Who remembers Netscape?  In 1994, it was the first successful Internet browser, opening the World Wide Web to millions of newbies. Its dominance was short, as it was soon supplanted by the evil genius of Microsoft and Internet Explorer. And how about Myspace? Once upon a time, it was the social media site, with millions of users. Along came young Mark Zuckerberg and The Facebook, and poof–it was as if Myspace never existed. And we are left to wonder if the world would have been a better place if Netscape and Myspace had been more resistant to invaders.

And that’s the feeling I had last night, staying up late to watch Hillary Rodham Clinton appear on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Hillary, the former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State who in 2016 was vanquished by Donald Trump.

Ms. Clinton sat to Jimmy’s right in her power pants suit, smiling and appearing very comfortable as she talked with Fallon about politics, and viruses, and yes, plugging the new Hula documentary about her–well, who appears on the Tonight Show if they don’t have something to plug? She wasn’t mean, she wasn’t spiteful, she didn’t rip into Bernie (though I have heard there is some of that in the documentary.) Her mentions of Trump were cutting without being cruel, just making it clear that he was not a competent leader in a time of national and worldwide conflicts.

I understand that Hillary is not a perfect person. She was embroiled in enough controversies to wonder if there was ever any smoke with all the fire. Her 2016 candidacy has been bisected and trisected and totally dissected. Her campaigning in the wrong states, her being perceived as more of an ice-princess than Frozen’s  Elsa, Bill’s runaway runway dalliance with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, James Comey’s botched email server announcements,  and of course the “baskets of deplorables” all contributed to her stunning election night flop. (Yes, I know she won the popular vote–so what?)

But oh, what could have been. Even if much of her agenda would have been stymied by a Republican congress, there would be no trade wars, no walls, no cages. There would be a viable State Department, a well-staffed CDC, an unthreatened Affordable Care Act, and we never would have heard of Brett Kavanaugh or Christine Ford. And people living in downtown’s Trump Tower wouldn’t have to worry about the price drop on their condos.

Even if Ms. Clinton were the incumbent Madame President, I suspect Bernie would still be running a primary campaign. So be it. The Democratic candidate would be facing off against a saner Republican. I wouldn’t be worrying quite as much.

Netscape, Myspace, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Memories of better times.

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