Threat from Hillary's Left

[BaconBacon96]

If Schweitzer challenges Hillary, it will be from the libertarian left. The only person who I could see challenging Clinton from the right would be Joe Manchin.

[free my dawg]

Schweitzer would be a threat to Clinton from the right, not from the left.

Being against gun control and making a homophobic comment here and there does not prohibit him from being a liberal, which he clearly is.

But it does make him to Hillary's right. Especially when he's to the right on the issues the Democratic base cares the most about at the moment.

So by that logic, TNF is to the right of Andrew Cuomo.

[Phony Moderate]

Never mind Hillary; there should be a threat to the Democratic Party as a whole from the left.

[NHLiberal]

Schweitzer would be a threat to Clinton from the right, not from the left.

Being against gun control and making a homophobic comment here and there does not prohibit him from being a liberal, which he clearly is.

But it does make him to Hillary's right. Especially when he's to the right on the issues the Democratic base cares the most about at the moment.

So by that logic, TNF is to the right of Andrew Cuomo.

Exactly, plus, I could probably make the argument that being pro-gun is the truly liberal position (like some Republicans are arguing that being pro-gay marriage is the truly conservative position), but I won't do that

And this...

Never mind Hillary; there should be a threat to the Democratic Party as a whole from the left.

[tarheel-leftist85]

Never mind Hillary; there should be a threat to the Democratic Party as a whole from the left.

Unfortunately, nah gah happen; people are just fine with identity "politics" as a proxy for real politics.

[Lief 🗽]

No one gives a sht about where a candidate stands on the issues. Schweitzer is a white guy from Montana who likes guns. Conservative Democrats would support him in the primary over the liberal woman from New York. Edwards was the most left-wing candidate in 2008, and yet he got most of his votes from conservative white males.

[© tweed]

Schweitzer would be a threat to Clinton from the right, not from the left.

he'd cut across traditional boundaries in that regard.  think back to McGovern in '72 stealing some of George Wallace's hardhats in Wisconsin.

then again labor unions are de facto illegal in the US now so the analogy may be of limited value.

[daveosupremo]

None of those listed would present much of a challenge to Hillary, at least not right out of the box. If she underperforms and Howard Dean were to do exceptionally well, then maybe over the course of a couple of months, he could close the gap, but that's very unlikely. Especially considering he's the least likely of them to challenge her.

The only two Democrats who I could see giving her a serious challenge would be Elizabeth Warren and Russ Feingold. Warren likely won't run, unless she's drafted late in the game because Hillary isn't progressive enough. Feingold is more likely. He's got tons of experience and progressive chops. He's also definitely not afraid to be David to Hillary's Goliath (see Iraq War). Plus, he's still very popular in what might end up being a crucial swing state in 2016.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Schweitzer would be a threat to Clinton from the right, not from the left.

Being against gun control and making a homophobic comment here and there does not prohibit him from being a liberal, which he clearly is.

But it does make him to Hillary's right. Especially when he's to the right on the issues the Democratic base cares the most about at the moment.

So the Democratic base doesn't care about health care anymore?

Exactly. Someone who supports single-payer health care, routinely lambasts corporate influence on government, dismisses Obama and Clinton as corporate shills and war hawks, opposes big drug companies, wants to return to trust busting, opposes the military industrial complex and drone strikes, called on a withdrawal from Afghanistan DURING the troop surge and opposes the oil wars, opposes the PATRIOT Act & REAL ID, supports fair trade, and wants to expand collective bargaining is not to Clinton's right just because he opposes some forms of gun control, supports Keystone XL, and wears a bolo tie.

Of course, many Democrats care about gun issues and almost all care about the environment, but there are a whole lot of other issues they care about as well.

Schweitzer will not mount a credible threat to Hillary. But if he were to do it, it would be from the left, not the right.

Gun control and the environment are important, but Schweitzer over Hillary would be a no-brainer.