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While the race for the Republican nomination for president appears to be beginning in earnest, prompted in no small part by early maneuvering by Jeb Bush and the increasing likelihood that Mitt Romney is indeed going to throw his hat in the ring for a third run at the White House, things have been fairly quiet on the Democratic side of the aisle. At most, the past several months have seen some talk of potential candidacies on the part of people such as former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, and former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, as well as some speculation that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders may enter the race. The Ready for Warren people continue to do their thing notwithstanding the fact that Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has said shes not running for president. Vice-President Biden, meanwhile, has apparently not taken any real steps to put together a campaign organization. To a large degree, of course, the lack of action on the Democratic side of the race is due to the fact that everyone seems to be waiting to see what Hillary Clinton will do. At this point, the major shock to the Democratic field would be Clinton announcing that she isnt running, since it would leave the party without a real front runner heading into 2016. The question, though, is when Clinton actually intends to enter the race, and a new Mike Allen piece atPoliticosuggests thatshe may delay entering the race until much later in the year than originally planned:

Hillary Clinton, expecting no major challenge for the Democratic nomination, is strongly considering delaying the formal launch of her presidential campaign until July, three months later than originally planned, top Democrats tell POLITICO.

The delay from the original April target will give her more time to develop her message, policy and organization, without the chaos and spotlight of a public campaign.

A Democrat familiar with Clintons thinking said: She doesnt feel under any pressure, and they see no primary challenge on the horizon. If you have the luxury of time, you take it.

Advisers said the biggest reason for the delay is simple: She feels no rush.

She doesnt want to feel pressured by the press to do something before shes ready, one adviser said. Shes better off as a non-candidate. Why not wait?

A huge advantage to waiting is that Clinton postpones the time when she goes before the public as a politician rather than as a former secretary of state. Polling by both Democrats and Republicans shows that one of her biggest vulnerabilities is looking political.

So the Clinton camp has enjoyed watching her recede from the headlines in recent weeks as Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney have amped up their potential candidacies.

One option being considered would be to announce an exploratory committee earlier perhaps in April, at the beginning of a new fundraising quarter, in the timeframe when insiders originally expected her to launch her campaign.

Then the actual kickoff would be in July, near the start of the next quarter. By launching at the beginning of a quarter, supporters have the maximum amount of time to generate a blockbuster total for their first report.

Excerpt from:
Hillary Clinton: the case for waiting until summer to enter presidential race

The news out of Politico this morning is that Hillary Clinton is likely to push her formal presidential announcement all the way back to July, a three-month delay from the original plan and one born of a desire to make sure the candidate and the campaign are fully ready to go when things are made official.

Here's Mike Allen:

The delay from the original April target will give her more time to develop her message, policy and organization, without the chaos and spotlight of a public campaign.

A Democrat familiar with Clintons thinking said: She doesnt feel under any pressure, and they see no primary challenge on the horizon. If you have the luxury of time, you take it.

The thinking goes like this: Clinton does best -- in the eyes of the public -- when she is seen as above or removed from politics. Her numbers, which were damaged by the 2008 presidential race, soared during and after her time as secretary of state. The less political she looks -- and you always look less political when you aren't running for something -- the more people like her.

Here's Gallup's long-term trend on Clinton's favorability ratings. The peaks (and valleys) tend to correspond with her times out -- and in -- campaign mode.

That reality is, of course, not new. So, what changed that has Clintonworld at least contemplating a slowdown in her announcement timetable?

Elizabeth Warren or, more accurately the lack of Elizabeth Warren. The senator from Massachusetts and the buzz around her as a possible Democratic candidate has gone dormant -- or gotten quieter -- over the past month. There isn't the daily drumbeat of stories about the left's unrest with Clinton (and pining for Warren) that was seen a few months back. And, more important, Warren and her people continue to insist -- publicly and privately -- that she has no interest in running, and she has not built a team to suggest that she does.

Without Warren, the primary is of no real threat to Clinton, as people such as Bernie Sanders, Jim Webb and even Martin O'Malley can't raise the money or generate the sort of generic excitement needed to topple her.

It makes all the sense in the world. But, waiting so long does carry some disadvantages.

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Hillary Clintons ever-changing presidential timeline is changing. Again.

Former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton speaks at a press conference announcing a new initiative between the Clinton Foundation, United Nations Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, titled Data2x on December 15, 2014 in New York City. Andrew Burton, Getty Images

This article originally appeared on Slate.

DES MOINES, Iowa--Covering the frantic Republican caucus in Iowa while simultaneously covering the drowsy Democratic contest is like stepping off of a moving walkway. You swing your arms and legs at the same quick pace, but you're not moving fast anymore. The Republican candidates are scrambling for organizers, planning visits, and zooming around the country collecting money, while Hillary Clinton is the most dominant nonincumbent ever. Democrats like Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Bernie Sanders are making moves, but few local activists even pretend that they are serious challengers to Clinton. Ready for Hillary is in the state and organizing all 99 counties, but all of that activity without any real competition is the difference between running in place and running for your life.

Nevertheless, there is a feeling in Iowa that Clinton needs to campaign as if she had a real challenger.

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Hillary Clinton holds a wide margin in polls against other potential candidates for the 2016 Democratic nomination. However, there is a lack of s...

A pause for an important Iowa caveat: Not all the advice coming out of Iowa is driven by what's best for Hillary Clinton. Activists in the state like to be courted and are used to getting attention. They like the phone calls they can dine out on. They like it when the candidate visits the state because they can raise money off the visit and build their local political networks. So it's not surprising that Iowa Democratic activists want Clinton in the state early and often.

That's one reason why Clinton might be tempted to ignore the advice coming out of the state to make a big commitment. The other is that she has a lot of commitments all across the country. She's got to raise money, and there are perhaps easier places where she can campaign to tighten her message and buff her image. After all, Iowa has the bad memories of the 2008 race, where Barack Obama beat her, and it's not like she is in danger of losing the caucus.

But the best argument for a strong Clinton campaign in Iowa isn't based on her being in danger of losing the caucus. The argument for Clinton to play hard in Iowa is rooted in the general election to come. In my time in Iowa, a few Democrats compared Clinton to Bruce Braley, the failed Democratic Senate candidate. The consensus view is that Braley waited too long to present himself, and as a result he was defined by his opponent. Also, as a campaigner, he lacked the ability to make a strong connection with voters. In short, he was late and out of touch. The comparison isn't entirely fair. Clinton is a better candidate than Braley, but those general critiques are familiar ones that attach to her.

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The fighting Hawkeyes: Why Hillary Clinton needs to fight hard for Iowa

By Perry Bacon Jr.

Hillary Clinton faces doubts from two different parts of the Democratic Party about her likely presidential run, even as she remains the overwhelming favorite to win the party's nomination.

A camp of liberals, particularly those aligned with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are worried Clinton will be unwilling to embrace some progressive ideas, like increasing Social Security benefits and breaking up large banks. Another group of Democrats, particularly strong backers of President Barack Obama during the 2008 primaries, say they are worried about the perception that Clinton's potential candidacy has become too much about achieving her long-sought goal of being elected president rather than her vision for leading the country.

"The moment Hillary announces, she has our nomination, and that's okay with me"

In interviews with 20 key Democratic activists, elected officials and state party leaders from across the country, there was almost uniform agreement that Clinton will be the party's nominee and that her campaign should be centered on making the economy work better for middle and low-income Americans. But party officials disagree both about what exact policies Clinton should advance and if she will be effective in advocating them.

"The thing that went wrong in 2007 was that the campaign got ahead of the rationale for it, and it became more about her than the country," said David Axelrod, Obama's former chief strategist. "I don't think she will make that mistake again, but there's the danger of that. She's been portrayed as the inevitable candidate and that's a trap. She has to scuffle through this every day."

Maria Teresa Kumar, who is president of Voto Latino, said party activists will press Clinton on her ties to Wall Street.

"We know where she is on women's issues, we know what she has said on immigration, the environment," said Kumar. "I think the challenge will be where is she when it comes to Wall Street. She and her husband are close to them through CGI [The Clinton Global Initiative.] Can she be tough on them? Can she close tax loopholes?"

For now, these doubts don't seem to pose a major threat to Clinton's path to the Democratic nomination. With Warren insisting that she won't run, other potential competitors - like former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley - lack Clinton's ability to raise money and lock down influential endorsements.

And if she does win the nomination, factors such as the state of the economy and Obama's approval rating next November, neither of which Clinton has much control over, may be as important as any of her campaign tactics in determining the winner of the general election.

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Party Poopers: Not All Democrats Are Sold On Hillary

Hillary Clinton in Winnipeg - interview snippet
Jan 21, 2015 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.

By: Tracy M.

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Hillary Clinton in Winnipeg - interview snippet - Video