Hillary Clinton’s shock admiration for GOP tactics revealed

During the 2016 election cycle, Hillary Clinton famously stated that Republicans were likely the enemy she was most proud of making. However, her recent remarks suggest a hint of admiration for their determination.

Reflecting on Democratic shortcomings in defending Roe v. Wade, Clinton, 76, expressed envy for the right’s unwavering persistence. “One thing I give the right credit for is they never give up,” she told the New York Times in a recent interview. “They are relentless. You know, they take a loss, they get back up, they regroup, they raise more money.”

Clinton continued, “It’s tremendously impressive the way that they operate. And we have nothing like it on our side.”

Over the years, many Democrats, including Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), have criticized conservative organizations like the Federalist Society for their influential role in appointing conservative judges. Clinton herself argued that Democrats were complacent before the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. “We didn’t take it seriously, and we didn’t understand the threat,” she stated. “Most Democrats, most Americans, did not realize we are in an existential struggle for the future of this country.”

Clinton acknowledged that more could have been done to fight for Roe v. Wade. In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential cycle, Democrats have prioritized abortion as a key issue, while many Republicans have softened their stance.

The interview was conducted ahead of the release of “The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America,” a book by Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer, set to be published on June 4.

Reflecting on her 2016 presidential campaign, Clinton recalled how both parties were eager to secure the presidency to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. She warned Democrats about the risk to Roe v. Wade but was dismissed as an “alarmist.”

Clinton’s defeat allowed 45th President Donald Trump to appoint three justices to the Supreme Court, including replacing Scalia. Some Democrats had urged Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to retire during the Obama administration while the Senate was still under Democratic control. However, she chose not to, and the Republicans eventually took the Senate, altering the court’s balance.

Trump later appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett to Ginsburg’s seat following her death in 2020.

Clinton also issued a stark warning about the 2024 election cycle, describing it as “existential.” She told the outlet, “I mean, if we don’t make the right decision in this election in our country, we may never have another actual election. I will put that out there because I believe it. And if we no longer have another actual election, we will be governed by a small minority of right-wing forces that are well organized and well-funded and are getting exactly what they want in terms of turning the clock back on women.”

Clinton also revisited her 2016 election loss, criticizing former FBI director James Comey’s announcement to reopen the investigation into her email server just 11 days before the election. “But once he did that to me, the people, the voters who left me, were women,” she said. “They left me because they just couldn’t take a risk on me, because as a woman, I’m supposed to be perfect.”

In contrast, she noted, “They were willing to take a risk on Trump — who had a long list of, let’s call them flaws, to illustrate his imperfection — because he was a man.”