Right up front: I don’t think that Hillary Clinton did anything with her private email server that will lead to an indictment. I’m not a Clinton supporter, but I’m not rubbing my hands together in anticipation of an FBI investigation bombshell.
I don’t think any Democrat should be hoping for that. Here’s why: If the front runner for the Democratic nomination is indicted and her campaign for president is effectively destroyed, Bernie Sanders will not benefit. The Democratic Party will be so damaged at that point that the only beneficiary will be the GOP nominee.
Once again, I don’t think an indictment is likely. For a Democratically appointed attorney general to OK an indictment against the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, the wrong-doing would have to be so egregious that there would be no choice but to indict. If there is any leeway at all, there won’t be an indictment. If it plays out the way I think it will, the final findings of the investigation will be that her email practices were less than advisable but far from criminal.
A federal indictment of the front-running Democratic presidential candidate would deal the Democratic Party a blow that it could not recover from in time to win the November election. A Clinton indictment wouldn’t only sink our presidential hopes, it would harm candidates across the full breadth of the November ballot. We would have little chance of taking back the Senate. We would lose more state houses and governorships.
I want Bernie Sanders to win the nomination. But I want him to win it inside a Democratic Party that has a chance of winning.
I don’t want to see President Trump, or Cruz, or Rubio. I want a Democrat to make the next several appointments to the Supreme Court. I want a president who will appoint a head of the justice department that will work to reform police departments across the nation. I want a president who will fight to improve access to health care and make it truly affordable. I want a president who will manage our foreign policy to keep us out of needless, resource and life-draining wars. I want a president who will lead the world in the battle against climate change.
I won’t get any of that from a Republican.
I’m with Bernie: I’ve heard enough about Hillary Clinton’s damn emails.