It’s not often the mainstream media acknowledges the elephant in the room, let alone shines a spotlight on the poor pachyderm.

But the New York Times did just that on Monday, running a story headlined: “Hillary and Bill Clinton Go Separate Ways for 2018 Midterm Elections.”

And that was as nice as the Times could possibly be, because the headline just as easily could have been: “The Clintons Are Done, Nobody Wants Them Near In 2018.”

The piece starts out with a little nostalgia, noting that the Clintons were once “the most powerful brand in Democratic politics.” Then it turns dark.

But in the 2018 election campaign, Hillary and Bill Clinton have veered in sharply different directions. Mrs. Clinton appears determined to play at least a limited role in the midterms, bolstering longtime allies and raising money for Democrats in safely liberal areas. Her husband has been all but invisible.

And both have been far less conspicuous than in past election cycles, but for different reasons: Mrs. Clinton faces distrust on the left, where she is seen as an avatar of the Democratic establishment, and raw enmity on the right. Mr. Clinton has been largely sidelined amid new scrutiny of his past misconduct with women. – READ MORE