Hillary & the Dems—Forget Comey & Putin! Learn the Lessons of the “3rd Term Curse" (OK, You Have Time.)

Hillary & the Dems—Forget Comey & Putin! Learn the Lessons of the “3rd Term Curse" (OK, You Have Time.)
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Hillary Clinton just cannot let go, which may be understandable when you win the popular vote--and only lose the Electoral College by 100,000 votes.

With an election so close, it’s possible to blame almost anything. Comey, sure. Putin, of course.

But, just as likely…no, more likely…the “3rd Term Curse” defeated Hillary Clinton.

Only once since Franklin Roosevelt was elected four times in a row—and the 22nd Amendment was passed to make sure that never happened again--has a party won the U.S. Presidency three terms in a row. Ronald Reagan successfully handed his job to his VP, George H.W. Bush, in 1988.

This means that the other 7 times this opportunity has existed since 1944, the incumbent party lost. (1952, 1960, 1968, 1976, 2000, 2008, 2016).

That’s a failure rate of 88.5%.

In her latest interview, at the 2017 Code Conference, Hillary finally acknowledges the 3rd Term Curse…kind of: “I was swimming against a historic tide. It’s very difficult historically to succeed a two-term president of your own party.”

But then, Hillary gets it completely wrong: “… I had to say in practically every one of my speeches, ‘Barack Obama saved the economy, and he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.’ … It’s very difficult historically to succeed a two-term president of your own party, because you know, we’re itchy people, we like change in American, and I get it. So there was that, but he had done a good job.”

The American people don’t reject the incumbent party because we are “itchy”. No, at its essence, the” 3rd Term Curse” is the insistence of the incumbent party that things are better than the electorate believes. Last year, nearly 2/3 of Americans said the country was on the “wrong track”. Mrs. Clinton doesn’t recognize this at all. She wanted to defend the Obama record even more!

The dynamic between the candidate and the incumbent are at the heart of the 3rd Term Curse. So, while the focus is on Mrs. Clinton, Barack Obama is also to blame. No candidate wants to offend the sitting President of her party. Obama should have encouraged Hillary to be real: Everything isn’t perfect!

Instead, Obama is the epitome of the problem with statements like “Reducing carbon doesn't impede our ‘fast growing’ economy.” When a President doesn't have one year of 3% economic growth during his two terms in office, his economy may be growing, but it’s not "fast growing".

Neither Obama or Clinton would acknowledge that, although the economy came back under Obama’s watch (as Mrs. Clinton emphasizes), much of the working class is dropping out of the middle class! (As a result, they couldn’t even keep Michigan as a blue state despite saving the auto industry.)

Or that, the major conservative economic program—tax cuts—may grow the economy but not for the working class: Since 2000, productivity has risen 23% while real hourly pay has essentially stagnated. There’s been a rising tide over the past 30+ years—but it no longer raises all boats!

Nor has Obama faced up the very mixed record of Obamacare. It is hopeful that over 20 million people are now covered. But the cost impact—especially the impact of grossly higher deductibles on millions of Americans—and the consequent need for reform, is not acknowledged by Hillary, Barack...or any other Democratic officeholder.

And what’s worse: These higher premiums are the exact opposite of Obama’s promise of a $2,500 premium reduction. And his promise that “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan.”

What’s even harder to understand: With Republicans in control of Congress, the Democrats had a perfect explanation for these shortcomings. (And wouldn’t holding Republicans responsible have helped elect a more Democratic Congress?)

Unless Hillary and the Democrats acknowledge their denial, the Democratic “3rd Term Curse” will continue--assuming they’re lucky enough to win two terms to start. (Unless the incumbent is extremely successful—which is getting more difficult in the modern political age.)

In 2016, the Democrats were so obtuse that they turned Donald Trump into a working class hero.

Perhaps that’s proof that when you don’t confront them, the curses just keep on coming!

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