The Return of the Clintons
Story by Gabriel Debenedetti
Late last June, when Bill Clinton welcomed Larry Hogan to Little Rock, the ex-president realized he had an opportunity to step carefully back into the political fray. The pair was scheduled for a ticketed chat about bipartisanship on Clinton’s home turf just as Hogan, the former Maryland governor, was rumored to be thinking about a third-party presidential run via the No Labels group, which he was also co-chairing. Before they walked onstage, Clinton delicately made his view clear to the Republican, even though Hogan hadn’t asked: Any independent campaign of the kind No Labels was talking about could only benefit Donald Trump.
He wasn’t done yet. Two months later, Clinton heard from Joe Manchin, who was vacationing near the Clintons’ spot in East Hampton and wanted advice about his political future. Clinton had heard real concern from fellow Democrats that the West Virginian would head a No Labels ticket himself, and he’d previously discussed the politically tricky senator with the Biden White House when administration officials asked for his help winning Manchin over on legislation. Manchin was being far more open about the attractiveness of an independent run than Hogan was. So when they met in person, Clinton decided to get considerably more forceful than their placid surroundings might have suggested. This time, he ditched the diplomatic niceties and told the senator sharply that he was risking putting Trump back in the White House.
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ar-BB1jihnR
