In the 2016 election cycle, Hillary Clinton famously declared that Republicans were perhaps the enemy she was most proud of making.
However, in a recent interview with the New York Times, the former Secretary of State expressed a certain admiration for the tenacity of her political rivals.
Clinton, 76, was discussing the Democratic Party's perceived failures in defending Roe v. Wade when she lamented that her party sometimes lacks the relentless determination that characterizes the right. "One thing I give the right credit for is they never give up," she said. "They are relentless. You know, they take a loss, they get back up, they regroup, they raise more money."
She went on to express her admiration for the operational efficiency of the right, stating, "Its tremendously impressive the way that they operate. And we have nothing like it on our side."
Over the years, numerous Democrats have expressed frustration with the robust conservative infrastructure. For instance, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has criticized organizations like the Federalist Society that advocate for the appointment of conservative judges.
Clinton argued that Democrats had been complacent in the lead-up to the Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade. "We didnt take it seriously, and we didnt understand the threat," she said. "Most Democrats, most Americans, did not realize we are in an existential struggle for the future of this country."
She added, "We could have done more to fight."
In the run-up to the 2024 presidential cycle, Democrats have prioritized abortion as a key issue, while many Republicans across the country have moderated their stance.
The former 2016 Democratic presidential nominee gave the interview ahead of the release of her upcoming book, "The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America," which is due for release on June 4.
She reflected on her unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign, a time when both parties were vying for the presidency in part to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
Clinton claimed that when she warned Democrats about the risk of Roes demise in 2016, she was dismissed as an alarmist.
Her defeat allowed former President Donald Trump to make three appointments to the Supreme Court including to Scalias old seat, which the GOP-led Senate kept open for months.
During the Obama administration, some Democrats had quietly tried to pressure Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to step down when the party still had the Senate and they could replace her on the Supreme Court with a like-minded justice.
However, Ginsburg declined and Republicans eventually captured the Senate and shifted the balance of power in the highest court in the land.
Trump managed to elevate Justice Amy Coney Barrett to Ginsburgs old seat when she died in 2020.
Clinton also warned that the 2024 election cycle is existential.
I mean, if we dont make the right decision in this election in our country, we may never have another actual election, Clinton ominously surmised to the outlet.
I will put that out there because I believe it. And if we no longer have another actual election, we will be governed by a small minority of right-wing forces that are well organized and well-funded and are getting exactly what they want in terms of turning the clock back on women.
Reflecting on her 2016 election loss, Clinton once again criticized former FBI director James Comeys late-stage letter announcing the bureau was reopening the investigation into her email server 11 days before the election. He later, again, declined to pursue charges.
Clinton contended that Comeys move cost her female voters.
But once he did that to me, the people, the voters who left me, were women, she reflected. They left me because they just couldnt take a risk on me, because as a woman, Im supposed to be perfect.
They were willing to take a risk on Trump who had a long list of, lets call them flaws, to illustrate his imperfection because he was a man.
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