---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For Biden, as for other Democrats who had…"
description: "\"“For Biden, as for other Democrats who had considered running in 2016, Hillary’s ability to co-opt the major institutions, political leaders, operative..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jonathan-allen-11731_democratic-party_for-biden-as-for-other-democrats-who-had_2499602.jpg"
---

#  For Biden, as for other Democrats who had considered…

![“For Biden, as for other Democrats who had considered running in 2016, Hillary’s ability to co-opt the major institutions, political leaders, operatives, and financiers of the Democratic Party was deeply frustrating.” quote by Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jonathan-allen-11731_democratic-party_for-biden-as-for-other-democrats-who-had_2499602.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jonathan-allen-11731_democratic-party_for-biden-as-for-other-democrats-who-had_2499602.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jonathan-allen-11731_democratic-party_for-biden-as-for-other-democrats-who-had_2499602.jpg)

> ““For Biden, as for other Democrats who had considered running in 2016, Hillary’s ability to co-opt the major institutions, political leaders, operatives, and financiers of the Democratic Party was deeply frustrating.””

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote highlights frustration that Democratic figures felt about Hillary Clinton’s dominance over party structures, limiting other candidates’ prospects.

**In simple terms:** Democrats were upset about Clinton’s control of party power.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how power concentration can hinder competition.

Themes

politics party dynamics leadership competition

Mood

frustrated critical analytical

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- primary elections
- campaign strategy
- party reform
- candidate selection

Key Concepts

institutional control co-optation strategic positioning

Questions to Reflect On

- How does centralizing power affect democratic processes?
- What alternatives exist to diversify party leadership?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on individual influence may ignore broader systemic issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[2016 Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/2016-hillary-427363/) [Biden Democrats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biden-democrats-474600/) [Democratic party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic-party/) [Democrats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrats/) [Democrats Considered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrats-considered-1047796/) [Financiers Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financiers-democratic-1047797/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Political Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-leader/) [Political leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-leaders/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/)

## Related quotes

> [ I have eight times online since January \[2016\] in which Hillary Clinton has had massive coughing fits in which she couldn't complete her speech.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/i-have-eight-times-online-since-january-2016-in-which-hillary-clinton/)

[Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/)

> [And more and more, Joe Biden, from the Democrats' perspective, looks expendable. He's disposable. He is political picnic cutlery - if you will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dagen-mcdowell/and-more-and-more-joe-biden-from-the-democrats-perspective-looks/)

[Dagen McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dagen-mcdowell/)

> [The trumpeting of false claims that are beneficial to Biden and other Democrats while ignoring the achievements of Trump and Republicans is typical for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/the-trumpeting-of-false-claims-that-are-beneficial-to-biden-and-other/)

[Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/)

> [“Officials from Hillary’s campaign had taken a look at the books. Obama left the party $24 million in debt—$15 million in bank debt and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/officials-from-hillary-s-campaign-had-taken-a-look-at-the-books-obama/)

[Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/)

> [Joe Biden and the Democrats like to use the balance of Democracy as a cheap political slogan while consistently subverting the rule of law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-donalds/joe-biden-and-the-democrats-like-to-use-the-balance-of-democracy-as-a/)

[Byron Donalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-donalds/)

> [In 2016, Hillary Clinton had so much more money than the Trump campaign, yet, we see who won that election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-trump/in-2016-hillary-clinton-had-so-much-more-money-than-the-trump/)

[Lara Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-trump/)

> [What's different now is that while political leaders used to give talking points to talk radio, now talk-radio hosts are giving talking points to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-avlon/what-s-different-now-is-that-while-political-leaders-used-to-give/)

[John Avlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-avlon/)

> [“If a blanket could be used to keep one person warm, then it stands to reason that all the blankets in the world are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-a-blanket-could-be-used-to-keep-one-person-warm-then-it-stands-to/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [Political leaders are sucking blood of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakhi-sawant/political-leaders-are-sucking-blood-of-the-people/)

[Rakhi Sawant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakhi-sawant/)

> [Gun violence has cost us too many political leaders, and hardly ever the worst ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/gun-violence-has-cost-us-too-many-political-leaders-and-hardly-ever/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [As a businessperson, I dont have the power to change the government. That is in the hands of the political leaders. However, as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadashi-yanai/as-a-businessperson-i-dont-have-the-power-to-change-the-government/)

[Tadashi Yanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadashi-yanai/)

> [What we need is political leadership which can give guidance to the development of global governance. We need business leadership which goes beyond shareholder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-somavia/what-we-need-is-political-leadership-which-can-give-guidance-to-the/)

[Juan Somavia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-somavia/)

> ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/)

[Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/)

> [Among the many factors that make a return to halcyon days of the first decades of the postwar era virtually impossible is the decline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gilpin/among-the-many-factors-that-make-a-return-to-halcyon-days-of-the/)

[Robert Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gilpin/)

> [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

## More by Jonathan Allen

> [“All of the jockeying might have been all right, but for a root problem that confounded everyone on the campaign and outside it. Hillary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/all-of-the-jockeying-might-have-been-all-right-but-for-a-root-problem/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“After years of watching adversaries comb through her public records for any hint of a scandal, and after accessing her own aides’ e-mails, Hillary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/after-years-of-watching-adversaries-comb-through-her-public-records/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“Mook was already operating inside a framework first developed for Hillary by David Plouffe, President Barack Obama’s longtime strategist, who had put together a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/mook-was-already-operating-inside-a-framework-first-developed-for/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“In the end, though, this was a winnable race for Hillary. Her own missteps—from setting up a controversial private e-mail server and giving speeches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/in-the-end-though-this-was-a-winnable-race-for-hillary-her-own/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“As she had at State, Abedin concerned herself with elements of the operation for which she had no credentials. But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/as-she-had-at-state-abedin-concerned-herself-with-elements-of-the/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“But more important, the scapegoating tone and tenor revealed that the Clintons were either living on another planet or at least having emotional and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/but-more-important-the-scapegoating-tone-and-tenor-revealed-that-the/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“Between the Benghazi Committee, which would take depositions from Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin, and Jake Sullivan among other Hillary aides, the drip-drip nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/between-the-benghazi-committee-which-would-take-depositions-from/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“The group’s lists had value, and lawyers for Ready for Hillary and the Clinton campaign would spend weeks planning how they could legally transfer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/the-group-s-lists-had-value-and-lawyers-for-ready-for-hillary-and-the/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“The candidate would blame her staff for failing to contain the damage, and, privately, they would fault her for failing to take the steps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/the-candidate-would-blame-her-staff-for-failing-to-contain-the-damage/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“Ready for Hillary aides were ecstatic about the new jobs they were going to get on the Clinton campaign. Not only had Hillary declared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/ready-for-hillary-aides-were-ecstatic-about-the-new-jobs-they-were/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“After the 2008 campaign, two of her aides, Kris Balderston and Adrienne Elrod, had toiled to assign loyalty scores to members of Congress, ranging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/after-the-2008-campaign-two-of-her-aides-kris-balderston-and-adrienne/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“It clearly wasn’t the best choice. I should’ve used two emails—one personal, one for work,” she said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/it-clearly-wasn-t-the-best-choice-i-should-ve-used-two-emails-one/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“Hillary didn’t have a vision to articulate. And no one else could give one to her. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/hillary-didn-t-have-a-vision-to-articulate-and-no-one-else-could-give/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“Throughout the primary, he’d report back from the field on what he was hearing at campaign events and from friends across the country. Mook’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/throughout-the-primary-he-d-report-back-from-the-field-on-what-he-was/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“the summer of 2008, years before her private e-mail server became a campaign issue, Hillary learned about the power of digital snooping. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/the-summer-of-2008-years-before-her-private-e-mail-server-became-a/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

[Explore all 51 Jonathan Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

## More Democratic party quotes

> [If Robert Heinlein is more to your taste than George Lucas: “If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/if-robert-heinlein-is-more-to-your-taste-than-george-lucas-if-you-are/)

[Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/)

> [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/)

[Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/)

> [The Democratic Party is DEAD.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/the-democratic-party-is-dead/)

[Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/)

> [the Republicans love to say that the Democratic Party is ruled by 'special interests.' But when pressed to name these 'special interests,' the usual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-ferraro/the-republicans-love-to-say-that-the-democratic-party-is-ruled-by/)

[Geraldine Ferraro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-ferraro/)

> [There's nothing wrong with the Democratic Party that talks more about - and more loudly about - jobs, and cutting red tape, and bureaucracy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hickenlooper/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-the-democratic-party-that-talks-more-about/)

[John Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hickenlooper/)

> [“Violence isn't a Democrat or Republican problem. It's an American problem, requiring an American solution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashanne-stokes/violence-isn-t-a-democrat-or-republican-problem-it-s-an-american/)

[DaShanne Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashanne-stokes/)

> [I have no problem if you want to be a socialist. But for those people who are in the middle, you know, I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/i-have-no-problem-if-you-want-to-be-a-socialist-but-for-those-people/)

[Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/)

> [ I think \[ chief organizer of the Democratic Party \] it's something that I have an interest in. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-chief-organizer-of-the-democratic-party-it-s-something-that-i/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [The Democratic Party takes huge amounts of cash from corporations and unions to vote a certain way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/the-democratic-party-takes-huge-amounts-of-cash-from-corporations-and/)

[Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/)

> [The Democratic Party, the policies that the Clintons and Hillary believe in, I feel like a living example of someone who benefited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neera-tanden/the-democratic-party-the-policies-that-the-clintons-and-hillary/)

[Neera Tanden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neera-tanden/)

> [“was my first indication that the policies of Mamaw’s “party of the working man”—the Democrats—weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [I also believe that we have to protect our country and lead the world with strength and steadiness, and we have to unify our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-also-believe-that-we-have-to-protect-our-country-and-lead-the-world/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [The Democratic party of Florida has put a temperance plank in its platform and the Republican party of every state would nail that plank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sunday/the-democratic-party-of-florida-has-put-a-temperance-plank-in-its/)

[Billy Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sunday/)

> [The whole new Democratic Party is the old Republican Party. We have a whole bunch of elephants running around in donkey's clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-novak/the-whole-new-democratic-party-is-the-old-republican-party-we-have-a/)

[Robert Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-novak/)

[Browse all 666 Democratic party quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic-party/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“For Biden, as for other Democrats who had considered running in 2016, Hillary’s ability to co-opt the major institutions, political leaders, operatives, and financiers of the Democratic Party was deeply frustrating.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Allen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/for-biden-as-for-other-democrats-who-had-considered-running-in-2016/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Democratic party"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/for-biden-as-for-other-democrats-who-had-considered-running-in-2016/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jonathan-allen-11731_democratic-party_for-biden-as-for-other-democrats-who-had_2499602.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jonathan-allen-11731_democratic-party_for-biden-as-for-other-democrats-who-had_2499602.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jonathan-allen-11731_democratic-party_for-biden-as-for-other-democrats-who-had_2499602.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For Biden, as for other Democrats who had considered running in 2016, Hillary’s ability to co-opt the major…” — Jonathan Allen",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jonathan Allen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“For Biden, as for other Democrats...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/for-biden-as-for-other-democrats-who-had-considered-running-in-2016/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/for-biden-as-for-other-democrats-who-had-considered-running-in-2016/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
