local Denny's shaking hands with a lot of sometimes less-than-interesting local political people.'
'She's going to do that for the next two and a half years at age 65 when she could be doing all this great stuff on a global stage? I don't know. I think that's why she hasn't said, "I'm doing it." '
Bevan pointed out during the conversation that becoming a grandmother may factor into Hillary's decision, as well.
Hillary may not want to go through the hassle of running for president again at this stage in her life, former White House press secretary to Bill Clinton Mike McCurry says.
Hillary may not want to go through the hassle of running for president again at this stage in her life, former White House press secretary to Bill Clinton Mike McCurry says.
McCurry would not say Hillary would be 'unbeatable' if she did run but said she would be 'fomidable, because among other things, she would do the job very well.'
'I am confident when I say, "Hillary Clinton would be a good president" that she would be,' he said.
The ex-Clinton aide said her believed her qualifications for the job would help Americans get past other aspects of her background they may not appreciate - like her the fact that her husband already occupied the Oval Office and that he got caught occupying it with someone other than his wife.
'I think a real majority of Americans would see that [she would be a good president], even those who sometimes, you know, quarrel with the Clinton family image, or things like that,' he said.
McCurry said Hillary would not be hurt by her husband having already been president because many voters 'were too young' to remember Bill Clinton being president.'
He then admitted everyone in America has probably heard about Bill Clinton's affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, who turned back up in the press this month with an article in Vanity Fair detailing her personal struggles since her affair with the president became public more than 15 years ago.
'Look, let's put it this way. You can't put oral sex and Oval Office in the same sentence without getting the attention of a young person,' McCurry said.
McCurry worked as Bill Clinton's press secretary throughout the time the president was having an affair with Lewinsky until August 4, 1998.
Less than two weeks later, Clinton admitted in a televised address to the nation that he 'did have a relationship with Ms. Lewinsky that was not appropriate.'
McCurry said he didn't think Americans would hold the scandal against Hillary, though.
What young people probably don't remember and ought to is Bill Clinton's accomplishments,' he clarified.
Another factor that could keep Hillary Clinton from running for president is her health, long time adviser to President George W. Bush Karl Rove said this week.
Clinton was hospitalized for several days in 2012 after suffering a blood clot.
'When you go through a health incident like this, any presidential candidate has to ask themselves, "Am I willing to do this for eight years of my life?" ' Rove told Fox News.
He pointed out that if she ran, her health would most definitely be a topic of discussion, as evidenced by the questions previous presidential candidates were asked by reporters.
'She would not be human if it didn't enter into her considerations,' he later told the Washington Post.
Rove told the Post that if Hillary did run, she would need to be more 'forthcoming' about what happened when she had the blood clot.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2628189/White-House-press-secretary-Bill-Clinton-not-convinced-theres-going-Hillary-2016-campaign.html#ixzz31i8LfnIW
