Democrats Went All In On Hillary Clinton. It's Looking Like a Terrible Bet.

New allegations that she did favors for foreign Clinton Foundation donors as secretary of State are more toxic than any that have come before.

Follow on Twitter

April 23, 2015 Democrats didn't fully appreciate the size of the gamble they're taking on Hillary Clinton by assuming she's their strongest 2016 candidate, but they're sure finding out now.

Forget the email server. The latest revelation—that a Canadian mining company with close ties to the Clinton Foundation sold its uranium business to the Russians with approval from Clinton's State Department—is more damaging than any of the previous controversies that have buffeted the campaign.

The story goes to the heart of several serious, growing vulnerabilities that Clinton will be facing, sooner or later. First, the perception of foreign entities paying the Clinton Foundation and later getting favorable treatment from the State Department raises the spectre of foreign governments buying access at the highest levels of the U.S. government—a politically potent allegation should any connection be proven. The fact that Clinton reportedly concealed the company's donations to the foundation from the Obama administration only raises the reason for suspicion.

Second, it's an unwelcome reminder that as secretary of State, Clinton viewed Russia as a trustworthy partner and didn't see any national security consequences as a result of the transaction. Republicans will be raising questions about her foreign policy judgment on numerous hot spots that are currently deteriorating, including Libya, Ukraine, and Iran.

Third, it raises the question of what other actions she took as secretary of State that would have the consequence of enriching her family through the Clinton Foundation. Former President Bill Clinton made a half-million speaking to a Russian investment bank promoting the mining company's stock shortly after the corporate takeover. That badly threatens to undermine her positioning as a populist fighter for the "everyday" American—an image her campaign has been assiduously pushing with her low-key launch.

Finally, her evasive answers in dealing with the controversy, refusing to address the specifics of the reporting and using her campaign team to attack the messenger(s) shows both how serious the allegations are, and how unprepared she is for the scrutiny. Polling has already shown her standing taking a serious nosedive, as more questions are raised about her conduct in office.

Usually candidates who announce their campaign see a boomlet in popularity. The opposite is happening with Clinton, who is at least as unpopular as she is popular, according to a new Quinnipiac poll released Thursday. A 47 percent plurality view her unfavorably while 46 percent view her favorably. For the first time, her net unfavorable ratings put her (narrowly) behind several Republican contenders, including Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, and Rand Paul. Her trustworthiness is taking a bigger hit: Only 38 percent view her as being honest, while 54 percent disagree.

These are glaring red flags that would usually be an inducement for other Democratic candidates to run and challenge her. But the normal rules of politics don't seem to apply in a Clinton-controlled Democratic Party.

For all the Democratic denial, the controversies are already undermining one of Clinton's major campaign assets.