No, it's not they they think they could beat her.
I am fully convinced that the Republicans know beyond any doubt their chances of winning this year rank somewhere between extremely slim and none.
They wanted Hillary to win so they could energize their base. They know they'll lose ground in both the House and the Senate, but this becomes a rebuilding year for them and they needed that strong active base. You can see the move to energize their base already with the continued pushing of the meme to tie Obama to terrorism ("terrorist jab", anybody?).
But bigger than the energizing of the base would be having a built in excuse.
"C'mon, guys, we were running against BOTH Hillary AND Bill, of course we had tough odds against a prior president."
The Republicans never forgave the Clintons for winning in '92. See, that party believes they are
ENTITLED to the White House, and Bill Clinton came out of nowhere to take the election. This was the whole reason for eight years of "Hunting the President" (which, quite frankly, was nothing compared to the slime they'll be throwing at Obama over the next eight years).
But the fact is, losing to Hillary in 2008 came with a built in face saving device for the Republicans. One which they believed they could come back from in eight years to take back the White House.
Now, they are facing a losing proposition against an even less well known young African American man who energizes a nation. Worse yet, they are about to lose to a junior Senator from Illinois whom they rate as the MOST liberal Senator.
That's gonna leave a mark.
See, with the Clintons they'd have the ability to at least push back on some of the agenda and maybe mount an attack in two years to take back the House (though realistically their chances there are about the same as their chances of winning the White House this year). They know how to fight the Clintons and wanted the fight they knew much more than the fight they have no clue about.
They've been watching how Obama reacts to attacks etc., and they're terrified. They have no clue how to approach him and do it effectively. Obama has taken attack after attack and turned them into positives for himself along the way. They see his ability to connect with the American people and are reminded of their own Saint Ronnie.
This is far more terrifying than any progressive agenda being passed because they see the seeds of destruction being sewn in their own back yard.
Ronald Reagan ushered in an era of right wing idealogues taking charge for more than a generation, and they fear Obama being able to do the same for the Progressive agenda.
Worse yet, Obama represents a leadership for an undercurrent of a populist revolt in this country, and that terrifies the money men on Wall Street who control it all.
The fact is, the Clintons were comfortable enemies. They understood the Clintons, They knew how the Clintons functioned and knew where to drive their attack lines. They'd lose to the Clintons just like they'll lose to Obama, but they would understand that loss because they know it.
Obama is an entirely new ball game and if I've learned anything over the past thirty years when it comes to the right wing, the thing the conservatives fear the most is when something changes in a direction they do not and cannot understand.
Change is coming, and that right swiftly.
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