Hillary Clinton to Announce 2016 Presidential Run This Weekend?

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In 2008, I wasn't campaigning for either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Having seen all of the early candidates up close and personal at a campaign event in Las Vegas, I'd hitched my wagon (however briefly and embarrassingly) to John Edwards. Hey, he had a great presence and message, his wife was fighting a cancer battle with poise and dignity and he was cute. Sue me, I didn't know he was a scumbag. In any event, when we caucused (a bizarre little event in itself), Edwards didn't get enough support, so--as was required--I had to realign with another candidate.

Here, I was presented with a coin toss. I really liked both Obama and Clinton. I considered our slate of candidates an embarrassment of riches (not knowing what Edwards had been up to, naturally), so ranking them was tricky business. What sealed the deal for me, was the caucusing. The Edwards people (and the rest of the scattered re-aligners) were for the most part of good spirit, and happy to realign. The Obama camp was cheerful, energetic, enthusiastic. And the Hillary contingent was strident, pushy and borderline rude. Remember that air of "inevitability" everyone talked about then? That's how they were treating the caucus, and it gave their pitches a feeling of aggressive entitlement.

Maybe I was inferring a little too much negativity to them, I don't know. But at the time, their attitude was enough to influence my decision to side with the Obama camp. When your choice is a 50/50, you have to find a reason, and that was mine. And afterward, from Clinton supporters throughout the primary, I saw a lot of that same sort of behavior and attitude. It was a bruising primary, and throughout it, my feelings of negativity from Team Clinton grew, and solidified. Though I didn't assign them to the candidate--merely her team, and her supporters--a bit of that couldn't help but rub off, and sour me a bit on Hillary.

So, I'm glad that there have been two presidential terms between then and now. In that time, Clinton had time to grow as a candidate, and distance herself from her 2008 persona. I imagine there are still some from Team Obama who nurse hurt feelings and resentment over that primary, but am confident that Hillary will be able to grab the lion's share of the president's supporters easily, and the rest grudgingly. A surprise entry by--say--Elizabeth Warren might change my mind. But barring that, I'm prepared to hop aboard the Clinton train. But something tells me this is going to be a bumpy ride.

[Excerpt]

Hillary Clinton will announce her 2016 campaign this weekend

A source with knowledge of Hillary Clinton's plans has confirmed that she will officially announce her 2016 presidential bid on Saturday or Sunday. This will be imminently followed by campaign travel. . .

Read more: Business Insider