AMERICAblog: Would Hillary have bested McCain in even greater numbers?
xrastone
· 1 year ago
She would not have come anywhere near Obama's totals for one simple reason -- she would have run a campaign focused completely on the traditional swing states -- PA, FL and OH. Remember her "electibility" arguement was that she would run better than Obama in those states. Given all what has happened, I have no doubt she would have taken all three and been elected, but she would not have put resources into states like VA, NC, MT, IN, etc. that Obama did and that built up his vote totals. We also would not have had the advantage of all the party building and expanding our base from taking those once red states.
naschkatzehussein
· 1 year ago
I agree completely. She was the DLC candidate and aimed to best Gore and Kerry by a small margin in order to win. Obama went with Howard Dean's 50 state strategy and made inroads in the South and Mountain West which gave him such a large electoral vote and decent popular vote considering all the racism involved. He expanded our base, as you say, even where he didn't win, and I know that in my own state, Oregon, his coattails brought us another US Senator. If Hillary had been the candidate, it would have been another nail biter, and we might have lost. AND BTW, I hope there is a reward in the Obama administration for Howard Dean. He has been the unsung hero of the Democratic wins on all levels.
SkippyFlipjack
· 1 year ago
Um... who cares? Obama won. This isn't the BCS; margin of victory isn't factored in to Obama's bowl game fortunes. Hillary's supporters told us time and again that she was the more "electable" of the two, which meant that Obama was more likely to lose in November. Well, Obama won, so he was obviously plenty electable. Isn't that what matters?
Is this a play by Hillary supporters to prove that they were right even while they were busy being wrong?
1970cs
· 1 year ago
Her campaign would probably not have registered a record number of first time voters. She would not have turned out black voters in near the numbers that voted for Obama.
I doubt there even would have been a runoff for the Georgia senate race if Hilliary ran. Chris Shays lost his district in CT because for the first time in 20 years black voters in Bridgeport and Stamford showed up.
Indigo
· 1 year ago
Are you kidding? We would be talking about how to survive the McCain administration.
Milli
· 1 year ago
The race would have been a toss up because they basically ran the same kind of campaign against Obama. Whoever came across as less nasty would have won.
Boycottutah
· 1 year ago
I wonder how Clinton would have impacted Prop 8 in California?? She and Obama have the same position on same sex marriage (both see us as second class citizens). It is hard to tell.
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
I hate to say this, but I feel either of them would have been crucified if they had come out for gay marriage. That wedge issue has been used so effectively by the Republicans in the past, I'm glad they didn't say they were for it. I'm ready to fight for my rights, like gay marriage, after a more moderate progressive President Obama is now safely elected. I was way tired of being the wedge issue, or fear factor, used to drive all the Talibangelicals to the polls to pull the lever for hateful Republicans. I was tired of silence on the subject until a month or two before elections and then its gay marriage this or gay rights that... way tired of it being a wedge issue which means we in the gay community need to get the issues RESOLVED between the damned elections and stop getting used as a political football or a tool of the Republican Rovian political machine.
That said, now its time to get to work to secure our civil rights. We've got to be MORE active between the elections and deman the issues get resolved NOW and not two years from now just in time to use it to defeat more fair minded progressive politicians.
lucky hussein
· 1 year ago
'talibangeligals' nice ;) also known as 'the base'..
All of the above are to be feared for the very wrong headed idea they know "better than G-d" in their very limited human minds and somehow have "all the answers" and want to tell the rest of us how to live.
Rab
· 1 year ago
Her negatives are higher than President Obama's. She would have still won but I'd say it would have been closer unless her VP pick was.....Obama.
Brian
· 1 year ago
Doubtful.
Plus I'll take Nate's word any day.
Dusty
· 1 year ago
Hillary wouldn't have gotten the 'African Americans' to come out in the way they came out for Obama with the 'race card' that the Clintons were playing. Some still angry about it. She would definitely need their vote due to her high negatives during the primaries.
RitornaVincitor
· 1 year ago
Some are still angry about the way Hillary was treated too, including on this site. Let's not dredge it all up again. Obama won, and with Hillary's help. Let's move on.
lovepeaceandallthat
· 1 year ago
ACK!!!!! It isn't dredging. It is stopping certain ideas from taking hold (the idea that Hillary would have done as well) AND keeping certain facts from going down the memory hole (ie Hillary lied and lied throughout her campaign, why is this not brought up more?).
It can't really be dredging if she is still a player in big-time politics. If she was totally out of power, then yes it would be totally fruitless. But that isn't so, and we need to keep the reality of her past actions in our minds if we are working towards a new kind of politics.
RitornaVincitor
· 1 year ago
Give Hillary credit where she deserves it. The Dems would have lost some support, and picked up some support. It is certainly possible that she would have done as well as Obama, or even better. That doesn't diminish Obama's victory.
lucky hussein
· 1 year ago
picked up support from where? the reich-wingers would have been highly motivated against shilllary - picked up some opposition I believe.
I'll give shillary credit for estabishing an angle for mccain several ads: 'foreign policy speech in 94' or whatever..
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
We are asking the wrong question.
If Stephen Colbert's name had been on the ballot, we wouldn't have had to bother with an election in the first place.
FatRat
· 1 year ago
Colbert nearly did win the election. (at least in the Marvel Universe)
Does he need a gay Secretary of State? If so, pick me! PICK ME! I'm available...
FatRat
· 1 year ago
LMAO!
reflux1000
· 1 year ago
Ayers,Ayers, Ayers said over and over by McCain/Palin now change the BB Gun's name Ayers to the Battleship Gun's name Monica,Monica,Monica and you would have President Elect McCain(and when he died in office) President Palin telling the press Rove was going to be Head of the New Cabinet Post known as The Office of Real Americans whose duty is to find and arrest Fake-Americans.
lucky hussein
· 1 year ago
yep, add to the list of things you will never see on corportate tv: ayers and his wife talk about what happened. today on democracy now -where else? along the lines of your post, pretty interesting book: http://www.amazon.com/America-2014-Orwellian-Da...
caphillprof
· 1 year ago
Speaking on behalf of the Anybody But Hillary wing of the Democratic Party, I believe she would have lost.
She's already been co-president: time to give it a rest.
DoctorJ
· 1 year ago
Jesus, who cares about this "what if"? Enough with the Clintonite sour fucking grapes -- Hillary lost the primary MONTHS AGO!
lilybart
· 1 year ago
Obama's internet organization and fundraising were amazing and Hillary didn't have that.
I think it would have been another squeaker, waiting for f-ing OH again
grandma
· 1 year ago
If Hillary had been the candidate, would the McCain camp have picked Palin?
Hillary would have made mush of Palin.
Soundboy_jeff_meanie
· 1 year ago
the point is entirely moot.
however, I hope Obama does pick Hillary for Sec. of State... that'd be good.
sukabi1
· 1 year ago
Ummmm, NO. She ran a crappy, negative campaign up through the primaries... and with her as McCain's opponent he surely wouldn't have picked Palin as a running mate.... he would have gone with either Lieberman, Ridge or his bff Lindsey G .... and the RW's crazed hate of all things Clinton would have trumped even the downside of Lieberman on the R ticket...
I don't believe for a second that she would have won by that margin. IF she had won, I think it would have come down to one state, once again, and a few thousand votes, and it would have ultimately gone McCain's way. I know several Republican's that crossed over and voted for Obama but there is NO WAY they would have voted for Hillary. Also imagine all the endorsements? Would Republican Governors have endorsed HIllary? Would Colin Powell have endorsed her? I think not.
I also don't believe for a second that McCain would have picked Palin. No way at all. It would have been Romney or Hucakabee or one of the other guys.
Stories like this sound like more sour grapes from those who still think it should have been Hillary on the ticket.
And finally, and more importantly, if Hillary had been speaking on election night in Central Park NY, I would not have had tears in my eyes...that you CAN believe.
PeteWa
· 1 year ago
I would not have voted if the choice was Hillary or McCain.
Nyarlahotep
· 1 year ago
And if the Germans won WW2, what would the Beatles be like? Alternate history is so much fun...
lovepeaceandallthat
· 1 year ago
I knew this question was going through some people's minds, including mine.
It is quite obvious that the answer is NO she wouldn't have won by the margin Obama did. The turnout would have been lower, some people would simply not vote at all, her campaign was dysfunctional etc etc... tons of reasons.
But what really gets me is that everyone seems to be giving her a pass on her behavior during her campaign. She lied her head off!!! When is she going to have to pay a price for that?
All Comments
Is this a play by Hillary supporters to prove that they were right even while they were busy being wrong?
I doubt there even would have been a runoff for the Georgia senate race if Hilliary ran. Chris Shays lost his district in CT because for the first time in 20 years black voters in Bridgeport and Stamford showed up.
That said, now its time to get to work to secure our civil rights. We've got to be MORE active between the elections and deman the issues get resolved NOW and not two years from now just in time to use it to defeat more fair minded progressive politicians.
Extreme Christians = Talibangelicals
Extreme Jews = Ultra-Zionistas
All of the above are to be feared for the very wrong headed idea they know "better than G-d" in their very limited human minds and somehow have "all the answers" and want to tell the rest of us how to live.
Plus I'll take Nate's word any day.
It can't really be dredging if she is still a player in big-time politics. If she was totally out of power, then yes it would be totally fruitless. But that isn't so, and we need to keep the reality of her past actions in our minds if we are working towards a new kind of politics.
I'll give shillary credit for estabishing an angle for mccain several ads: 'foreign policy speech in 94' or whatever..
If Stephen Colbert's name had been on the ballot, we wouldn't have had to bother with an election in the first place.
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/11/colbert...
Does he need a gay Secretary of State? If so, pick me! PICK ME! I'm available...
http://www.amazon.com/America-2014-Orwellian-Da...
She's already been co-president: time to give it a rest.
I think it would have been another squeaker, waiting for f-ing OH again
Hillary would have made mush of Palin.
however, I hope Obama does pick Hillary for Sec. of State... that'd be good.
I also don't believe for a second that McCain would have picked Palin. No way at all. It would have been Romney or Hucakabee or one of the other guys.
Stories like this sound like more sour grapes from those who still think it should have been Hillary on the ticket.
And finally, and more importantly, if Hillary had been speaking on election night in Central Park NY, I would not have had tears in my eyes...that you CAN believe.
It is quite obvious that the answer is NO she wouldn't have won by the margin Obama did. The turnout would have been lower, some people would simply not vote at all, her campaign was dysfunctional etc etc... tons of reasons.
But what really gets me is that everyone seems to be giving her a pass on her behavior during her campaign. She lied her head off!!! When is she going to have to pay a price for that?