Hillary Clinton could live to regret the decision to expand her electoral coalition by courting disaffected Republicans to support her in the race against Donald Trump. Even if she succeeds, it will start the countdown for a bomb timed to explode when she runs for re-election in 2020.
Clinton can beat Trump without actively appealing to Republicans. She enjoys advantages in terms of the electoral map and the country’s demographic makeup that provide an edge over Trump.
But Clinton came out of the Democratic National Convention with a plan to broaden her appeal beyond the coalition that swept Obama into office twice and is poised to do the same for her:
Clinton will also make a rare appearance on Fox News this Sunday in an effort to reach disgruntled GOP voters.
In her address to the Democratic National Convention last night, Clinton presented herself as a candidate of inclusion, describing herself as someone who "will be a president for Democrats, Republicans and independents."
"Whatever party you belong to, or if you belong to no party at all, if you share these beliefs, this is your campaign," Clinton said.
The plan appears to be working. Prominent Republicans have begun to not just disavow Trump, but actively support and endorse Clinton.
But these shots in the arm for her 2016 campaign could become a poison pill four years from now.
Despite his following among a large segment of the GOP base, Donald Trump is a singularly divisive, unappealing character for most Americans. He is a buffoonish figure who is manifestly unfit to serve as president. For retiring Republican congressmen and billionaire Republican donors, there is no risk in rejecting Trump in favor of Clinton. It serves two purposes. First, it helps to spare the country the horror of a Trump presidency. And begins to help the GOP cleanse itself of the stain of having nominated him in the first place. For people like Meg Whitman and Rep. Richard Hannah, disavowing Trump is all upside.
And in four years, it will have the added benefit of helping the Republicans re-take the White House.
In 2020, don’t be surprised to see GOP super PACs and Republican campaigns running ads featuring the very Republicans supporting Clinton this year.
“I’m Meg Whitman. Four years ago, I supported Hillary Clinton for president. Today, I regret that decision. Hillary promised to bring the country together. Instead, she has torn us apart with a liberal, job-killing economic agenda at home and a weak foreign policy that makes Americans less safe. I made a mistake four years ago. Today, I am correcting it by supporting Paul Ryan for president.”
The criticism of these Republicans will have added credibility precisely because of their support for Clinton this year. We gave her a chance to prove herself, they will say with disappointed expressions, but, sadly, she failed.
And it is not as though expanding her electoral coalition to include Republicans will provide any benefits in governing the country. The congressional GOP will oppose her agenda with the same fervor by which they obstructed Obama.
It is surprising that Clinton and her advisors can’t see this.