---
[ ARCHIVE ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive)
# How to Beat Hillary Clinton
September 26 2013
Written by Jonathan Chait.
[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
***POLITICS***-Joe Hagan’s [cover story](http://nymag.com/news/features/hillary-clinton-2013-9/) peeks inside Hillary Clinton’s proto-campaign, and one of the most interesting things that emerges is the underlying awareness of vulnerability among her supporters. Six months ago, Clinton was a quasi incumbent dominating the field. Today it is finally possible to envision the circumstances that would lead to her defeat. The question before the Clinton campaign is whether she can head off the nearly inevitable liberal challenge.
Peter Beinart recently wrote a long [Daily Beast essay](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/12/the-rise-of-the-new-new-left.html) predicting the rise of a new left in American politics. The first piece of it described, persuasively, the rise of the millennial generation, which is more liberal than the generations that have come before it. The second piece of the essay described, also persuasively, the likelihood of an economically populist uprising of the Democratic base against the party Establishment.
The flaw in the argument is the hinge between the first and the second. Beinart went from showing that younger Democrats are more liberal than Americans generally to assuming they are more liberal than older Democrats. But there’s no real evidence that’s true. Millenial Democrats are simply more likely than older people to agree with standard Democratic Party liberalism.
That is to say there’s nothing about the millennials that is likely to make them internally change the direction of the party. And, in fact, Bill de Blasio — whose primary victory provided the news hook for Beinart’s argument — received [higher support](https://twitter.com/Nate_Cohn/status/378340621473177600) from the old than the young. *([Read the rest … including what Chait thinks propels a liberal backlash against Clinton … here)](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/09/how-to-beat-hillary-clinton.html%20)*
**-cw**
**CityWatch**
**Vol 11 Issue 78**
**Pub: Sept 27, 2013**
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/116 "USA Radio Museum - Wide")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/107 "LA DWP | Save $4K, Green | Priority Ad")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Power Savers)")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/97 "Home - LA DWP #2 (Pay Water Bill Help)")
## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays & Thursdays
Last Name
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/110 "Something You Should Know")
---
## Featured CityWatch Stories
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/housing/33755-three-things-nithya-raman-can-do-right-now-to-create-more-affordable-housing-in-los-angeles)
### [Three Things Nithya Raman Can Do (Right Now) to Create More Affordable Housing in Los Angeles](https://mail.citywatchla.com/housing/33755-three-things-nithya-raman-can-do-right-now-to-create-more-affordable-housing-in-los-angeles)
HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT - Nithya Raman will soon be the next mayor of Los Angeles, taking her oath of office in mid-De…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33723-how-stephen-miller-destroyed-trumps-second-administration)
### [How Stephen Miller Destroyed Trump’s Second Administration](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33723-how-stephen-miller-destroyed-trumps-second-administration)
THE VIEW FROM HERE - On September 1, 2025, this column explained how the vile, anti-Mexican racist Stephen Miller was d…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/gelfand-s-world/33753-miracles-have-happened)
### [Miracles Have Happened](https://mail.citywatchla.com/gelfand-s-world/33753-miracles-have-happened)
GELFAND'S WORLD - It’s a week later, give or take a couple of days, and miracles have happened. The election of Scott C…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/la-election-2022/33756-nithya-ramans-3-1-billion-war-on-cars-is-city-hall-serving-working-angelenos-or-wealthy-political-donors)
### [Nithya Raman’s $3.1 Billion War on Cars: Is City Hall Serving Working Angelenos or Wealthy Political Donors?](https://mail.citywatchla.com/la-election-2022/33756-nithya-ramans-3-1-billion-war-on-cars-is-city-hall-serving-working-angelenos-or-wealthy-political-donors)
THE BOTTOM LINE - As Los Angeles faces mounting financial pressures, the mayor-elect must explain why a multibillion-do…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33733-congratulations-nithya-raman-as-our-new-olympics-pro-unity-mayor)
### [Congratulations, Nithya Raman, As Our New Olympics, Pro-Unity Mayor!](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33733-congratulations-nithya-raman-as-our-new-olympics-pro-unity-mayor)
ALPERN AT LARGE - The uncertainty is OVER. We now know who will be our next Mayor, and we need a Leader, and a Uniter…
---
## [ ARCHIVE ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive)
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15339-early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles)### [Early Intervention and Jobs are Key to Stemming Chronic Homelessness in Los Angeles](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15339-early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles)
### [Tucker Carlson and Gay Rightwinger Blame California Wildfires On Hiring LGBTQ People](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/18755-tucker-carlson-and-gay-rightwinger-blame-california-wildfires-on-hiring-lgbtq-people)
### [Anti-LGBTQ Veep Just Can’t Stop Talking about Mayor Pete](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/17690-anti-lgbtq-veep-just-can-t-stop-talking-about-mayor-pete)
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15316-news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties)### [NEWS PULSE: ‘Corrupt System’ Reason for Not Voting in 2018 … Majority Wants More Than Two Parties](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15316-news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties)
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/10245-dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles)### [Dead Dog Set on Fire … Sparks Fears for Strays in Los Angeles](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/10245-dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles)