# Hillary goes down: what happens next? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 19, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381 "2015-05-19T18:18:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/1 "2015-05-19T18:18:17Z")
Hillary Clinton is still being dogged by questions about the Clinton Foundation and her private e-mail server. (Stories about both are easily found, and the point of this thread isn’t to debate them.) Let’s say, hypothetically, that over the next few months stories continue to emerge, with the Clinton Foundation looking increasingly shady, and Hillary increasingly like she has something to hide. By the end of the summer, even some Democrats are starting to support the idea of an independent investigation. How would this shape the 2016 election? If Hillary’s ship sinks, who would rise to the top of heap, and who would get dragged down by the undertow? ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/2 "2015-05-19T18:28:12Z")
The union would be dissolved and governance handed over to the unicorn overlords. Seriously, these manufacuversies have no chance of being real issues to anyone except the Fox News crowd. Far more likely is that a health issue would sink her – she’s getting up in age, and a serious or even fatal health condition before the election is hardly unthinkable. In that event, I suspect the Democratic nomination would go to someone not in the field yet–possibly Sanders, but more likely someone like Al Gore (especially if it happened very late in the election cycle), whoever she picks as VP, or any of a number of senior senators or governors. The race would likely be a little closer. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/3 "2015-05-19T18:28:50Z")
If any indication that this is a real scandal and not just typical right-wing Clinton-hate-fantasy stuff, then other Democrats (O’Malley, Webb, and others) will quickly offer themselves as alternatives, and one of them would win the nomination if Hillary stumbled or withdrew. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/4 "2015-05-19T19:02:12Z")
Nothing political will do it - if there were anything that would stick, the Republicans would have thrown it against the wall sometime over the last couple of decades - but yes, a health problem could drive her out. If it were to come after she chooses her running mate (either before or after the convention), then that person would likely be the nominee. If before, you’d see a mad scramble and, well, by then we’re too deep into hypotheticals to make a worthwhile prediction. Gore is an interesting thought, but his time may be past. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/5 "2015-05-19T19:15:20Z")
If for some reason she has to drop out, there’s someone Biden his time ready to jump in. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/6 "2015-05-19T19:22:26Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Gore is an interesting thought, but his time may be past. He’s about the same age as Hillary, fwiw - a few months younger, actually. However, the fact that he’s not held office of any sort since January 2001 would be a big handicap. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/7 "2015-05-19T19:37:27Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > If for some reason she has to drop out, there’s someone Biden his time ready to jump in. That’s what I was thinking, but my intended response was nowhere near as clever as yours. 👍 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/8 "2015-05-19T19:37:37Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > If for some reason she has to drop out, there’s someone Biden his time ready to jump in. Indictment pending. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/9 "2015-05-19T19:45:13Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > she’s getting up in age, and a serious or even fatal health condition before the election is hardly unthinkable. In that event, I suspect the Democratic nomination would go to someone not in the field yet–possibly Sanders,. Hillary is 67, Sanders is 73. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/10 "2015-05-19T19:52:43Z")
If Biden wanted it, I think there would have been some hint of that already. I’ll say nobody older than Hillary would be plausible. Even Elizabeth Warren is not that much younger. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/11 "2015-05-19T20:00:08Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > He’s about the same age as Hillary, fwiw - a few months younger, actually. > > However, the fact that he’s not held office of any sort since January 2001 would be a big handicap. I suspect that Gore probably lost the support of environmentalists with that controversy about the carbon footprint of his mansion. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/12 "2015-05-19T20:30:13Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > He’s about the same age as Hillary, fwiw - a few months younger, actually. > [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Hillary is 67, Sanders is 73. > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > I’ll say nobody older than Hillary would be plausible. Even Elizabeth Warren is not that much younger. Heh. I didn’t mean to imply that she was too old, just that her hypothetical death might be a setback to her campaign. Old folks running for President is practically a constitutional requirement. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/13 "2015-05-19T20:39:46Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I suspect that Gore probably lost the support of environmentalists with that controversy about the carbon footprint of his mansion. Oh, please. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/14 "2015-05-19T20:55:21Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > How would this shape the 2016 election? If Hillary’s ship sinks, who would rise to the top of heap, and who would get dragged down by the undertow? If Hillary Clinton’s campaign is torpedoed by the end of this summer (as in your hypothetical), I think we see everybody and their brother jump into the race. Obviously, they’d all be scrambling to pick up Clinton’s support, but there’s no heir apparent, and I don’t see anyone gaining or losing in this scenario. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/15 "2015-05-19T21:19:30Z")
If Clinton were out do people think Warren would run? Or was her decision not to run independent of Clinton’s aspirations. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/16 "2015-05-19T21:41:53Z")
Warren. And she **will** run, eventually. Not this election, but… ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/17 "2015-05-19T21:52:03Z")
If Clinton dropped out, I think Andrew Cuomo might run. As long as she’s in, I can’t see him running against the Clintons. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/18 "2015-05-19T23:26:49Z")
If the right wing media manages to take down Clinton, they’ll just move on to the next Democrat to emerge. It’s not like there’s a Democrat out there that they actually want to see get elected. The only time the right wingers pretend to like a Democrat is when they’re dead or retired. I’ve been saying that one of Hillary Clinton’s biggest strengths is that the right wing media has been attacking her for twenty years. It means they’ve used up all their good material. Twenty years ago, they were accusing her of being a serial killer. Now the best they can come up with is to accuse her of mismanaging her email account. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/19 "2015-05-20T00:11:27Z")
Jim Webb Martin O’Malley Mark Warner Julian Castro Elizabeth Warren Joe Biden Sherrod Brown Tim Kaine Andrew Cuomo That’s about the bench of serious players. Of those I’d put O’Malley, Warren and Warner at the top of the short list but it’s 6-5 and pick 'em. We’d be where the Republicans are now. A free for all and no clear and obvious choice. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381/20 "2015-05-20T01:35:30Z")
“Hillary goes down: what happens next?” Enough serious answers by now? Bill says “And Happy Anniversary to you too!”? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-goes-down-what-happens-next/720381.md?page=2)