Clintons performing private 2016 autopsy as they plot a return to politics

Bill and Hillary Clinton have not been appearing in public too often since her election loss in November, but according to a piece in Politico both Clintons are privately trying to understand the dynamics that elected Donald Trump:

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The one-time secretary of state has been in contact with a range of ex-aides, studying presentations as she tries to better understand the forces behind her shocking November defeat.

Included among those presentations has been a series of reports pulled together by her former campaign manager Robby Mook and members of his team, who have updated her not just on data and polling errors, but also on results among segments of the electorate where she underperformed, according to Democrats familiar with the project.

“She understands that a forensic exam of the campaign is necessary, not only for her, but for the party and other electeds, and for the investors in the campaign,” said a close Hillary Clinton friend in Washington who, like several others, declined to speak on the record because their conversations with one or both Clintons were private. “People want to know that their investment was treated with respect, but that their mistakes wouldn’t be repeated.”

Meanwhile, it sounds as if Bill Clinton is reacting to the loss with a bit more anger:

Bill Clinton has spent considerable time poring over precinct-level results from the 2016 race while meeting with and calling longtime friends to rail against FBI Director James Comey’s late campaign intervention and Russia’s involvement, say a handful of Democrats who have spoken with him.

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While the Clintons have been studying the loss privately, no public autopsy has taken place yet. That’s a problem for fundraisers who can’t go to donors for more money until the party has reached some sort of consensus about what went wrong and how to avoid it happening again.

Those in Clinton world clearly expect both Bill and Hillary to return to the campaign trail at some point. They are expected to help Democrats raise money and to lend a hand to old friends who are running for office in 2018. Hillary is said to be considering some sort of party boss job, either with Obama’s Organizing for Action or in coordination with the DNC. The only thing aides are said to be certain that neither Clinton will do: run for office again.

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