First it was January.  Now it’s bleeding into February or March or later.  Why won’t Hillary declare her candidacy and openly run for president?
     
NOTE: Rule out that she’s not running. She’s running by not running.
     
Here’s why she’s taking her time:

1 . She can keep making $300,000 per speech. That’s a big motivation for Hillary. Once she announces, the big bucks will likely stop because she’ll be speaking everywhere for free. So why pay her hundreds of thousands of dollars when you can hear her on every tv station? And there will be a close check on who is paying so much money to a presidential candidate – and what their agenda is. So she’s scooping up the big bucks as long as she can.

2. Once she announces she’ll have to pay for her own travel from campaign funds.  Right now, the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative (recently merged) pay for her trips when the sponsors of her paid speeches don’t ante up.  Last year, IRS records indicate that the Foundation paid $8.5 million for the former first couple’s and their staff travels. And they prefer to have expenses paid by other people’s money.

3.When she announces, she’s fair game for any question. Now, while still in the “deciding mode” she can duck anything she doesn’t want to answer saying that she is still considering whether or not to run.  She doesn’t have to be out there day after day answering questions as she would if she were to become a formal candidate. And we’ve seen just how bad she is at answering without committing a faux pas. So she’ll want to delay that as long as possible.

4. She doesn’t need to pay for staff as long as she isn’t a candidate.  The Clinton Foundation obligingly picks up the tab for her extensive personal and political staff. She wants to delay fund-raising – and spending – as long as possible.

5.She is freezing the action by her supposed indecision.  Nobody else is raising money.  Serious candidates are staying out.  There is no movement by other candidates for the Democratic nomination.  Even Obama is relegated to the sidelines.  So why announce?