Fred Barnes: Democrats Panicked That Clinton Campaign Could Collapse

Democrats are panicking because Hillary Clinton's candidacy for the White House in 2016 "is in trouble" — and the "troubles tend to be self-inflicted," says Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard.

Citing recent polls showing the former secretary of state only slightly ahead of various Republican rivals, Barnes writes in an op-ed piece that Clinton is "not threatened with losing the Democratic nomination — at least not yet.

"But the rationale for her bid for the presidency, the strategy of her campaign, and the tactics she’s adopted — all have failed to stop her steady decline" in the polls, he added. "The expectation of Clinton’s glide into the White House in 2016 is gone."

The issues range from Clinton choosing to use her personal email during her four years as the nation's top diplomat to questions surrounding contributions to the Clinton Foundation.

There's something more significant, however, Barnes said: Clinton lacks a "rationale" for seeking the presidency.

"In place of a rationale, there’s an assumption that her prominence, her résumé, and the likelihood of her becoming the first woman president would make her a uniquely appealing candidate," Barnes said. "They haven’t. …

"She has not only failed to attract big crowds. She’s having trouble raising big money from those described by Politico as 'rich liberals,' " Barnes said.

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