HILLARY IN TROUBLE – AT 9:43 A.M. ET:  The signs are not good.  She's sagging in the polls.  Perhaps more important, she's become the object of ridicule and criticism within her own party.  From The Politico: 

Four in 10 Democratic insiders in the early states warn that Hillary Clinton is not spending enough time on the campaign trail, making her vulnerable to possible challenges from the left and dampening the enthusiasm of progressives who are already committed to her.

'The POLITICO Caucus — our weekly bipartisan pulse-taking of the most important activists, operatives and elected officials in Iowa and New Hampshire — also finds Democrats almost evenly divided over whether Clinton needs to take a firmer position on the trade battle that’s gripped Washington this week, but many approve of Bill Clinton’s efforts to be a more silent partner in his wife’s campaign.

Clinton will return to Iowa and New Hampshire next week, amidst an aggressive fundraising swing. Her campaign said Thursday that the events will again be small and relatively private.

But insiders are clamoring for the former secretary of state to do more events that allow more voters to see her in person. There’s a pervasive belief that her campaign stops need to feel more authentic and open in order to fire up the base.

Authentic?  Hillary?  Are we serious?  Hillary could fake childbirth.

“She needs to step it up dramatically,” said a pro-Clinton Iowa Democrat, who — like all 77 respondents — completed the questionnaire anonymously in order to speak candidly.

“We have this need to feel well-loved every four years,” said an uncommitted New Hampshire Democrat. “If other candidates begin to make inroads, Clinton’s absence will be noted.”

Several Democrats said she should headline a rally or give a major speech soon. One key Democrat in Iowa, where she finished third in 2008, explained that “a big open-attendance event would go a long way because it would at least let people actually see her” in person.

COMMENT:  But one does not have the right to see the queen, or gaze upon her.  Hillary appears to feel entitled to the presidency, as if it's an honorary position given after hanging around long enough. 

My own sense, as I've noted before, is that the presidency in 2016 is the Republican Party's to lose.  Of course, the party has been excellent at that, so I'm not placing any bets just yet.

May 15, 2015