Politics

David Brooks predicts ‘a big Draft Hillary movement’ for 2016

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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Regardless of whether President Barack Obama wins in November, The New York Times’ David Brooks says he expects a serious “Draft Hillary” movement in 2016.

Appearing on Alec Baldwin’s WNYC “Here’s The Thing” podcast, where just last month George Will said that Hillary Clinton’s political career is all but over, Brooks pointed to what he called the Democrats’ “reasonably weak bench” as one reason to not count out the Secretary the State’s future White House chances.

“First of all, I think the Democrats have a reasonably weak bench for 2016 whether [Obama] wins or not,” Brooks said in the interview, which was posted online Monday. “So, I think there will be a big Draft Hillary movement. I don’t think at the moment from what I understand of people that really know her that she’s of a mind to do that right now.”

“She’s tired,” Brooks continued. “But a few years of resting, I think the opportunity will be there. It’s tough not [want] to be the first woman president, so I still think she has a future in part because there are just not a lot of Democrats who are sort of obvious candidates.”

“One of the things — I’m a big personal admirer of Obama,” Brooks said. “I’ve known him for a long time. I’ve covered him and spoken to him a lot. But one of his weaknesses where she would have done a better job is personal relationships with fellow Democrats”

Brooks diagnosed Obama’s inability to establish these close political relationships as being part of his personality, and referred to how he has been unable to be an effective proponent for legislation on Capitol Hill.

“In my view, he has a writer’s personality,” Brooks said. “He likes the solitary time to think and, so he just doesn’t do that. And even going up to the Hill — there was a call that was made to the White House a couple of years ago. They wanted to send him up to lobby for a piece of legislation. The senators called up and said, ‘Don’t send him. He doesn’t like us. We know it. It won’t help.’”

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