Why Hillary's lack of rivals could hurt the Democrats

If you’re trying to make sense of America’s nascent presidential race, it helps to think of it like a business: Hillary Clinton is a monopoly. In her quest for the Democratic nomination, she faces no real competitors.

What happens when we don’t have to compete? On the positive side, we don’t waste precious time and resources fending off upstarts. Protectionism discourages competitors (in this case, other Democrats) from even entering the market, meaning energy isn’t wasted on internecine challenges.

But there is also a downside. Sometimes we reluctantly discover the products or businesses we thought were the best really aren’t – that someone else had a better idea. When that happens, the public wins. (But when a few insiders unilaterally pick the winners and losers – when a product, business, or candidate is selected, not elected – there is no opportunity for such a discovery.)