Taking On Hillary? Why Hillary Clinton Faces An Uphill Battle In Her Quest For The White House

Former first lady, New York State senator, and U.S. secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton announced this week that she is seeking the Democratic nomination for president in 2016. For those taking on Hillary this election season, it promises a long season for them, and an uphill battle for her.

On the surface, Clinton’s numbers look good. According to a Gallup poll, via USA Today, Clinton is the most admired woman on the list. Less than three percent of those polled in a HuffPost Pollster said that they didn’t have enough information to form an opinion on her. For those who have formed an opinion, the numbers are close: 48 percent have a favorable opinion, while 46 percent have an unfavorable one.

Although Clinton has been in the public eye now for over 25 years, and has had her life completely scrutinized, the scandals she has been involved in are certain to return to haunt her. Republican candidate Rand Paul has already announced his plans to run a negative campaign against Hillary. In taking on Hillary, Paul told Politico he plans to focus on her character, as well as what he termed as “shenanigans” of her family foundation.

“She’s saying: ‘Well, you need to trust me even though I broke the rules, and maybe the law to begin with.’ … I think a lot of Americans are going to say: ‘Hmm, that doesn’t sort of pass the smell test. [Y]ou combine that with the shenanigans that have been going on at the Clinton Foundation. We see this trail of money that’s going roundabout from government to foundations to Bill Clinton to shareholders of big companies that had to be approved by Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state.”

Rand Paul isn’t the only one who is taking on Hillary now. According to ABC News, Carly Fiorina, the CEO of Hewlett-Packard and considered the Hillary Clinton anti-candidate, was also critical of how Clinton ran her foundation, pointing out the foreign donations taken by the candidate. Fiorina was also highly critical of Clinton’s record on women’s rights and criticized her for refusing to speak up on women’s rights across the world.

Although Clinton has repeatedly claimed that she is broke since leaving the White House in 2001, the Wall Street Journal pointed out that her income claims simply weren’t true.

“Clintons raked in more than $100 million in personal income since leaving the White House in 2001. The idea that they would have any trouble paying back their campaign debts or compensating themselves (regardless of what the campaign laws say) for their own money spent on the campaign is laughable. Mr. Clinton’s lucrative new career is almost indistinguishable from political fund-raising — he gives speeches and shows up in rooms where wealthy people have paid big money to spend time with him. Meanwhile, Mrs. Clinton intends to remain in the Senate and will continue to be besieged by corporations, labor unions, and wealthy individuals who want to give her money.”

As the election progresses, it will be interesting to see what other candidates and critics will be taking on Hillary. It will also be interesting to see what they have to say.

Do you think Hillary’s scandals while in office will pose a problem to her becoming the first woman president? Who do you think will be next in taking on Hillary?

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