Regarding the belief by some that Sen. Clinton's nomination would result in a Republican victory?

Question

Here's the scenario. Sen. Clinton vs. the two most likely to be nominated by the Repubs - Fred Thompson or Giuliani.

Even among the Democrats who do not care for Sen. Clinton, do you think they'll vote instead for Thompson, who is a far right winger, or Giuliani, who says we need more troops in Iraq? She will likely be paired with Obama, Biden or Richardson.

I think when all is said and done, that Democrats, and many Independents, will vote for any Democratic candidate over any Republican in '08. Sen. Clinton's nomination would mobilize the Republicans though, more than any other candidate, simply because they hate the Clintons. But it will also mobilize those who desperately want to see a regime change in '08. Thoughts? The less bashing the better. Insults are a waste of time for all of us, thoughtful analytic answers are what I'm looking for - thank you.

Well, to answer Karma and cynical at the same time.

Karma - LMAO, that is funny. No, I don't get paid to campaign for Sen. Clinton, I just happen to believe she is the best candidate out there and I do work on her campaign. I don't like propaganda, I deal with facts and her stand on the issue, plain and simple.

cynical:
Yes, I do work on Hillary's campaign. The way to do this is to go to her website, sign up and click your way to volunteering. I was contacted via mail and telephone and as a result I was given many options to help. I chose door to door work, which has been very rewarding, even in the Repub area I live in. I've also offered to plan a rally, and am expecting a package w/the details of how to do this shortly. They are very responsive to volunteers.

Lee:

So you will vote Republican if she is nominated? Or waste your vote on an Independent? Hope you reply, just curious.

Bruce:

YA is hardly a good barometer for a cross section of people. Come on here certain times of the day, and you get mostly positive replies about Hillary, other times mostly negative. And most of the negative replies are from people who wouldn't vote Democratic in any case.

Earnest :-). We rarely agree but we do show respect for each other, and it's appreciated. I find something really interesting about the "I'll never vote for Hillary" question. She's the only one they ever ask that question about. I've never seen a question asked the same way about any other candidate, Repub or Dem. I wonder how those answers would go. I can't comment too much on Thompson, because he hasn't really put his platform out there, all I know about him is that he's VERY right wing now, but in his past he voted very moderately. We may both have some surprises coming our way lol.

Anyway, yes, door to door is no picnic, it takes thick skin and a calm manner. But I've had some great conversations from it too and been surprised at some of the conservative support for her out there.

Sigh, long way to go for all of us. If nothing else, this will be the most interesting election I've seen in my lifetime.

Nothing wrong with BlueRidge, she's got her priorities straight :-) and she's well spoken.

John T.

Thoughtful analysis, but don't be so sure about the military. Hillary's got a lot of generals who are behind her and they respect her military knowledge. They'll be standing right next to her if she wins the nomination.

John:
I certainly hope that her campaign strives to see all votes are counted, especially the military absentee ballots. I did not claim a few generals constitutes the military vote. I am saying that she is widely believed by most of those high in military command to be as knowledgeable about the military as a civilian can be. Having personal military service certainly has not been a prerequisite for the qualifications for President, even during wartime. I often see conservatives claiming that military personnel will not vote for a Democrat, or for Hillary, but I've yet to see any evidence of that. The last Zogby poll that polled Iraqi military personnel reported a huge shift in their opinion about the war they are fighting. That will be reflected in their votes in '08 as well. There's a lot of factors that will change between now and Nov. '08, so nothing is set in stone, including Clinton's nomination. But I love politics, & I really love to speculate & see what happens in the end.

http://zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1075

Answer 1

I truly believe that this past disaster of a regime has caused such deep fissures in America that many, many people will absolutely NOT vote Republican, no matter what.


People can only take so much, you know.

Answer 2

There have only been 2 families in the White House for the last 18 years. Those are the Bush and Clinton families. That may work well for a monarchy or mob syndicate, but is not good for a democracy. If Americans truly want a "regime change", let's elect someone not from one of those 2 families.

Given W's performance, the 2008 presidential election is the Democrats' to lose. Just like 2004 was theirs to lose and they lost it by relying solely on the Anybody But Bush strategy and nominating the only candidate worse than Bush. If they want to lose again, they'll nominate Hillary who will do her best to help continue polarizing the country.

Answer 3

That's a tough call. Over 50% of registered Democrat voters said they would NOT vote for Hillary, and I'm guessing it's because she's too extreme in some of her views and flip-flops too much on the issues that are really important to the Democrats. But would they vote the party line to keep a conservative out of the White House? Absolutely. It's the independent/undecided vote that would really make the difference, and I really think Hillary would have a very hard time swaying people her way because of her extreme views and because she is largely looked upon as someone who is out for power. Yes, Thompson is a far right-winger, but he has quite an appeal as someone who talks turkey instead of engaging in political double-speak. Or if Giuliani got the nod, he's still remembered for his post-9/11 leadership. Either way, I think the Democrats would not be wise nominating Hillary as their Presidential candidate.

P.S.: There are many who want to see a regime change in 2008, but don't think that these people believe a Democrat in the White House will change anything, especially not Hillary. People who want to see change want to get rid of the crooks in D.C., and Hillary ranks in the Top 5.

Answer 4

There is no doubt that Hilary has the most press. All that means is that those who vote by name recognition only will probably vote for her. Those who vote because they think its an important right will be more discerning. Some will vote for her because she is a woman, some because she has convinced them that she believes what they do, some because she isn't a republican. I don't think that any of these reasons is going to be enough. I think that the next president is still under the radar. I think that a third party candidate will take it this time because the American public is sick of the status quo, and wants this Country to stand for something again. Just my opinion.

Answer 5

Hillary would be the most polarizing candidate in the history of the USA. The Republicans will indundate the airwaves, with great effect, with recollections of her secret socialized medicine meetings debacle in Bill's first two years, her association with the various and sundry scandals throughout her career, and clips from Bush's first SOTU speech when her and Chucky Schumer sat there sniggering to each other during the entire speech.

She will get almost none of the male vote, only the extreme left wing men will vote for her. Almost to a person, all moderate males will swing to vote Republican. Women will split, she might even win a small victory in the female categories, with the exception of the religious set. Those will vote purely Republican.

If it's Thompson vs. Hillary, it will be a landslide on the order of Reagan vs. Mondale. If Giuliani gets the nod, it will be much closer, since there will be a lot of nose-holding from Republicans about Giuliani's stances on gun control and abortion. I still think Giuliani wins though, simply because he's not Hillary.

Answer 6

Honestly, the way the Democrat lead Congress is going, I think in the end it is all going to be on the issues and what type of person the candidate is...(Because Americans are getting just as tired of Democrats as they were with Republicans, hence the very low approval ratings)...if it based on the issues and the type of person they are...Hilary will lose...you can not be President if you do not carry the South and the Heartland (That is why there is an Electorial College...all of California or New York might vote for her, and she might win the popular vote...but as Al will tell you...that is not enough)...Hilary can not do it...Bill did it because in the beginning he related well with Southerners, and also ol Ross split the Republican vote...Hilary is no where near the kind of Politician Bill was...Fred Thompson will beat her like a drum...there is not much dirt on him...Hilary is covered with it...and smells like the graves of all the people she has walked over to get to where she is at...if she becomes President I will leave the US...

Answer 7

Disagree with this assessment.

As an independent, it is certain that if a more viable candidate doesn't emerge, many will simply stay home.

Unlike extreme Dems or extreme Repubs, Independents don't forget nor overlook the obvious deeds of either party candidate(s). Hillary may be a sure in for the Dem primary.

This will be the greatest gift they could give to the Repubs for a general election. They will run a litany of TV interviews and clips of Hillary making statements that she has currently turned 180 against. They have 1000s of hours of Hillary video stemming from the 90s till now. Bias makes one's memory short. Unbiased Independents do not forget so easily.

This Independent vividly remembers Hillary's visit to Iraq a few years ago. She staunchly supported the invasion until she decided to run for president. Now she claims to not have known that Bush was going to invade. This does not explain her support AFTER the invasion took place.

Answer 8

Hillary has the worst "I will NEVER vote for her' rating in history .

Shall I type more ?

I think you're gonna get the surprise of your life when Fred Thompson gets many crossover votes .

BTW , going door-to-door is tough and I respect you for that . I've done it and it ain't always peaches and cream . And judging by your answers from long ago , you just may knock on my door someday . Don't worry though , because I love people , regardless of political affiliation .

Clink , clink , I'll get the ice cubes ready !!

EDIT* - Please educate Blueridge or don't bring her with you . She's nowhere near your caliber .

Answer 9

In short, No. There are NO guarantees in politics. And even the most spotless candidate can come out of a presidential campaign smelling like he fell into the outhouse.

Hillary is certainly a galvanizing figure and I'm sure her candidacy will 'mobilize' those who dislike her. She also has many unlikely fans. There are many women who are more interested in her potential success in the election and seeing a woman president than her politics. There are also democrats that are staunchly against a woman president. Both Barak and Hillary draw primarily from their 'minority' status and both play their politics well to capitalize on it.

Don't get me wrong. I don't care what a persons sex or skin color are, but I don't think that should be a primary reason for voting for them (or against them.)

Fred Thompson probably has the best chance at the moment. This is primarily because he has more respect from the people for him as a person. He has always carried himself with dignity. Few people would assail his character at this point though you know the democratic candidate's campaign will if he gets the nomination.

Hillary on the other hand already has a large portion of the population that hates her. If elected, it will probably continue the 16 yr trend of love/hate for the president. People love her or hate her. There aren't too many in between. You can expect that the military will largely vote against her. There are just too many credible stories of her and Bill abusing (verbally and dishonoring) the Marines that protected them, not to mention their double speak of 'supporting' the troops while supporting measures to undermine them.

The campaign trail is long and rarely does it turn out how it's expected in the early stages. Who would have thought Bill had a chance at this stage of the game in 1991? Or that George W had a chance at this stage of the game in 1999? Reagan in 1979? It's a wide open field with a stage that looks like an audience during the debates. Ask again after New Hampshire.

An Independent!

So, Elway, are you going to guarantee me then that her campaign (unlike Gore's) will do everything to get the military's absentee ballots counted? (These are often the last to be counted and often not counted at all due to delays in sending or receiving them from APO addresses.) A few generals does not constitute the military vote. One of her general supporters is easy to figure out and he isn't all that popular of a figure inside the military either, but the bottom line is that if she believes she has military experience/ knowledge, then she has made her first mistake in dealing with the military. Civilian oversight of the process is an important part of our military, but it is the generals, not the politicians that must plan the war strategy.

Answer 10

I seriously don't see Hillary carrying the southern states. She'll get her votes from the industrial north and a very liberal California. There's no doubt that there will be a battle, but if she's the chosen one on the Democratic side, I see many more people voting against her than for her.

Answer 11

I can't see Hillary winning, she has absolute zero support in the south or the heart land. she is either feared or loathed in almost all areas. a large number of people, as you can tell by the YA members, don't care much for her. I only know one person that would vote for her, but he doesn't vote.