Ballot Boxing: Hillary Clinton's identity crisis

Welcome to Ballot Boxing, WORLD’s weekly roundup of political news and views.

This week we present a preview of next week’s Democratic debate.

Indeed, Hillary Clinton’s ongoing identity crisis may culminate in a make-or-break moment for the Democratic front-runner at the party’s first presidential debate next Tuesday in Las Vegas. The debate will air on CNN.

The nation’s gambling capital is perhaps a fitting spot for a high-stakes showdown primarily between Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the self-proclaimed socialist giving Clinton an unexpected run for her money in the Democratic primary.

Despite CNN’s hopes, it appears Vice President Joe Biden won’t participate in the contest, particularly since he hasn’t announced he’s running for president. The door remains desperately open—Biden could still join the debate if he announces his candidacy as late as Tuesday morning.

Clinton has been reportedly preparing for months, lining up a cadre of aides to help her get ready for the debates. Meanwhile, it appears Sanders has been prepping for about a week.

The high-octane vs. low-key approach is perhaps a difference in personality more than policy. Sanders’ out-of-nowhere rise has come as he steps on big stages in front of large crowds and seems simply to be himself. Supporters appear drawn to his natural undercurrent of agitation that funnels into sincere passion for the socialist agenda he clearly holds dear.

Meanwhile, after decades in the public eye, Clinton is still trying to find herself. Her campaign recently announced she was making plans to be more spontaneous, and scheduled an awkward interview with the proudly profane television star Lena Dunham. Clinton indulged Dunham’s inappropriate jokes about a rock star’s anatomy in an exchange that seemed far more reaching than real.

Clinton doesn’t have to do this.

Indeed, I’ve pondered why Clinton—a wife, mother, and grandmother, and former first lady of Arkansas, first lady of the United States, U.S. senator, and secretary of state who has endured decades of political turmoil and scandal—wants to continue in the public eye as she reaches the autumn of her life.

I hear you already, and I know the potent mixture of power, pride, and ambition is intoxicating for those who have drunk deeply nearly all their lives. Clinton likely can’t imagine life without it.

But that’s the point: In some ways, it’s deeply sad to consider someone in the last decades of life perhaps struggling to imagine an identity apart from wielding unrelenting influence and the highest degree of power possible.

Perhaps that’s too much psychoanalysis of a distant figure, but there are biblical considerations as well.

I’ll leave those to Martin Luther, the great Reformer who helped launch the Protestant Reformation and change the course of human history. Luther could have certainly become consumed with any one of his many roles: scholar, teacher, preacher, mentor, church leader, or giant of the Reformation.

But when his end came and he assessed the meaning of his life, Luther expressed his hope in the grace of Christ and his standing before God’s highest authority in his final words: “We are beggars. This is true.”

Remember: We want to hear from you. Have a tip or something you’d like to know more about in the presidential race? Leave a comment below or email me at jdean@wng.org, and we’ll keep your concerns in mind as we report.