Has Trump diminished the significance of Hillary's win?

Politics & Elections
1

In any other election matchup, with Hillary running against a run-of-the-mill Republican such as Paul Ryan or Mitt Romney, the election would be focused on the significance of Hillary being the first woman to win the presidency, almost as much as the attention given to the race aspect of Obama’s win in 2008. (That election felt like a media coronation months before the votes were even cast.)

But this election - rightly or wrongly - has been almost all about Trump. It’s been the Donald Trump show, whether for or against him. Trump, Trump, Trump. He’s dominated the news coverage, to the point that the significance of Hillary’s gender winning the White House has been greatly diminished and overlooked.

Is the “first woman president” significance going to return to the forefront after Nov. 8, or has Trump effectively changed the narrative of this election, even for future historians?

2

In time Trump will recent into the mists of memory much more than Clinton will.

Being The First becomes MORE important with time, not less. We still remember Lindbergh, Armstrong, Jackie Robinson. People who lose Presidential elections are, with rather rare exceptions, doomed to status as footnotes.

3

That’s indicative of his massive ego.

4

Hillary’s sex will be constantly referenced in political articles and comment sections from both sides, just as Obama’s race was.

5

It is a exciting historical moment for many older women.

She’s going into office badly tarnished and with a lot of unanswered questions about the Clinton Foundation.

We won’t know for awhile if her administration will live up to expectations.

6

First of all, Clinton actually needs to win. But assuming her win is diminished, it wouldn’t be Trump but the entire Republican machine that has cast doubt on her legitimacy. Over time, though, I think the more extreme the Republicans become, the more opportunities she has to become a martyr and a heroine. That’s why, in some ways, Hillary Clinton is the perfect foil for the extreme right: nobody can bring out their ugliness better than she can.

7

Honestly, I don’t know if people can keep their scandals straight. The Clinton Foundation is a charity, and is well rated even as charities go.

Virtually anything I’ve read about alleged Clinton Foundation “scandals” is either wholly made up or is someone complaining about something else - Benghazi, emails, Whitewater - and confusing it with the Clinton Foundation.

8

There are recent allegations that Clinton Foundation donors got access to the Secretary of State.

Some of the wikileaks emails had references to donors requesting meetings. But nothing substantial.

The investigation hasn’t started yet. But will probably be a issue in 2017.

Yet another thing Hillary’s administration will have to deal with.

9

Kewl. Will there be multiple investigations of the Trump Foundation, too? I understand he allowed outsiders to believe it was a charitable foundation as they funded it, didn’t put in any cash himself, and used it as a personal pocketbook for the past ten years.

10

Those allegations were debunked months ago, which is not to say that Congressional Republicans won’t start another dozen witch hunts based on them.

11

There are allegations that our potential first lady is an illegal immigrant – oh wait, that’s not an allegation, that would appear to be fact.

There are allegations that our potential president likes to grope women (his own words on tape, no less) – oh wait, that’s also apparently corroborated as fact.

There are allegations that while you and I were paying for things like our national military and infrastructure, he didn’t for a period of two decades – oh wait, not allegations. Pretty much true.

Dude, seriously, what exactly are you voting for? I know who, but what for?

12

Strangely, in this regard, the election is the better for it. Clinton being a woman is properly irrelevant. We’re not sexists. The election is about character, and Trump fails abysmally (I’m being polite here), and about policies, and Trump again fails catastrophically (again, I’m being polite here).