Thursday, November 29, 2012

It's Over. Finally. My 2016 Election Predictions: Hillary 2016, Anyone?

Ok, I'm back. As a huge political nerd, even I was sick of hearing about the 2012 Presidential Election. It was a long road full of shitloads of money and an endless supply of attack ads. But, as I suspected, this country is still not ready for a President who will set us back 50 years.

Victory was achieved! Barack Obama will live to see another term! This just goes to show that even with all the money in the world, you still just can't buy a presidential election in this country The OFA team worked with diligence, passion, and never-ending faith and hope. I spent the weekend before the election in the OFA office in the Castro here in San Francisco, and never have I seen a group of more dedicated people who really love this country. I am confident that OFA's campaign strategy will go down in the history books as one of the most brilliant and well-thought out campaigns this country has seen.

Inside of the OFA Office in the Castro. San Francisco, CA
Now that this is all over, it's hard not to start thinking about 2016. Ok, maybe it's just hard for me. All I can think is HILLARY HILLARY HILLARY. The incredible Secretary of State seems like the perfect candidate to me. She has repeatedly stated that she will not run again, but we shall see. Clinton plans to step down from the State Department in the new year, and I do not blame her for wanting to take a bit of a breather...but four years is a long time in politics (pretty much an eternity) and I would not be surprised if she feels the political urge creep up again. Hillary has always been a huge role model of mine, and I would love nothing more than to see a woman like her in charge of this country. I think we are ready for it. I am curious to see what having a strong female head of state will be like.

This is my dream. Hope I will be wearing this pin in four years!
Others have speculated that San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is a potential candidate. He made history at the Democratic National Convention this year as the first Latino to deliver the keynote address. Plain and simple, he rocked it. Everyone instantly fell in love with him. Of course, like Hillary, he denies any plans to run in 2016. However, from the outside observer, he seems to be positioning himself to run in 2016; much like President Obama, he signed a deal to write his autobiography, and started his DNC speech thanking Londoners (the U.S.'s closest ally) for the successful Olympics. He is incredibly politically astute and amazingly mature and wise for his age and level of experience. He even set up visits with British Foreign Secretary William Hague and George Osborne during his two day visit! Besides being on the radar internationally, Castro is on the radar in DC. Everybody is talking about him.

While I am obviously loyal to Hillary, I definitely would not mind seeing Castro on the ballot in 2016. Other names that are being thrown around are of course Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Rahm Emanuel (who I also love), and Newark mayor Cory Booker. 

On the Republican side, there has been talk about Paul Ryan, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. 

Who would you like to see on the ballot in 2016?