“One of the virtues of the American political system is that it is supposed to produce shake-ups whenever a new president takes over. Mrs Clinton will bring back the same cast of characters that everybody wearied of in the 1990s, from slick money-raisers like Terry McAuliffe to professional conservative-haters like Sidney Blumenthal.

Back in 1993 Jacob Weisberg, writing in the New Republic, accused the Clinton team of “Clincest”—being a “tight, hermetic and incestuous clique” who went to the same universities and hung out at the same Democratic gabfests. Mrs Clinton’s election will not only perpetuate “Clincest” for another four or eight years; it will also add another dollop of ageing baby-boomer self-satisfaction. During a campaign speech earlier this year Mr Clinton remarked that he once told Hillary, when they were both students at Yale, that “I have met all the most gifted people in our generation and you’re the best.” This sort of attitude will be difficult to live with.”