# Am I the only one who thinks Hillary Clinton has no chance to be POTUS? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 3, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262 "2013-08-03T18:21:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/121 "2013-08-14T18:50:14Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > It’s beyond the scope of this thread but I have a big problem with the primary system. Why does Joe Sixpack who isn’t an official member of a party get to pick a parties candidate? Why is he allowed to cross party lines in the primary and try to pick the candidate for the party he intends to vote against in the general? That’s what I did in '08 when I voted for Hillary in the primary. It’s unethical but it’s legal and status quo in open primary states. Only 17 out of 50 states use open primaries. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/122 "2013-08-14T18:52:30Z")
I’m sure the republicans will say all kinds things about her, and it will all just wash over the peoples’ heads. We’ve been hearing how evil Hillary is for longer than a lot of people have been alive, there’s no way to make an impact. She’s Nixonian in that way as well as her personal ambition. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/123 "2013-08-15T04:18:19Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Only 17 out of 50 states use open primaries. Even in the majority of states that don’t have open primaries it’s ludicrous that the public is deciding who the candidate will be. The party leaders & bosses should be deciding the candidate and presenting him/her to the public. The primary system is the reason the Republicans have had such milquetoast POTUS candidates over the last 21 years. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/124 "2013-08-15T04:35:35Z")
Personally, that’s the way I like it. I’d actually rather see us have a jungle primary, even though that probably would have meant a Clinton vs. Obama election in 2008. but that’s a feature, not a bug, since Clinton probably would have beaten Obama in a general election. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/125 "2013-08-15T15:13:37Z")
> [@](#): > > but that’s a feature, not a bug, since Clinton probably would have beaten Obama in a general election. How? You don’t seriously think that Republican groups like PUMA would have continued their support of her if she had a chance of winning, do you? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/126 "2013-08-15T15:42:16Z")
I don’t think those groups would be particularly relevant in a general election between two Democrats. Plus I think Clinton would have enjoyed the support of most Republicans in such a matchup, as the lesser evil. The other thing I like about a jungle primary is that it would provoke more intra-party challenges. John McCain was probably at the height of his popularity in 2004 and the Democratic party was confused and divided, except that they hated GWB. A jungle primary in 2004 could very well have meant McCain vs. Bush, and in a general election he would have wiped the floor with Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/127 "2013-08-15T15:51:33Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > The primary system is the reason the Republicans have had such milquetoast POTUS candidates over the last 21 years. Just out of curiosity which of the non-Romney republican candidates in 2012 do you think would have been able to beat Obama? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/128 "2013-08-15T16:05:22Z")
I think two of them would have beaten him: Pawlenty and Huntsman. Pawlenty got kneecapped by Bachmann in Ames and Huntsman couldn’t figure out Republican primary politics. But both were strong general election candidates who Obama’s well rehearsed negative campaign wouldn’t have been easy to demonize. Obama either needed rich dude or crazy dude(or lady). Pawlenty came from a modest background and Huntsman couldn’t very well be demonized given that Obama hired the guy. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/129 "2013-08-15T16:29:27Z")
**adaher** , can you explain why your team puts up with people like Bachmann? That people like her can become serious candidates detracts from the credibility of the whole GOP. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/130 "2013-08-15T16:58:23Z")
If Huntsman was drawing 1% of the primary vote I highly doubt he would have drawn more election votes than Romney. I found both him and Pawlenty very likable after they dropped out of the race, but no. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/131 "2013-08-15T17:28:41Z")
The person that didn’t run always runs a perfect campaign, with no gaffes, errors, weaknesses, or exploitable moments. Therefore they can always win. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/132 "2013-08-15T18:14:35Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I think two of them would have beaten him: Pawlenty and Huntsman. Pawlenty got kneecapped by Bachmann in Ames and Huntsman couldn’t figure out Republican primary politics. But I think that both of those would fall into pkbites’ milquetoast category. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The person that didn’t run always runs a perfect campaign, with no gaffes, errors, weaknesses, or exploitable moments. Therefore they can always win. That is why I pay no attention to any polls that involve generic Republican or generic Democrat. Each responder will assume that the candidate for their party will correspond exactly to what they believe, even though these are different for different respondents. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/133 "2013-08-15T18:38:58Z")
> [@](#): > > I think two of them would have beaten him: Pawlenty and Huntsman. Pawlenty got kneecapped by Bachmann in Ames and Huntsman couldn’t figure out Republican primary politics. But both were strong general election candidates who Obama’s well rehearsed negative campaign wouldn’t have been easy to demonize. Sure, but his even better-rehearsed positive campaign, which is after all what he mostly relied upon anyway, would have worked just as well. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/134 "2013-08-15T20:37:22Z")
No way Pawlenty beats Obama. Absolutely zero chance. He had a good story and a great message - I _still_ think that his “Walmart Americans” message plays, and plays well, and I’m as liberal as they come - but he’s boring as anything. Zero charisma. And he wouldn’t even have been able to deliver his own state. He didn’t raise taxes, I’ll give him that, but he did propose new “fees” that were patently transparent even to those who weren’t paying attention. As well as a highly suspect “accounting shift” that our schools are still paying for today. This in a state that highly values education! He didn’t do all that great in Minnesota. He’d do even worse in the rest of the country. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/135 "2013-08-15T22:04:24Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Just out of curiosity which of the non-Romney republican candidates in 2012 do you think would have been able to beat Obama? And therein lies the problem. Rather than sticking to core beliefs primary voters are trying to pick who can beat the other guy rather than sticking to their principles on issues. This is how we end up with such lousy candidates. A President McCain or a President Romney would be little better than President Obama. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/136 "2013-08-16T01:05:58Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > **adaher** , can you explain why your team puts up with people like Bachmann? That people like her can become serious candidates detracts from the credibility of the whole GOP. Was she really a serious candidate? Bachmann and her ilk are a sideshow, akin to Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich on your side. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/137 "2013-08-16T01:07:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Sure, but his even better-rehearsed positive campaign, which is after all what he mostly relied upon anyway, would have worked just as well. Positive campaign? The reality of his 1st term mean that the 2008 script was dead, dead, dead. For those who doubt Huntsman, he had sky high approval ratings among those who knew who he was. If he’d somehow won the nomination despite his rather odd messaging for a Republican primary, he would have won easily, because he would have won without having to shift to the right. Which would have been remarkable, because Huntsman was actually the most conservative candidate in the race. His tax plan was extremely radical in a right-wing way. But his lack of partisanship made people think he was more moderate than he was. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/138 "2013-08-16T01:48:11Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > A President McCain or a President Romney would be little better than President Obama. And a President _Bachmann?_ ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/139 "2013-08-16T02:56:38Z")
> [@thetruth2015](#): > > I don’t see Clinton in the White House in 2016. At some point, and correct me if I’m wrong, the Republicans are going to bring up the crap job she did as Secretary of State and honestly even if she pulls off winning the Dem. Non, I don’t think she will get far in the General Election. Clinton is a good politician but I believe a lot of people don’t think that she is capable of running the country. The election would be in Nov. 2016…she wouldn’t be in the White House until the 2017 inauguration. At any rate, she still leads the polls of potential voters. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262/140 "2013-08-16T03:02:33Z")
> [@NetTrekker](#): > > The election would be in Nov. 2016…she wouldn’t be in the White House until the 2017 inauguration. At any rate, she still leads the polls of potential voters. That’s name recognition and is utterly meaningless today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-hillary-clinton-has-no-chance-to-be-potus/665262.md?page=8)