Hilary Clinton: Does She Have What It Takes?

       Current public opinion polls within the United States claim that President Obama’s approval ratings are down and have been negative for some time now. An even larger portion of America believes the country is headed in the “wrong direction.“ As the 2016 presidential elections quickly approach, the question on everyone’s mind is who will be the next President of the United States? Various candidates are coming out of the woodworks, including Scott Walker, a potential favorite for the GOP as well as Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz. Potential candidates for the Democratic ticket are Hilary Clinton, Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warner, to name a few. Rumors have begun to circulate around the likelihood of some candidates to secure the nomination, which some scholars believe is the true victory in a presidential election. Because the American political system is so polarized, there are two clear sides, and the biggest question for you to answer is what side do you fall on? Topics, as years go on, seem to become more polarized, furthering the ability for compromise and crossover and rather solidifying the two extreme sides of the spectrum.  In a Washington Post article written earlier today, voters expressed their interest in rubbing shoulders with suspected Democratic nominee, Hilary Clinton. The author presumes that although Hilary Clinton has not explicitly stated that she will be running in 2016, she has done plenty to prepare for the anticipated announcement. Swing States are eagerly awaiting her arrival and many other Republican nominees are already battling it out with each other on the front lines. So why, you might ask, is Hilary Clinton taking her sweet time getting her campaign efforts started? Perhaps, she is too busy putting out fires from her latest email scandal, or better yet, she may be prepping herself for the much-needed build of the Democratic Party in hopes of restoring the hope of the American people. As outwardly expressed by the results of the Midterm elections in 2014, the American people were not happy with the work the Democratic party has done thus far with President Obama in office, in fact, the GOP was able to successfully take back the majority. A major success for the Republican Party has eased the pressure of those running for office in 2016, added pressure to candidates in the Democratic Party, suggesting that the party has a lot of ground to make up.

        Many social scientists have studied the effects of parties on candidate selection and also the effect of candidates on the party’s success during an election. As discussed in the article by Brawn suggests that candidates serve as a mouthpiece for the parties or “powers in control” behind closed doors. Instead, candidates take the heat when things go wrong and essentially become the face of the party or group. Brawn believes that essentially these groups or parties are those that are navigating the policy and all decisions that the candidate is making. Conversely, there are other social scientists that believe the candidate selection process has become more democratized, allowing for voters to have a larger say and influence on candidates. Rahat believes that historically, parties have played a larger and often more selective role in who they chose to be potential candidates, however this process has changed drastically. He theorizes that parties now let the general electoral have a major say on who their potential candidate should be, allowing them to vote in a democratic manner. He believes that although some could argue that this increases the strength of democracy in America, Rahat believes this weakens the power of the parties, both over the candidate and also over the electorate. He continues by suggesting that when voters participate in primary elections, they typically vote for the candidate they like better, but don’t necessarily keep in mind what candidate would be best for the future of the party. This approach to candidate selection can be harmful to the future of political parties and arguably, harmful to the political process in America. 

            As the primary elections approach quickly in the coming months, Americans wait in anticipate for the official announcements of candidacy of many candidates rumored to be running. Party organization and affiliation plays a huge role in the success of the candidate and if Rahat’s theory of democratization of elections is true, than whoever is seeking the nomination for either party needs to work on connecting with voters and securing the support of their electorate. Since Republican candidates are already fast at work visiting and speaking with voters in states across the country, it appears that if Hilary Clinton wishes to gain the nomination, she has a lot of ground to make up already. Likewise, whoever becomes a party favorite in 2016 from either side will likely have to juggle the appealing side of the voters and also the pressures of the party elites. By Brawn’s logic, it is in the best interest of potential candidates such as Hilary Clinton to not only be appealing to potential voters but also to appeal to party leaders in the process.