Washingon – Hillary Rodham Clinton took a celebratory lap around Washington on Friday, reveling in signs Democrats are coalescing around her White House candidacy after an 11-hour grilling by House Republicans.
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Joking about her “long day,” Clinton told female supporters gathered for a party event that she tried to “rise above partisanships and reach for statesmanship” in her testimony before a Republican-led congressional committee investigating Clinton’s handling of the 2012 deadly attacks in Benghazi, Libya.
“I am just grateful I recovered my voice, which I lost a little bit,” Clinton said, with a smile, at an address to the Women’s Leadership Forum, an organization she helped start as first lady.
Amid questioning that at times bordered on a courtroom-style interrogation, Clinton avoided any major gaffes in her Thursday testimony as she sought to portray herself above the partisan fray as committee members bickered.
The hearing surfaced little new information about the attacks and landed no blows to Clinton’s presidential aspirations, leaving Republicans without a memorable moment to promote as Clinton approaches the first primary contests.
“These moments can be fleeting in terms of how they impact polls or voters’ opinions of that moment,” said Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri. “But there are things that they reveal. Yesterday revealed a depth of commitment at the State Department, it revealed a depth of knowledge on issues and concern, as well as an obvious, incredible, frankly, temperament.
“People see that and they can easily see that that woman could be our next president,” she added.
There were some early signs on Friday the marathon questioning may have helped Clinton solidify support within her party, with some donors and activists who were backing other primary candidates pledging their support for Clinton after the hearing.
“It does empower and embolden Democrats to do that much more,” said Democratic activist and former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, who met with Clinton before her address on Friday morning.
While Turner said she has no plans to endorse Clinton in the coming weeks, she noted that “it’s been quite a week for the secretary.”
Supporters who met privately with Clinton before her address said the former secretary of State laughed when they advised her to go home and get some rest.
“She was glowing,” said Pamela Eakes, a major Clinton donor from Seattle. “We’re grateful to Republicans for giving her the best week ever.”
The hearing came in the midst of a political winning streak for Clinton. Her poll numbers are rebounding after a commanding performance in the first primary debate. Vice President Joe Biden decided against a 2016 run, removing a major threat to her primary campaign.
And two of her other challengers — former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee — dropped out of the Democratic race.
“Obviously it’s a good week for Secretary Clinton,” Chafee said. “I’m moving on now. It’s time to move on and support the party any way I can.”
While Clinton’s aides acknowledged the run of good news, they stressed she was not taking anything for granted.
“It is going to be really hard to get the Democratic nomination,” Palmieri said. “I think she will, but it’s going to be really hard. Iowa and New Hampshire are very competitive.”
Later on Friday, Clinton will travel to northern Virginia for a rally with longtime ally Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
Why is it going to be “very hard” to get the democratic nomination? Her only competition is a crazy old socialist! Just because she’s a proven liar, not mention a criminal who would be indicted if she was anyone other than a democrat, especially named Clinton, so what? After all, dishonesty is what the dems stand for.
This just proves how stupid most Dems are.