There has been chatter that former presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is a potential running mate. Now there’s talk that she could be tapped as a presidential candidate. Again. The Democratic Party may have some thinking to do.
“Who are the alternatives? All the supposed moderates — Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bloomberg — were thoroughly rejected by primary voters. The prickly Elizabeth Warren finished third in her home state. All of which leaves Clinton as the best backup plan,” writes New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin.
“She’s hardly my cup of tea but for all her problems, including doubts about her physical stamina, she is a fundraising machine, has a true following and could hit the ground running. And, in case you hadn’t noticed, she’s advertising her availability,” Mr. Goodwin continues.
“It’s surely no coincidence that ‘Hillary’ was released Friday, during the height of the primary season. The sweetheart documentary, complete with broad promotion, stories, reviews and interviews with her, is a massive and slick selling job. Once again and always, she is selling herself,” Mr. Goodwin notes.
“While it’s impossible to miss the rollout and her glee in using the film and interviews to stick knives into Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, it’s also impossible to miss the timing. All the party has to do is call. Her bag is packed,” the columnist advises.
BIDEN’S ALREADY PICKED HIS CABINET
A new report suggests that Democratic presidential hopeful Joseph R. Biden is already picking out favorites for a future Cabinet and White House staff. The former vice president’s list includes a host of ex-Obama administration heavyweights and even former campaign-trail foes.
Mr. Biden’s choices include Sen. Elizabeth Warren as Treasury secretary or running mate, and former Secretary of State John Kerry in a newly created Cabinet position to oversee climate change. Susan Rice — an Obama-era national security adviser — would be tapped as secretary of state and Michael R. Bloomberg as head of the World Bank. Pete Buttigieg could emerge as ambassador to the United Nations.
The possibilities of “Biden’s secret governing plan” are outlined in a new report issued Monday by Axios.
“The bottom line: Biden, a throw-back institutionalist, relishes an emphasis on governing, norms and restoring alliances. That includes respect for experts, and for the art and science of governing. This evolving plan is all in Biden’s comfort zone — all meant to send a public signal of stability,” noted the report, which was written by Axios founders Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen.
SUPER, PART 2
Well, the election show rolls on. Voters in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington state go to the polls on Tuesday.
“Some analysts are calling it Super Tuesday 2, or Mini-Super Tuesday,” writes Nate Ashworth, editor of Election Central.
“Whatever you call it, there are more states voting in the Democratic primary. Out of the six, there has been some polling done very recently that indicates former Vice President Joe Biden is favored in four of them, while the two northwestern states of Idaho and North Dakota could be fertile for Bernie Sanders like they were in 2016,” he says.
“In the end, a good night for Biden would be a victory in four, maybe five states, which would give him a noteworthy delegate haul. If Bernie can win Idaho, North Dakota, and then come out with a win in Washington, that would at least giving him a strong argument to press on toward the next Democratic debate on March 15,” Mr. Ashworth advises.
CORONAVIRUS HITS THE PRESS CORPS
The world’s largest gathering of conservatives has had an unintended consequence. After a single attendee at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference — CPAC — tested positive for the mystery virus, news organizations have begun quarantine procedures for reporters who attended the event.
“Politico, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, and Mother Jones have asked reporters who covered CPAC to self-quarantine and work remotely due to concerns that they may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus,” said a report from The Washingtonian, a news organization based in the nation’s capital.
“Both the Post and Politico say they’ve taken measures to clean and sanitize public areas. The Post has asked employees who were at CPAC to self-quarantine for seven days. All newsrooms tell Washingtonian they’ve taken such measures out of an abundance of caution.”
The American Conservative Union — host organization to the mammoth gathering — has already issued two comprehensive advisories for concerned attendees.
“We continue to remain in close contact with the infected individual and he continues to be doing better. Also, at this point, no other CPAC attendee, participant or staff has tested positive for coronavirus,” the organization advised Monday.
THE REAL PAPER TRAIL
Arriving Tuesday from Scribner: “The Hunt for History: On the Trail of the World’s Lost Treasuresfrom the Letters of Lincoln, Churchill, and Einstein to the Secret Recordings Onboard JFK’s Air Force One” by Nathan Raab, a meticulous and discerning rare documents dealer who’s seen it all — from Amelia Earhart’s flight logs to the letters of President Ronald Reagan, and an unpublished missive written by Albert Einstein discussing his theory of relativity.
The author’s work combines art, science and good business all in one — the details revealed in his new book.
Mr. Raab describes himself as the “Sherlock Holmes of historical artifacts — questing after precious finds and determining their authenticity.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 85% of Americans are “not concerned” about losing their job in the next 12 months.
• 56% say their household income is the same as it was 12 months ago; 32% say their household income is “significantly higher.”
• 67% say it’s a “good time” to sell a house; 22% say it is a “bad time” to sell.
• 59% say it’s a “good time” to buy a house; 32% say it is a “bad time” to buy.
Source: The Fannie Mae National Housing Survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 1-22 and released Monday.
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