If Hillary Clinton drops out of the 2016 presidential race because of being embroiled in the scandal over her use of private emails for government business, what will Democrats do?
While Clinton has avoided a public statement so far —
Fox News notes that she said nothing about it during her Tuesday night speech to EMILY's List, an abortion rights group — behind the scenes, Democrats, who put nearly all their eggs in Clinton's basket, are scrambling to cope with the sudden controversy that threatens to derail their presidential dreams.
Pro-Clinton group
Correct the Record already is spinning the email scandal as a "tempest in a teapot" and a "manufactured controversy."
However, in a piece entitled, "You Better Believe Hillary Clinton's Emails Matter"
in The Daily Beast, Ron Christie, former special assistant to President George W. Bush, writes:
"While it is too early to say whether this incident of using a private email account to conduct official business as America's top diplomat will derail Clinton's political ambitions, one question hangs over this affair: Are the American people prepared to return to the days of legal hair-splitting, quibbling about what the term 'is' is and other flim-flam language designed to obfuscate should the Clintons return once again to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
"I hope that answer is a resounding 'No.'"
Clinton,
The New York Times reported, used only her personal email account during her tenure as secretary of state from 2009-13, which exposed classified government information to danger from hackers and possibly violated laws requiring the use of government email accounts and archiving of all correspondence, inevitably leading to suspicions that Clinton was trying to avoid transparency.
Fox News reported that Clinton's account, hdr22@clintonemail.com, "traced back to an Internet service registered to her family's home in Chappaqua, New York."
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Should Clinton, the heavily presumed nominee of the Democrats, drop out, Democrat consultant Chris Lapetina
told Politico, the result would be a Democrat "panic" as "there really isn't any enthusiasm" for the party's other choices.
Obviously leading the roster of potential Democrats as Hillary replacements would be Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, followed by Vice President Joe Biden; Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent; former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb; New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo; former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer; Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia; and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, Politico said.
However, Politico adds: "Democrats would face a debacle after a Hillary bow-out, no matter whom the Republicans nominate."
The BBC commented: "Democrats soon may realize a nomination race that is, in effect, a coronation is a risky endeavor. At this moment there are no realistic alternatives. If Mrs. Clinton's electoral prospects sink, her party goes down with her."
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