Hillary Clinton Warns the Democrats

Secretary of State Clinton’s warning over the GOP’s attacks on the Democrats for their “communism” — they will be “very effective,” she reckons — is a bit of a “now she tells us” moment. Then, too, she has been issuing these warnings going back to President Trump’s first term. The left wing in the party have dug themselves in and are expanding. It’s a tragedy for the FDR, Truman, Kennedy, and Clinton wing of the party of Jefferson. Mrs. Clinton issued her warning on Kara Swisher’s “Pivot” podcast, our Joe Curl notes. Mrs. Clinton reckons that efforts to brand progressive candidates as “communists” and “socialists” could prove effective in the upcoming midterm elections — and that Democrats need to get their house in order to fight back. It caught our attention because we nurse a certain regard for the Democrats of the post-World War II years.Mrs. Clinton made a point of addressing the victory of Abdul El-Sayed in the primary race in Michigan for the party’s nominee for Senate. It was a narrow victory over a so-called moderate congresswoman, Haley Stevens. Mrs. Clinton stressed that Dr. El-Sayed faces a steep climb to unite the Democratic coalition, Mr. Curl writes. “The Republican messaging is communist, socialist,” warns Mrs. Clinton. “It’s going to be a very effective attack.”Dr. El-Sayed could be aware of the challenge he faces. On Sunday in an apparent effort to appeal to more moderate voters, he distanced himself from comments made by the leftist podcaster Hasan Piker suggesting that “America deserved 9/11.” While Dr. El-Sayed had previously declined to criticize Mr. Piker, the candidate now says “of course it was a dumb statement.” The senate aspirant is now emerging as a critic of “cancel culture.”Will voters buy this apparent change of heart, or an effort by Dr. El-Sayed to pose as a moderate? Along these lines, Ms. Swisher asked Mrs. Clinton “whether the ‘communist’ label still carries weight in 2026.” Mrs. Clinton averred: “All I know is that is the attack Trump is leading with, and I assume they’ve tested that, and I assume they have reason to believe it’s effective or they wouldn’t be beating the drum on it.”Dr. El-Sayed could well be anticipating that “one method to blunt the efficacy of such charges,” Mr. Curl writes, is to rely on “the star power of President Obama.” The Senate candidate reports that he harbors hopes that the 44th president would appear with him on the hustings. Mr. Obama and Dr. El-Sayed had a conversation that the senate aspirant on “Meet the Press called “warm and inspiring,” Mr. Curl reports.Yet Mr. Obama’s charisma can only go so far when it comes to pushing an ideologically extreme candidate over the finish line. Feature, say, his support for Vice President Harris’s candidacy in 2024. Or, for that matter, his backing of Mrs. Clinton in 2016. In both cases, voters looked askance at candidates who had veered too far to the left. So states opted for the GOP. In that regard Mrs. Clinton knows whereof she speaks.

Hillary Clinton Warns the Democrats

Hillary Clinton Warns the Democrats

More from the New York Sun

Haggard Evacuees Reach Safety in Ukraine Under Melania-Brokered Ceasefire Deal

FBI Probes Alaska Senate ‘Decoy Candidate’ Scheme as Election Nears

The Mazda CX-5 Is the Miata of SUVs

Judge Orders Investigation Into Possible Misconduct by Trump Officials Over Golf Course Dispute

‘The Terminator’ and AI: Hurtling Toward Judgment Day

Early Voting Surges Across Hotly Contested Senate Races, Setting Records

Don’t Fall for Fake Leather Jackets

Trump’s Missed Opportunity on Inflation

More from the New York Sun

Haggard Evacuees Reach Safety in Ukraine Under Melania-Brokered Ceasefire Deal

FBI Probes Alaska Senate ‘Decoy Candidate’ Scheme as Election Nears

The Mazda CX-5 Is the Miata of SUVs

Judge Orders Investigation Into Possible Misconduct by Trump Officials Over Golf Course Dispute

‘The Terminator’ and AI: Hurtling Toward Judgment Day

Early Voting Surges Across Hotly Contested Senate Races, Setting Records

Don’t Fall for Fake Leather Jackets

Trump’s Missed Opportunity on Inflation