The General Election

[RedDenver]

Hillary says she lost the election because of Russian hackers and the Comey letter. Both of which are probably at least part to blame.

 

But she's just so generally unlikable, and that's not being brought up by anyone. A more charismatic leader, male or female, wipes the floor with the Orange buffoon.

 

She's setting up for a 2020 run.

 

She also blamed herself. "Absolute personal responsibility."

Her full quote is less humble:

"Clinton took “absolute personal responsibility” for her loss rather than pass any blame to her strategy, staff or any part of her team, said the report. She said instead external forces were responsible for her defeat, citing misogyny and unfair treatment by the media."

[QMany]

I don't disagree with knapplc; more charismatic leader does probably wipe the floor with Trump.

 

I don't think that negates the facts that she was clearly the better option between the two and Comey + Russia affected the outcome.

[BigRedBuster]

If the Dems put up a better candidate, they win. Simple as that. You can sit back and talk about that she was a better option than the Orange man all you want. And she can whine and cry about "external forces" all she wants. But....fact is...he's got scoreboard. And.......he should have lost in a landslide.

[TGHusker]

If 'ifs and buts were candy and nuts we'd have Christmas all year long'. She should have wiped Donald regardless. She ran a overly confident campaign, evaded reporters, and reinforced the perception of being corrupt by not coming fully clean on the questions regarding the Foundation, emls, etc. The Dems did what the Repubs did the previous two cycles - nominate the 'next in line'. In all 3 cases their time had passed (well maybe not Romney's - he just ran a poor campaign as he did follow through with his Debate 1 performance - I think he would have done fine as Pres) and they lost.

[Danny Bateman]

BRB, why is it whining or crying to say many things can be true at once?

[BigRedBuster]

BRB, why is it whining or crying to say many things can be true at once?

Because that's how a candidate comes across when they come out and blame all these other reasons why they won. In reality, she just sucked as a candidate.

[deedsker]

She could have just said she didn't do her best to lead people to believe in her potential as a good candidate. This calling of "other factors" is what any candidate has to deal with as well. Look at the "other factors" of the guy you ran against. If you can't beat him, which she didn't, maybe there is more at play about your own short comings in perception, character, or rhetoric.

 

I think these post election comments about what should have been are the very things that caused democrats to not follow her with fervor she needed to win.

[Moiraine]

 

 

BRB, why is it whining or crying to say many things can be true at once?

Because that's how a candidate comes across when they come out and blame all these other reasons why they won. In reality, she just sucked as a candidate.

I agree

 

I don't care if everything she said is true (and I even agree with most of it). She should not be saying it. It makes her look like a sore loser. Everyone else is already saying these things. She should have stayed above the fray.

 

Which is part of why she lost the election. She's not good at knowing what to say and not say.

[knapplc]

She always seemed to be playing the part of a person, not being the person she really is. Fake, or just an odd facade.

 

I had really hoped she would accept defeat and just go away. Sadly, that does not appear to be the case. She doesn't have much of a platform to stand on anymore, and if she thinks she's going to run in 2020, she'll lose. Again. There has got to be a better candidate in the Democrat party. One whose name doesn't rhyme with Schmillary Schminton.

[TGHusker]

She always seemed to be playing the part of a person, not being the person she really is. Fake, or just an odd facade.

 

I had really hoped she would accept defeat and just go away. Sadly, that does not appear to be the case. She doesn't have much of a platform to stand on anymore, and if she thinks she's going to run in 2020, she'll lose. Again. There has got to be a better candidate in the Democrat party. One whose name doesn't rhyme with Schmillary Schminton.

Well some are encouraging her to run for Mayor of NYC. So, if she does, she'll be in the news for some time. Wt the shuttering or near shuttering of the Clinton Foundation, they have to find a way to remain relevant. The Clintons were never a couple to fade away into obscurity.

[mrandyk]

Sore loser? Perhaps. Still pales in comparison to the whining her opponent does on a daily basis.

[knapplc]

[RedDenver]

The title of the article is a bit misleading given this quote from the article (emphasis mine), "The letter isn’t the only reason that Clinton lost. It does not excuse every decision the Clinton campaign made. Other factors may have played a larger role in her defeat, and it’s up to Democrats to examine those as they choose their strategy for 2018 and 2020."

 

When you say something is probably the cause, you usually mean it was the major cause. I think what they mean to say is that the Comey letter was the straw that broke the camel's back.

 

Additionally, the analysis by Silver is very speculative; you can tell be how many times he uses "might" and "probably". But most of all, Silver gives an analysis that the Comey letter caused between a 1 and "3 or 4" percent shift in the polls and then draws a conclusion based on Clinton losing Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by less than 1 point. Except he's comparing the national polling prior to the election to the state results of the election. He's missing evidence that those states tracked with the national polls, as states seldom line up with the national polls.

 

Overall, Silver is really reaching here. And leading with this first sentence is more looking for clicks than revealing any truth through analysis of the evidence, "Hillary Clinton would probably be president if FBI Director James Comey had not sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 28."

 

Edit: I'll add that while I disagree with the way Silver has drawn a strong conclusion, the article itself is very interesting and detailed. I agree with most of the analysis and evaluation throughout the article, which may be why I'm very disappointed in the title and his conclusion.

Edited May 6, 2017 by RedDenver

[zoogs]

...not our general election, but thank goodness, France, for electing Not Marine Le Pen.

 

The start of a global "Jeez, how did we get here?" response to Trump, Brexit, and the rise of the alt-right, I hope.

[RedDenver]

...not our general election, but thank goodness, France, for electing Not Marine Le Pen.

 

The start of a global "Jeez, how did we get here?" response to Trump, Brexit, and the rise of the alt-right, I hope.

And the 31 point margin (65.5% to 34.5%) is huge.