{"id":27992,"date":"2015-12-27T16:49:18","date_gmt":"2015-12-27T20:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=27992"},"modified":"2015-12-27T16:59:13","modified_gmt":"2015-12-27T20:59:13","slug":"will-clintons-democrat-party-be-challenged-by-a-formidable-jim-webb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=27992","title":{"rendered":"Will Clinton&#8217;s Democrat Party be Challenged by a Formidable and Independent Jim Webb?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"primary-label\">THE PLOT THICKENS?<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"lede-headline\"><span class=\"lede-headline__highlighted\">Webb Attacks Clinton With Eye on Independent Run<\/span><\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"lede-dek\"><span class=\"lede-dek__text\">If he declared an outsider presidential bid, the former Democratic candidate could have an outsize effect on the race.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ben Brody<br \/>\nBloomberg Politics<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/07449638224c83672031fe74357a6afa.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-27998\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-27998\" src=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/07449638224c83672031fe74357a6afa.jpg\" alt=\"07449638224c83672031fe74357a6afa\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<aside class=\"article-rail\" data-view-uid=\"2|0_9_1_2\">\n<div class=\"article-rail-module-container\">\n<div class=\"article-rail-module\" data-view-uid=\"2|0_9_1_2_3\">\n<section class=\"article-recommended\">\n<div class=\"article-recommended-content-type article-recommended-content-type--article\"><a class=\"article-recommended-content-type__thumbnail\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/politics\/articles\/2015-12-26\/political-ads-for-2016-campaign-termed-positive-so-far-with-caveats\" data-resource-type=\"article\" data-resource-id=\"NZZ64B6JTSE801\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/assets.bwbx.io\/images\/ipaG.LTrNs5I\/v1\/488x-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\u00a0<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-recommended-content-type article-recommended-content-type--article\"><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div data-view-uid=\"2|0_9_1_4\">\n<section class=\"article-body\">\n<div class=\"article-body__social-container\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body__content\">\n<p>When Jim Webb <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/politics\/trackers\/2015-10-20\/webb-says-he-won-t-seek-democratic-presidential-nomination\" target=\"_blank\">quit<\/a> the Democratic presidential race on Oct. 20 amid low poll numbers and a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/politics\/articles\/2015-10-14\/the-democratic-debate-premiere-by-the-numbers\" target=\"_blank\">minimal debate presence<\/a>, the\u00a0former Virginia senator left open the possibility he&#8217;d return for a White House\u00a0run in a different political guise. Now he appears to be edging closer to making good on it.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday morning, Webb used Twitter and\u00a0his Facebook page to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IHeardMyCountryCalling\/photos\/a.240139606175966.1073741828.232634213593172\/421407398049185\/?type=3%20%E2%80%A6\" target=\"_blank\" data-web-url=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IHeardMyCountryCalling\/photos\/a.240139606175966.1073741828.232634213593172\/421407398049185\/?type=3 \u2026\">attack<\/a>\u00a0Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton for her handling of Libya during her time as secretary of state.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hillary Clinton\u2019s failed vision in Libya &amp; the Arab Spring are foreign policy leadership at its worst. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NC80rbKLfP\">https:\/\/t.co\/NC80rbKLfP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jim Webb (@JimWebbUSA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimWebbUSA\/status\/680750510236897280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 26, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The lengthy condemnation on Facebook, which said, among other things that \u201cClinton should be called to account for her inept leadership that brought about the chaos in Libya,\u201d\u00a0came just days before the end of the year, which his team had previously <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/11\/05\/politics\/jim-webb-independent-presidential-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-web-url=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/11\/05\/politics\/jim-webb-independent-presidential-campaign\/\">told CNN<\/a> would be\u00a0reasonable\u00a0time for them to make a decision about an independent bid.<\/p>\n<p>Since dropping out of the race for the Democratic nomination, Webb has continued to maintain his <a href=\"http:\/\/www.webb2016.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-web-url=\"http:\/\/www.webb2016.com\/\">Webb2016 website<\/a>, which he has updated with posts about the possibilities of an independent run. On Twitter, he and his fans have been <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WebbNation?src=hash\" target=\"_blank\" data-web-url=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WebbNation?src=hash\">promoting a #WebbNation hashtag<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A run by Webb, who often manages\u00a0his own social media accounts and has also used them recently to <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/JimWebbUSA\/status\/679799999555846144\" target=\"_blank\" data-web-url=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/JimWebbUSA\/status\/679799999555846144\">promote a petition<\/a> in favor of his run and to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/JimWebbUSA\/status\/677928400787546112\" target=\"_blank\" data-web-url=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/JimWebbUSA\/status\/677928400787546112\">deliver kudos<\/a> to Bernie Sanders in his battles with the Democratic National Committee (\u201cnothing more than an arm for the Clinton campaign,\u201d Webb tweeted), could further complicate\u00a0the already unpredictable\u00a02016 election.<\/p>\n<p>While observers typically have <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/politics\/trackers\/2015-12-08\/68-of-trump-s-supporters-would-back-him-in-3rd-party-run-poll\" target=\"_blank\">analyzed<\/a> the prospect of a third-party or independent run by Republican front-runner Donald Trump\u2014or even one from Sanders\u2014Webb could still alter the dynamics of the race even with his smaller profile.<\/p>\n<p>A recent <a href=\"http:\/\/i2.cdn.turner.com\/cnn\/2015\/images\/12\/23\/cnnpoll2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" data-web-url=\"http:\/\/i2.cdn.turner.com\/cnn\/2015\/images\/12\/23\/cnnpoll2.pdf\">CNN poll<\/a>, for instance,\u00a0forecast\u00a0tight races between Clinton and several Republican contenders in hypothetical match-ups for the general election. Webb&#8217;s campaign has told Bloomberg Politics it would concentrate on mobilizing voters in the ideological middle, along with people who have become dissatisfied with politics.<\/p>\n<p>In a tight race, even a small base of support could make him a factor. Ralph Nader, for instance, famously won only small\u00a0percentages of the vote in many states in the 2000 presidential election, yet that arguably helped<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fec.gov\/pubrec\/fe2000\/elecpop.htm\" target=\"_blank\" data-web-url=\"http:\/\/www.fec.gov\/pubrec\/fe2000\/elecpop.htm\"> tip the Electoral College vote<\/a>\u00a0to then-Texas Governor George W. Bush, denying Democratic Vice President Al Gore, the winner of the popular vote, the presidency.<\/p>\n<p>Webb could also get a boost from the organizers of the general election debates, who are <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/politics\/articles\/2015-12-09\/wild-cards-trump-and-sanders-may-mean-extra-debaters-in-2016\" target=\"_blank\">preparing for the possibility of three candidates onstage<\/a>, albeit ones who thus far, have managed to command far more support than Webb the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/epolls\/2016\/president\/us\/2016_democratic_presidential_nomination-3824.html\" target=\"_blank\" data-web-url=\"http:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/epolls\/2016\/president\/us\/2016_democratic_presidential_nomination-3824.html\">roughly one percent of Democratic support Webb managed to muster<\/a> by the time he quote the race.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no ensuring that Webb would be a spoiler for\u00a0Clinton even as he attacks her. Although he ran as a Democrat to serve in the Senate, he is a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/politics\/articles\/2015-10-13\/if-jim-webb-hates-politics-so-much-why-is-he-running-\">highly decorated Vietnam veteran<\/a>\u00a0who also served for a time as President Reagan&#8217;s secretary of the navy and has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/politics\/articles\/2015-10-14\/jim-webb-is-just-fine-with-all-the-republican-love\">won conservative plaudits<\/a>. Even Saturday&#8217;s attack echoed the talking points of Republican candidates and groups.<\/p>\n<p>His public statements, meanwhile, have\u00a0focused economic populism and breaking the monopoly of the two-party system.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the apparent escalation of his interest in an independent bid and his aides previously stated interest in making Webb&#8217;s intentions known by the beginning of 2016, history suggests he could toy with voters for quite some time. Webb missed his own self-imposed deadline for getting into the Democratic race and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/politics\/articles\/2015-07-02\/jim-webb-s-mysteriously-timed-presidential-campaign-launch\" target=\"_blank\">blatantly disregarded<\/a>\u00a0conventional wisdom on political timing\u00a0when finally declared hours before the beginning of the July 4 holiday.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the earliest state deadline for submitting signatures for an independent presidential run is May\u00a09 in Texas, <a href=\"http:\/\/ballot-access.org\/2015\/11\/28\/november-2015-ballot-access-news-print-edition\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-web-url=\"http:\/\/ballot-access.org\/2015\/11\/28\/november-2015-ballot-access-news-print-edition\/\">according to Ballot Access News<\/a>. Given\u00a0that most filing deadlines occur in August, Webb&#8217;s post-Christmas social activity could be another trial balloon.<\/p>\n<p>Craig Crawford, a top aide on\u00a0the small campaign, did not immediately return request for comment on Saturday on the prospect that Webb is planning an imminent return to the race, nor did a Clinton spokesman respond to the attack.<\/p>\n<p>Crawford, though, told Bloomberg Politics in October\u00a0that he\u00a0has been studying the Nader playbook\u00a0and that an outsider bid\u00a0is easier than it was 15 years ago but still \u201crequires a lot more multitasking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yet the main\u00a0question was the feasibility of that multitasking, including primarily gathering signatures to get on the ballot, rather than Webb&#8217;s belief in his message, Crawford added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre we comfortable that there\u2019s actually a chance\u00a0to get on enough ballots to actually have a mathematical chance?\u201d Crawford said the campaign was asking. \u201cJim\u2019s not\u00a0going to do this as a protest thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"trashline\">(An earlier version of this story\u00a0included an erroneous\u00a0date, since corrected by the source of the information, for the first state filing deadline for independent presidential candidates.)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8212;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/politics\/articles\/2015-12-26\/webb-attacks-clinton-with-eye-on-independent-run\">http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/politics\/articles\/2015-12-26\/webb-attacks-clinton-with-eye-on-independent-run<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>THE PLOT THICKENS? Webb Attacks Clinton With Eye on Independent Run If he declared an outsider presidential bid, the former Democratic candidate could have an outsize effect on the race. Ben Brody Bloomberg Politics \u00a0 When Jim Webb quit the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=27992\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27992\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}