Tavis Smiley: Hillary's 'My Friend' But Democrats Shouldn't 'Coronate Her'

Tavis Smiley: Hillary's 'My Friend' But Dems Shouldn't 'Coronate Her'

Tavis Smiley is a fan of Hillary Clinton the person, but he thinks it's a little too soon for Hillary the presidential candidate.

"I like Hilary. She's my friend, I got nothing against her," he told HuffPost Live's Marc Lamont Hill on Thursday. "But if they're going to coronate her, that's not good for her, not good for the party, not good for the country."

The "Death of a King" author explained that Clinton needs to prove her platform before Democrats view her as the heir apparent.

"If she's going to get into the race, she needs to be tested," he said. "Barack Obama became a better campaigner because Hillary tested and pushed him."

As for alternatives, Smiley named Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"I don't know -- Joe Biden is still a viable option if he decides he wants to do this, if Hillary's in or not in," he added "There're persons out there. I don't want us to ever think that Hillary's the only person who could ever be the standard-bearer of the Democratic Party."

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