Cockroaches, lice and Clintons.
Name three things that are almost impossible to get rid of.
The Clintons triggered their first civil war in the party during the '08 primaries. Then came the second civil war in the last election. Both of those were between the Clintons, their careerist pals and the party's harder left. The Clintons lost the first one and won the second one. And then cost the party the election.
The third civil war is likely to be the Clintons against everyone. Because Hillary still won't go away. And she won't stop bashing fellow Dems. Including 2020 prospects like Sanders and Biden.
So here we are.
“Maybe at the worst possible time, as we are fighting some of the most high-stakes policy and institutional battles we may ever see, at a time when we’re trying to bring the party together so we can all move the party forward — stronger, stronger together,” said Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat who represents a Northern California district. “She’s got every right to tell her story. Who am I to say she shouldn’t, or how she should tell it? But it is difficult for some of us, even like myself who’ve supported her, to play out all these media cycles about the blame game, and the excuses.”
In a tweet late Tuesday night, Huffman pleaded with Clinton to stop blaming Sanders for her loss, as she partly does in the book, according to excerpts that leaked ahead of its release. Huffman said the tweet had gotten a lot of "likes" from his colleagues — albeit in private conversations with him.
Asked whether she was excited about Clinton’s book tour, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), one of Republicans’ top 2018 targets, responded first with, “Beg your pardon?”
Asked again, she started shaking her head, walking away.
“I’ve always been a looking forward kind of a guy,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), asked the same question on Wednesday. “I think I’ll leave it at that.”
"I think she should just zip it, but she's not going to," said one top Democratic donor who spoke with Clinton about the book this summer.
“A Sad, Petty ‘It's Everyone Else's Fault,’ Book,” read an email from Sanders die-hard (and Clinton’s 2006 Senate primary opponent) Jonathan Tasini.
“Pathetic. But it is a planned mass PR campaign in prep for the corporate #Dems next candidate. Reality: 75% did not vote 4 her. Denial,” tweeted RoseAnn DeMoro, the executive director of National Nurses United.
...and it gets worse.
“The best thing she could do is disappear,” said one former Clinton fundraiser and surrogate who played an active role at the convention. “She’s doing harm to all of us because of her own selfishness. Honestly, I wish she’d just shut the f— up and go away.” …
“None of this is good for the party,” said one former Obama aide. “It’s the Hillary Show, 100 percent. A lot of us are scratching our heads and wondering what she’s trying to do. It’s certainly not helpful.”
But what can the Dems do?
Hillary, ironically like Trump was, is now 'famous'. They can't block her political aspirations, because she doesn't have any clear ones. And she has enough institutional allies that they can't stop her book deals or appearances. At least not easily.
But they can go to the mattresses if they want to.
They can start hammering her non-stop. The Verrit launch is a sample of what that would look like. Start accusing her of racism, transphobia and homophobia. And just roll out the contempt and outrage that are the dominant forms of political discourse today.
But that will get ugly. And fast.
It may dissuade her institutional allies, but she does have a fan base. It's those people who stuck by her and lashed out at Obama. And now they're coming out to fill up her tour. They do exist.
The Dems can't get rid of her without a third civil war. And it may come to that.