Hillary Clinton’s problem isn’t that she can’t fundraise but you might say she is doing it too well. She and her husband have all the fat cats riding around in their limousines donating large amounts of money to their foundation and also outrageous fees for speaking engagements.

The Clinton Foundation

The Foundation has done a lot of good by connecting various charities with donors. But the problems arises in that the foundation is accepting donations from foreign governments. That would generally not be a problem, but when you are running for President it can look like the foreign governments are trying to buy influence. Not where you want to be when running for President.

Failure to Think Ahead?

The foundation took foreign donations up until 2009 when she became Secretary of State. They stopped because it didn’t look good having foreign governments donating indirectly to a top administration official. But when she stepped down as Secretary of State, the foundation started taking foreign donations again. You would think that she and Bill had in mind her run for President. It seems like a poor choice to resume the practice given this and makes you question the ethics but also the surprising failure to see how it would be perceived.

Defending the Donations

The Clinton’s put out a statement defending the practice and pointing out that they are very transparent about who donates, and making available a donor list. But many of the people who are donating to her campaign fund are also making significant donations to the foundation as well. That just doesn’t look good. One can  make the assumption that people are donating larger amounts to the foundation than they otherwise might because they were assuming she was running for President and now know she is.

Republican vs. Democrat Outlook

It is not unusual for politician’s to buddy up to wealthy people who can write big checks. But the Republicans have an advantage because they are generally seen as on the side of business vs. labor and they generally don’t see it as a problem to be cozying up to rich people. Rather, it is almost a badge of honor. But Hillary has been pulling in money from the wealthiest people in the world for the foundation and these people usually want something in return. Combine that with the fact that the Democrats draw a lot from labor and the middle to lower classes and it makes for a very difficult balancing act.

Catch-22

The problem can go both ways. Her poll numbers have been dropping which is not the direction she wants them to head. However, they have been receiving large donations which have been rapidly filling the campaign coffers which gives her power compared to most rivals.

We just wrote about Hillary and possible problems with a generational gap and appeal. But there is another audience that will be critical to her election, the black vote.

How do you follow up on a performance like Barack Obama’s in turning out the black vote. It will be hard to repeat.

Some people not only wondered whether she will get the black vote, but whether she enjoys it. F. Michael Higginbotham wrote and interesting article that makes the claim that she does deserve to be supported by blacks.

Police Relations

He points to her speech at Columbia University on April 29th. She spoke about a number of causes for the problems in Baltimore and other issues around the country and her proposed solutions.  She spoke about the racial inequities in the criminal justice system but just as importantly in the US in general and in the areas of politics and the economy.

Although it has become obvious to most Americans over the last year with Baltimore, Feguson and unfortunately many other incidents, she pointed out the poor relationship between the law enforcement and minorities. She also commented on the dramatic disparity in arrests, sentencing and imprisonment by race. Black men are much more likely to be stopped, searched,  and charged and they receive longer prison sentences than white men for the same crime.

One solution she suggested, which has been at the top of many people’s minds recently is body cameras for police. But, she said there were problems that were even more important than relations with the police. It was the lack of employment for black men. In Baltimore, the black unemployment rate is twice that of whites’. In the 20-24 year old age range it is 3 times as high. More disturbing is that the median net worth of whites in the US is 18 times that of blacks, which is higher than in South Africa during apartheid.

Economic and Educational Opportunities

She pointed out that more economic opportunities are needed and better education. She also suggested more support for poor families so they can better give a leg up to the children.

Voter Rights

In a speech last summer, she also condemned voter identification laws and restrictions that had a greater impact on the minority community. She was very critical of the Shelby County vs. Holder decision by the Supreme Court which invalidated part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. She pointed out that the Voting Rights Act has done more democratization than almost any piece of legislation. Within 4 years of becoming law, 800,000 new voters registered, mostly black.

What do Hillary Clinton, David Letterman and Mad Men have to do with each other? On the surface, not much. They are or are about Baby Boomers. So what?

Who is going to be voting for Hillary Clinton? Granted, there is a population bulge with the Baby Boomers, but they are beginning to die off and the Greatest Generation from World War II is rapidly fading.

David Letterman and Jay Leno were dominant during their long runs, but they have now handed things over to the next generation of Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel. Yes Letterman represented the Baby Boom generation and the attitude of Question Authority. But the irony and and sarcasm that he brought to the fore as a contrast to Rat Pack type cool of Johnny Carson, isn’t new and cutting edge anymore. Besides, everyone is doing it. The younger generations have grown up instead on The Simpson’s and South Park.

You also have a generation of news anchors turning over such as  Bill O’Reilly for Megyn Kelly and Diane Sawyer for David Muir.

Then there is Mad Men, which is quintessentially about the 60s and the beginnings of the Baby Boom dominance. But what younger group really wants to watch things like this or reminisce about Ed Sullivan or The Beatles or Edgar Bergen? They would rather focus on things that relate more closely to them.

This is the problem for Hillary Clinton. She is 67. Obama is 53 and was only 47 when elected. Hillary will be on the upper end of the age range for Presidents. Obama energized the youth vote who were excited about a change. Can she relate to this part of the population and can she energize them in the same way that Obama did?