Hillary can only benefit from a primary challenge

[Jim Lane]

28. I strongly disagree re 2000

An acrimonious primary can hurt the eventual winner, but the Bradley vs. Gore duel was quite civil. If anything, Gore would've been better off if there'd been more fireworks on his road to the nomination, to get him more publicity despite the ongoing fierce battle on the Republican side. Even as it was, it helped get him some exposure, some recent debate experience, some warmup for his staff and volunteers, etc.

Media matters pointed out in months when the primary was run for Gore, that was the time when the corporation media smeared Gore with silly lies.

Is it your argument that, if Bradley hadn't run, silly lies that were thrown at Gore would never have surfaced? I'd think it more likely that they would have come out anyway, but in the fall, when they would have been more damaging.

I don't understand your conclusion. This part seems to suggest that Chafee, O'Malley, Sanders, and Webb should just abandon any idea of campaigning and wear their Ready for Hillary lapel pins 24/7 until Election Day:

A primary would only leave the corporations in charge of the election:
let support our candidates Hillary has been a loyal democrat for almost
thirty years: We all know her, we need to spend out time helping her and
win the Senate and House back.

But then you write:

Let's leave the primary up to democrats to decide....

I agree with that part. Let Hillary run, but let her face an opponent from the more progressive win of the party, and let Democrats in primaries and caucuses around the country decide who'll be the nominee.

As for Citizens United and the Kochs, I don't foresee lots of corporate money flooding into television ads attacking Hillary as too conservative. To the contrary -- in the general election, we'll certainly see any Democrat attacked as being too liberal. If Hillary is the nominee, she'll be better positioned if she can point out that she was the more conservative candidate in the primaries. "You call me a socialist? Ha! I ran in the primaries against a real Socialist and I beat him! I'm in the sensible middle."