Republican strategists say that Clintons political abilities have long been exaggerated. They contend she displays an unusual capacity to make trouble for herself and, unlike her husband, no great degree of nimbleness in getting out of it. They just hope the pattern continues.
Shes a terrible politician, said Florida-based GOP strategist Rick Wilson. She has never won a genuinely contested election. She is spectacularly bad. If her name was Hillary Jones, she couldnt get elected to a Mosquito Management Board in Florida. She is not a woman who has ever been able to win a hot race.
Its not just Republicans who have questioned Hillary Clintons political chops.
Even some Democrats have wondered why her teams response to the email flap has been flat-footed.
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod told MSNBC earlier this week, this problem is being exacerbated by the lack of answers from the Clinton campaign, or the nascent campaign, and it would be good to get out there and answer these questions.
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The question of her political competence is definitely on display, said Dan Judy of Republican firm North Star Opinion Research, which has previously worked with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), but does not currently have an affiliation with a likely 2016 GOP candidate.
The thing is, when people talk about the Clintons political talent, you think of Bill. She is not Bill. She has been very successful in politics but she is not a very talented politician and I think that was on display in the 2008 primary, and it has been on display again since the time she left as secretary of State.
Clintons main responsibility during her husbands early years in the White House was shepherding health care reform, an effort which collapsed in ignominy.
And in 2008, she was upset in the Democratic primary by then-Sen. Barack Obama. He was an unusually compelling candidate but Clintons uncertain campaign, riven with infighting, also squandered some obvious advantages.
More recently, there have been several unforced errors from Clinton, notably her comment that she and President Clinton had left the White House dead broke. The revelation last month that the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation had once again begun accepting donations from foreign governments, which it had prohibited during her time at the State Department, deepened questions about her financial dealings.
One of Clintons biggest selling points to Democrats has been that she has been fully vetted, on account of having been on the political front-lines for so long. But that claim has now been called into question by the email controversy.
It shows that there are still surprises with Hillary Clinton and that there are likely to be more to come, said Ron Bonjean, a Republican consultant.
Bonjean professed to be perfectly happy about the dynamics of the Democratic nomination race, with Clinton so firmly favored to emerge as the partys presidential candidate.
It looks like the Democratic donor community would like to rally around Hillary Clinton if she would let them, he said. But with the type of fodder she is providing at the moment, I think Republicans would very much welcome her to the race.
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Youre going to get attacked much longer if you dont have an opponent, said Susan MacManus, a professor of government at the University of South Florida. In some sense, competition does minimize the focus on one particular person. If youre one person, you get hit from all sides, including from people within your own party.
Clinton defenders would argue that she has many powerful advantages, ranging from her formidable fundraising power to her status as by far the most credible female candidate to yet seek the presidency.
Shes also far ahead in the polls.
But, for the moment at least, Republicans are very far from running scared.
Shes not a natural. She has the policy expertise but not the political skills, said Judy. Shes just not all that great.
