# Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign Discussion
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [May 4, 2016, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873 "2016-05-04T11:09:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/21 "2016-05-04T20:20:07Z")
Do you feel like Trump has a better chance now than McCain had in '08?
---
### Author:  [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/22 "2016-05-04T20:25:39Z")
If I were involved in her campaign, I think I’d recommend running an updated and modified version of this [classic TV spot](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDTBnsqxZ3k). For those that don’t watch video links, it’s the LBJ “Daisy” ad against Goldwater.
Make no mistake, I despise Hillary with every fiber of my being…but in fairness, I’d trust her with the launch codes to nuclear weapons. She’s not going to do anything insane with them. Can’t say the same for Trump.
---
### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/23 "2016-05-04T20:34:59Z")
I think back to the Romney/Obama debates, and the “Proceed, governor” moment. That’s the kind of mood I’d like to see Clinton go for when Trump is being an idiot. But I’m not sure it’d work. Being a woman is going to make this a difficult campaign.
If she’s coming right back at Trump, she’s a ball-buster.
If she’s ignoring his tantrums, she’s a cold bitch.
If she is calm but shows it hurts her, she’s too emotional to be president.
If she outplays him (“Proceed, governor,”) she’s an arrogant bitch.
The reverse has some truth to it: Trump has no way of attacking her without being called misogynist, fairly or unfairly. But I don’t know that it matters so much for his supporters, many of whom have shown themselves gleefully misogynistic; it certainly doesn’t seem to matter to him.
I think Clinton can run intellectual and policy and strategic circles around Trump. I’m not enough of a wonk to know whether that’s a good idea.
(Hey, I just noticed that “wonk” is the opposite of “know.” Is that on purpose? Did everyone else know that and I just realized it?)
---
### Author:  [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/24 "2016-05-04T20:40:06Z")
[Origin uncertain](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wonk)
---
### Author:  [@LonghornDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonghornDave)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/25 "2016-05-04T20:43:54Z")
If I were here I would focus any attacks on him personally and stop attacking Republicans in general. She should talk about how he is uniquely unqualified to serve as President. He is not someone that can be trusted in foreign affairs. Don’t act like he is some continuation of failed Republican policies or something like that.
---
### Author:  [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/26 "2016-05-04T20:47:52Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#):
>
> The reverse has some truth to it: Trump has no way of attacking her without being called misogynist, fairly or unfairly. But I don’t know that it matters so much for his supporters, many of whom have shown themselves gleefully misogynistic; it certainly doesn’t seem to matter to him.
She can’t and shouldn’t try to win his current supporters. She just has to convince #nevertrump republicans and independents that she’s worth voting for.
---
### Author:  [@LonghornDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonghornDave)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/27 "2016-05-04T20:54:27Z")
> [@CarnalK](#):
>
> She can’t and shouldn’t try to win his current supporters. She just has to convince #nevertrump republicans and independents that she’s worth voting for.
Exactly. She need to run toward the middle (which probably aligns with her true actual thinking anyways) and appear reasonable. This is potentially the election where the professional class abandons the Republican Party. It is essentially transforming into a white working class party only.
---
### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/28 "2016-05-04T20:55:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> No, he’ll hit her with _every_ scandal. Remember, this is the guy who literally just accused his rival’s father of assassinating JFK.
>
> So, yeah. Iran-Contra? Watergate? Teapot Dome? All totally Hillary scandals.
What’s the truth behind her selling secrets to King George and framing Benedict Arnold for it? I’m not saying she did it; I’m just asking questions.
---
### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/29 "2016-05-04T21:23:10Z")
Hillary needs to focus on positive messages about herself that are more appealing to the center now. Her goal isn’t so much to sway voters to her side as much as it is to keep them from going to Trump. She can win this readily with a strong turnout, so she has to avoid controversial issues that could keep her potential voters home. I think she shouldn’t debate him, it’s only a chance for Trump to insult her directly to her face, she’ll have every opportunity to express her positions, and deal with reasonable opposing views from others. She doesn’t need any of his voters, she just has to avoid giving an excuse to her detractors to vote for Trump instead of staying home.
---
### Author:  [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/30 "2016-05-04T21:28:55Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#):
>
> I just read an article on blue states, red states and the battleground states for the November election. I really find it hard to believe that so many people are simply voting in this way, oblivious to what they might be putting in the White House next year. Are American’s politically blind now?
> [@Morgenstern](#):
>
> [http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/03/politics/road-to-270-electoral-college-map/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/03/politics/road-to-270-electoral-college-map/index.html)
>
> look at the bottom half of the article.
[Are you American?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_%28United_States%29) Because almost every state in the US is going to be roughly 50/50 Republican/Democrat. It’s just that some are reliably \>50% for one party or another. And our state contests are winner take all.
So what they mean is that Texas, for example, can be counted on to vote Republican in the general election. That doesn’t mean that a Texan chosen at random can be counted on to be a Republican. What they mean is that an average Texan voter is ~53% likely to vote Republican, versus an average Illinois voter that is ~54% likely to vote Democrat (percentages guessed, but it’s going to be close to 50% either way). But even though roughly half of Illinois voters are Republicans, _all_ of Illinois’s EC votes will go to the Democratic candidate.
But it’s pretty reliable that there are slightly more Democrat voters than Republicans in Illinois, and vice versa in Texas. “Swing states” are those that we can’t reliably predict either way. And those are the states that will see the brunt of general election presidential campaigning this year, because the other states are already in the bag, so to speak.
If I didn’t answer your question, perhaps I misunderstood the source of your confusion? Perhaps you’re just baffled that there are still so many Republican voters left?
---
### Author:  [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/31 "2016-05-04T21:37:34Z")
> [@DrCube](#):
>
> …
> If I didn’t answer your question, perhaps I misunderstood the source of your confusion? Perhaps you’re just baffled that there are still so many Republican voters left?
Or perhaps, I’m not the one who is confused.
---
### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/32 "2016-05-04T21:58:11Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#):
>
> Do you feel like Trump has a better chance now than McCain had in '08?
Yes. I think McCain had 0, zero chance to win in 2008. Trump doesn’t have much of a chance, but it’s better than zero.
---
### Author:  [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/33 "2016-05-04T23:03:01Z")
CNN just came with a live phone poll that covered the last few days:
> **[At the starting gate: Clinton leads Trump by double-digits | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/04/politics/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-poll-general-election/)**
>
> As Donald Trump captures the mantle of presumptive Republican nominee, a new poll finds he begins his general election campaign well behind Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
> [@](#):
>
> At the starting gate: Clinton leads Trump by double-digits
>
> Indianapolis (CNN)As Donald Trump captures the mantle of presumptive Republican nominee, a new poll finds he begins his general election campaign well behind Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
>
> The new CNN/ORC Poll, completed ahead of Trump’s victory last night, found Clinton leads 54% to 41%, a 13-point edge over the New York businessman, her largest lead since last July.
---
### Author:  [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/34 "2016-05-05T02:11:34Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#):
>
> Basically, attack attack attack, relentlessly, without mercy, and consistently and steadily, for the entire campaign season.
This isn’t how she campaigns and I doubt she’s going to try something new. I don’t think it’s her best strategy. It doesn’t get the press to do anything other than tally points on the best mudslinger. Trump as scary as he is is genuinely funny in comparison to Clinton, if it’s going to be a mud show he wins.
She’ll stick to the issues, she’ll continually pressure Trump to provide specifics as to what his policies will be. Clinton wins the battle of policy wonks. If the press spends their time trying to get specifics out of Trump he’ll never be able to gain their favor.
---
### Author:  [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/35 "2016-05-05T02:20:11Z")
Clinton may not have Obama’s charisma or personal touch, but she comes off as far more empathetic than Trump, who is very good at channeling rage but really has no idea how to campaign on any kind of positive message beyond “We’re gonna win again.” Clinton has a million stories of struggling middle class families and can relate every single one to a specific proposal she has; the only thing Trump is interested in hearing from his supporters is “Ditto.” By all means, let her surrogates air out Trump’s dirty laundry, but she herself should keep it positive, aspirational and not about her. People think Clinton is only out for number one, but there’s no way that perception survives next to the most ravenous ego ever unleashed on a political stage.
---
### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/36 "2016-05-05T02:36:10Z")
How many debates? 3, IMHO: Economy, foreign affairs, some town hall bullshit thing. No more… God, please, no more than that.
---
### Author:  [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2016, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/37 "2016-05-05T03:12:36Z")
> [@LonghornDave](#):
>
> If I were here I would focus any attacks on him personally and stop attacking Republicans in general. She should talk about how he is uniquely unqualified to serve as President. He is not someone that can be trusted in foreign affairs. Don’t act like he is some continuation of failed Republican policies or something like that.
I agree instead with all the others that say she should run a positive campaign. Focus on experience, knowledge, a steady hand, her long background.
Let others attack him.
And in the debates - don’t play in the mud with him, keep her side about strong policy - let him look like the whiny petulant child he is
---
### Author:  [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2016, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/38 "2016-05-05T03:23:10Z")
Trump in a town hall setting with people who aren’t his supporters could make for some mighty interesting spectacle (and great opportunities if Clinton can seize them).
---
### Author:  [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2016, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/39 "2016-05-05T04:24:13Z")
If Clinton runs a negative attack campaign she will lose. She badly needs a message of hope, a promise that things are going to get better underneath her, and not just a token upswing in the economy, something significant for the millions of disillusioned working poor.
So far all her campaigning I’ve seen has been based on her experience and scare tactics “I’m the one with experience to save you from the bad guys”. That message just doesn’t work when you have Trump campaigning on hope with his “Make America Great Again” and grand promises to bring jobs back to the US. It doesn’t matter that he has no real plan for how to do that, its a powerful message. Hope is why Clinton lost to Obama in 2008 and it’s why Bernie almost beat her.
---
### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873/40 "2016-05-06T22:13:17Z")
Un-linkable since you have to be a subscriber, but Political Wire did a combined map using the electoral projections of Charlie Cook ([Cook Political Report](http://cookpolitical.com/story/9583)), Larry Sabato ([Sabato’s Crystal Ball](http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/2016-president/)) and Stuart Rothenberg ([Rothenberg-Gonzales Political Report](http://rothenberggonzales.com/ratings/president)) and gets a Clinton win of 310-191 with Ohio, N. Carolina and New Hampshire in the “Toss Up” column. Trump’s terrible ratings with Hispanics puts states Colorado, Florida and Nevada into Democratic wins.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873.md?page=1)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign-discussion/753873.md?page=3)