Chelsea Clinton wants 'purposely public' life. Politics?
In Rwanda, Chelsea Clinton offers yet another hint of her political plans: She's not considering a run for public office, unless she 'didn't like how my city or state or country were being run.'
Chelsea Clinton introduces her father, former President Bill Clinton, as he is named 'Father of the Year' by the nonprofit National Father's Day Council at a fundraiser lunch in New York on June 11. Ms. Clinton says she is interested in public life.
Brendan McDermid/Reuters/File
WASHINGTON
Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton said on Monday that she鈥檚 decided to live a more 鈥減urposely public life,鈥� after years of avoiding the glare of publicity as much as possible.
In an interview with CNN in Rwanda, where she鈥檚 doing humanitarian work with her family鈥檚 foundation, Ms. Clinton made clear she鈥檚 not contemplating a run for political office. She talked instead about 鈥渃hanging market dynamics鈥� in underdeveloped nations and the need to continue to fight to improve the lives of underprivileged children. She sounded as if she were contemplating a more visible role in nonprofit, do-good initiatives.
Well, maybe she鈥檚 just not contemplating a run for office at the moment. She said she鈥檚 happy to be living in a city (New York), state (New York, duh) and country 鈥渨here I really believe in my elected officials, their ethos and their competencies." But she added that 鈥渟omeday, if either of those weren鈥檛 true, and I thought I could make more of a difference in the public sector, or if I didn鈥檛 like how my city or state or country were being run, I鈥檇 have to ask and answer that [running for office] question."
Let the wild speculation begin! Chelsea鈥檚 going to run for mayor when Anthony Weiner drops out! She鈥檚 going to run for Senate when Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) of New York is appointed Secretary of Publicity in the Hillary Clinton administration! She鈥檚 going to run for the White House in 2020 against the incumbent Republican, President Rubio!
OK, we have some actual thoughts on this matter, though.
The first is that Chelsea, in political terms, is not her father鈥檚 daughter. She is more like her mother. Would the young Arkansas politician Bill Clinton have talked about 鈥渆thos and competencies鈥�? No, we don鈥檛 think so either. That sounds like Hillary. Also, by the time he was Chelsea鈥檚 current age, which is 33, Bill was already governor. He was president at 46, if you forget. It鈥檚 too late for Chelsea to be that sort of wunderkind.
Second, a corollary: It doesn鈥檛 look like she鈥檚 burning for office or a campaign. Like her mother, she might work her way up from the inside and start from relative heights. She sounded a bit as if she might answer the call if New York Democrats get into a bind about a candidate for higher office. But City Council? Don鈥檛 hold your breath.
Third, it all depends on 2016. If her mom runs for president and wins, her future will veer sharply into directions it鈥檚 hard to predict today. But if her mom doesn鈥檛 run, or if she loses, suddenly Chelsea will be the face of a new generation.
That鈥檚 already happened with Republicans, a bit. Liz Cheney is running for Senate in Wyoming, after all. The next generation of Bushes is starting to make noises about public office.
Dynasties: They鈥檙e not just for Great Britain.
鈥淟augh all you want at the royal baby, Americans who will one day vote for Sens. Liz Cheney, Beau Biden, Chelsea Clinton, and George P. Bush,鈥� late last month.