According to James Carville, all Democrats want to do is “get behind” Hillary Clinton for the 2016 elections. It’s definitely easier for them to do so when the media is throwing their full weight behind the former secretary of state.
The liberal panelists on Tuesday’s Morning Joe hyped the “very, very, very big news” that Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) is endorsing former Secretary Clinton for the 2016 presidential race – three and a half years before the election. McCaskill announced she was supporting Clinton Tuesday morning through the Ready for Hillary Super PAC.
Co-host Mika Brzezinski touted the endorsement as “telling at a number of levels” and a sign that “there has got to be some communication happening.” Time political analyst and panelist Mark Halperin seemed even more enthusiastic, raving:
Hillary Clinton's Super PAC could amass an enormous amount of money. And again, people like Claire McCaskill coming out early on. It's extraordinary to think – open contest, no incumbent running. And if Hillary Clinton wants this, if she decides to run. To have Claire McCaskill and others coming out this far in advance to say this is who we want, we may see less a nomination fight and more of a coronation if Hillary Clinton decides to do it.
Halperin even went so far as to suggest that gaining the support of former Obama allies would make her untouchable, “in either party”:
A lot of Obama people, skilled people – politicians, but also activists and strategists and tacticians are saying this is who we want. And the more the Clinton people can get the Obama people, nobody else can touch that in either party.
Now, I feel like we’ve heard this kind of “inevitable” talk about Hillary before. That might be because we did – in 2007, when every media outlet across the nation declared then-Sen. Clinton the Democratic nominee and president-elect for 2008.
No doubt, the liberal media will continue to obsess over Hillary’s as-of-yet unannounced campaign for president – and over every single Democrat who expresses an ounce of support.
See the relevant transcript below:
MSNBC
Morning Joe
June 18, 2013
7:53 a.m. Eastern
JOE SCARBOROUGH: But we have – this is fascinating here. I was asking Chris Christie a little while ago about 2016. Because of course people go, gee, that's way too early. But plans are already being made by the big candidates. We're going to have some breaking news coming, some news at 8:30. But we're going to break it here first. Fascinating on the Hillary Clinton front.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Telling at a number of levels.
MARK HALPERIN: There’s a very aggressive Super PAC called Ready for Hillary, supporters of Hillary Clinton trying to encourage her to run in 2016. They’re going to announce this morning at 8:30 on their website, Claire McCaskill, Missouri senator, is going to say she’s ready for Hillary, going to support Hillary Clinton in ‘16. It's a big deal for a lot of reasons. Remember Claire McCaskill in 2008, close to the Clintons but supported Barack Obama. One of the early symbolic supporters of Barack Obama.
SCARBOROUGH: And it caused a lot of consternation in the Clinton camp. As you guys reported in your book, in "Game Change" the Clintons thought time and time again that Claire McCaskill was going to be supporting them. She even hinted that. And then they were blind-sided by her support for Barack Obama. Very dramatic moment in that campaign. But she is getting out first here. And you say that announcement is coming at 8:30.
HALPERIN: Early on, 8:30 this morning, Claire McCaskill. Look, she's a Democratic senator. She's a woman from a red/purple state. This is part of, as I say, a very aggressive effort to say lots of people, including a lot of prominent women Democrats, want to urge Hillary Clinton to run and create a bandwagon.
SCARBOROUGH: So who runs, what is it, Waiting for Hillary?
BRZEZINSKI: Ready for Hillary.
SCARBOROUGH: Ready for Hillary. Waiting for – who runs Ready for Hillary?
HALPERIN: Ready for Hillary is a bunch of people associated with Hillary Clinton. There’s some staffers and there’s prominent people like James Carville who have been very supportive.
SCARBOROUGH: I mean, it's pretty obvious that it's an arm of the future Clinton campaign, right?
HALPERIN: Remember how back a deal Super PACs were in 2008, and in 2012 for Mitt Romney in the nomination fight. Hillary Clinton's Super PAC could amass an enormous amount of money. And again, people like Claire McCaskill coming out early on. It's extraordinary to think – open contest, no incumbent running. And if Hillary Clinton wants this, if she decides to run. To have Claire McCaskill and others coming out this far in advance to say this is who we want, we may see less a nomination fight and more of a coronation if Hillary Clinton decides to do it.
SCARBOROUGH: So Chris Christie, Mika, is going to wait until 2015.
BRZEZINSKI: Yes, to talk about it.
SCARBOROUGH: Claire McCaskill – so Chris [Christie] is waiting until 2015 to think about it and Claire McCaskill is waiting until about 8:15 [a.m.].
BRZEZINSKI [laughing]: Exactly. Perfect analogy.
SCARBOROUGH: Which, by the way – people go, why would you guys talk about this so early? Because they are talking about it. I don't care what Chris Christie says. He's got people calling him the second after he's elected, they are going to be trying, pulling him in. Hillary is, of course, working it. You know, Joe Biden behind the scenes is working it. A lot of people are.
BRZEZINSKI: You know, I know a lot of people who have called him. Clearly. Well this is very, very, very big news on some levels, given the fact Hillary Clinton hasn't said anything about what she might do. There has got to be some communication happening.
HALPERIN: The other thing that’ s happening, Claire McCaskill is one element of this. A lot of Obama people, skilled people – politicians, but also activists and strategists and tacticians are saying this is who we want. And the more the Clinton people can get the Obama people, nobody else can touch that in either party.
SCARBOROUGH: And there's nobody that can challenge Hillary if she decides to run, is there?
MIKE BARNICLE: I wouldn't think so. I would think the vice president would probably not run if Hillary Clinton gets a full head of steam with endorsements.
BRZEZINSKI: Right. The Biden angle.
BARNICLE: Freezing assets, freezing money people, it would be difficult.
