Leslie Marshall: No, Bill Maher – Clintons should NOT just ‘go away’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last week, Bill Maher, host of “Real Time” on HBO, told his audience: “The Clintons, they’ve got to go away.” Well, as a fellow liberal, I strongly disagree.
Hillary Clinton will not go away, nor will former President Bill Clinton – and neither of them should.
Bill Clinton was a president who saw approval ratings as high as 74 percent – and that was after being impeached. While he was president our economy was strong and America was largely at peace, and was also liked and respected throughout the world.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BILL MAHER URGES CLINTONS TO SKIP DEMS' 2020 CONVENTION: 'THEY'VE GOT TO GO AWAY
As for Hillary Clinton, she’s a former secretary of state, senator and first lady. She’s also the first woman nominated by a major party to run for president – and she received nearly 3 million more popular votes than Donald Trump in 2016.
More from Opinion
Hillary Clinton is a citizen with First Amendment right to express her opinions just like the rest of us. She’s allowed to state her views on social media sites like Twitter, in media interviews and anywhere else she likes. She’s also allowed to make a living, whether it’s by writing books or by giving speeches.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And admit it, when Hillary Clinton speaks, people listen – whether to praise her or mock her. And perhaps one reason she won’t go away is that so many people like to bring her name up and continue to keep her relevant.
HILLARY CLINTON'S THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN END 2020 CAMPAIGN SPECULATION: BRAZILE
Just recently Rep. Justin Amash, I-Mich., tweeted about Hillary Clinton being a “Donald Trump asset” after Clinton implied that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, was a Russian asset. Gabbard is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In addition, some of Hillary Clinton’s former Senate Democratic colleagues are seeming to signal politely that they would prefer she doesn’t run for president again in 2020 – despite Clinton herself saying she’s not running and showing no indication of doing so.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said that Clinton has “done a great service to our country and public service, and I supported her wholeheartedly, but I believe it’s time for another nominee.”
President Trump – now the subject of a House impeachment investigation and accused of many instances of wrongful behavior – also keeps Hillary Clinton in the news, almost always calling her “Crooked Hillary.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I think that Crooked Hillary Clinton should enter the [presidential] race to try and steal it away from her Uber Left Elizabeth Warren,” Trump recently said, referring to the Democratic senator from Massachusetts who is now seeking her party’s presidential nomination.
Clinton responded to Trump (quite tongue in cheek, in my opinion): “Don’t tempt me. Do your job. “
Another reason Clinton shouldn’t go away is that she is still liked by millions of Americans.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the 2016 election, Clinton received almost 65.9 million popular votes, ahead of the almost 63 million votes Trump received. Clinton voters haven’t just disappeared. I’m sure most of them haven’t decided to now hate the woman they once wanted to lead our nation.
Also, although many on both the left and the right believe Clinton is a detriment to Democrats, that’s not true. She’s a proven fundraising powerhouse for the party.
In one week Hillary Clinton raised $1.5 million for Act Blue, an online fundraising platform for Democrats. Half of that money came through Twitter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR OPINION NEWSLETTER
And in 2016, Clinton raised $143 million in just one month – not just for her campaign, but for other Democratic campaigns as well.
When Hillary and her daughter Chelsea recently appeared on Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” the program saw a record high in ratings. More than 3.7 million people tuned in.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Clinton’s latest book, which she co-wrote with Chelsea, is called “The Book of Gutsy Women” and is a bestseller, as was her post-election book “What Happened.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The bottom line is that as much as some Democrats and Republicans may tell Hillary Clinton to go away, both Democrats and Republicans keep injecting her name into the political conversation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And whether you love her or hate her, millions buy her books, show up to her speaking gigs, write checks to benefit Democratic political campaigns, or tune in to watch her on television.
Hillary and Bill Clinton aren’t going anywhere. Shame on Democrats who once revered them both for asking them to now disappear from public life.