Democrats play ‘Where’s Hillary’

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Photo Courtesy of Tribune News Service

Hillary Clinton becomes the first woman to win the nomination for president from a major party in the United States on July 28, 2016. Columnist Noah emphasizes her absence in the public eye since November 2016.

By Noah Nelson, Columnist

Everyone knows the lovable yet challenging book series, “Where’s Waldo?” in which readers of all ages try to find the red-and-white striped shirt-wearing main protagonist Waldo on a double page spread in various scenes like the beach and the city. In reality, it doesn’t seem like people are playing the same game with former First Lady Hillary Clinton.

The story of the unprecedented 2016 presidential election has served as a non-stop topic since that nail-biting Tuesday night in November. In summary, Clinton ran as the Democratic nominee against business mogul Donald Trump on the Republican ticket. Throughout the campaign, Clinton was favored to win and almost became the first female president in United States history. Trump shocked millions of American that night as he won more states than expected, even states numerous media outlets and commentators thought Clinton had in the bag. The campaign came to end just before 3 a.m. when Trump secured the remaining amount of electoral votes needed and was officially elected the 45th president of the United States.

During the entire race, Americans deemed Clinton the face of the Democratic party, the one who would continue President Barack Obama’s legacy. Now, as the overflowing Democratic field of candidates intensifies, very few have asked the question, “Where’s Hillary?”

Thus far in the 2020 presidential race, 13 Democrats have tossed their hat into the ring, including six women. United States Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, United States Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and author Marianne Williamson. Other candidates include Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, Representative John Delaney of Maryland, President Obama’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Governor of Washington Inslee, Venture for America Founder Andrew Lang, and recently, 2016 candidate Bernie Sanders. As of now, only Trump has declared his candidacy on the Republican ticket.

Every candidate on the Democratic side shares one common platform: to defeat Trump. No one on the Democratic side has asked where Hillary may be hiding and it doesn’t look like they will anytime soon.

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Since her astonishing loss in 2016, Clinton has done sufficiently well to keep herself out of the public eye, except the numerous times she has taken to Twitter to criticize President Trump.

It makes one chuckle to note that in 2016, Clinton was destined to carry the Democratic party to victory when she said in her announcement video, “America needs a champion. And I want to be that champion.” With her announcement Monday of not running for 2020, the question arises: was she truly the face of the Democratic party, or just their best hope to carry on President Obama’s legacy?

Noah is a freshman in LAS.

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