# What effect would Bill Clinton's sudden/surprising death have on Hillary's election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 10, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010 "2013-05-10T16:59:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/21 "2013-05-22T22:58:46Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > “…as a widow, maybe shouldn’t even be president.” WTH do you mean? 😕 Widows should not be holding high-profile public offices; it’s not decent. Widows should be doing MILF porn. Not that I’m, you know, waiting for the first DVD to come out, in this case . . . ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/22 "2013-07-04T10:12:40Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > You would probably have 40% of Republicans believing she did him in. 40% of everybody, I’d guess. I always wondered if anyone would be brave enough to have her as Vice President. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2013, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/23 "2013-07-04T14:20:47Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > We’ve all seen what Bubba eats. The only thing surprising about his death from a heart attack would be that it didn’t happen years ago. You should throw this meme away, Drop. Believe it or not, for health reasons our favorite Big Mac muncher has [gone vegan.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/bill-clinton-diet) Odds are he’s healthier than you or I. ---
**Author:** ![Reidh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/90ced4/32.png) [@Reidh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reidh)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/24 "2013-07-15T12:35:10Z")
I would be happy if that happened. The effect upon her chances would be reinvigorating amongst the hard core supporters of her bid. But without that womanizing fool she wouldn’t get as much money from people who ( for some reason ) really like him. I saw him at a rally from about 40 yards away, and you could palpably feel his charisma. It was uncanny. But he is a Towering sleaze maven. I would also suspect his death, regardless of how or where etc. was her doing. like the Vince Foster affair.:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/25 "2013-07-15T15:04:47Z")
> [@Reidh](#): > > I would be happy if that happened. The effect upon her chances would be reinvigorating amongst the hard core supporters of her bid. But without that womanizing fool she wouldn’t get as much money from people who ( for some reason ) really like him. I saw him at a rally from about 40 yards away, and you could palpably feel his charisma. It was uncanny. But he is a Towering sleaze maven. And a womanizer. But not a fool. > [@Reidh](#): > > I would also suspect his death, regardless of how or where etc. was her doing. like the Vince Foster affair.:dubious: Pick a better example. No rational person has any suspicions WRT the Vince Foster affair. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/26 "2013-07-15T15:20:40Z")
A lot of Hilary’s political strength relies on Bill’s continued influence, and advice. I’d say she would be hurt by it if there’s wasn’t an extraordinary sympathy factor associated with his death. So if he just dies of a heart attack after lingering for a while, it probably hurts Hilary. Her best bet would be for him to die while rescuing babies and kittens from a burning building in the midst of the campaign. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/27 "2013-07-15T16:39:17Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > A lot of Hilary’s political strength relies on Bill’s continued influence, and advice. I’d say she would be hurt by it if there’s wasn’t an extraordinary sympathy factor associated with his death. So if he just dies of a heart attack after lingering for a while, it probably hurts Hilary. Her best bet would be for him to die while rescuing babies and kittens from a burning building in the midst of the campaign. What if he’s shot by a jealous husband? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/28 "2013-07-15T17:27:24Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > What if he’s shot by a jealous husband? Anthing involving guns will complicate things for Hillary. Also, how hot the wife of the jealous husband is will make a difference. Seriously, it will affect the news coverage and the impact on her campaign. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/29 "2013-07-15T18:23:13Z")
Why weren’t there ever any gay rumours about Bill? “He’ll fuck anything- even boys” seems like it might even be true. (Please, no hate, it’s just a question) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/30 "2013-07-15T18:43:02Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Why weren’t there ever any gay rumours about Bill? > “He’ll fuck anything- even boys” seems like it might even be true. “Man, that guy sure has sex with a lot of women! Anybody else think he might be gay?” ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/31 "2013-07-15T18:45:14Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > “Man, that guy sure has sex with a lot of women! Anybody else think he might be gay?” 😃 Good one. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/32 "2013-07-15T22:08:52Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > “Man, that guy sure has sex with a lot of women! Anybody else think he might be gay?” Clearly he’s overcompensating. I, on the other hand, am so secure in my heterosexuality that I have sex with dudes. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/33 "2013-07-15T22:13:51Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I was thinking something the other day and wanted to get your thoughts. Assume for the sake of this thread that as of today, Hillary is 100% sure that she is going to run for president in 2016. Now, consider the following hypotheticals: > > Bill dies tomorrow. > Bill dies shortly after Hillary makes an official announcement to run for president. > Bill dies after Hillary is nominated officially by the party. > Bill dies just a day or two before election day. > > Assume the death is something natural but sudden, like a heart attack. > > What effect do you think it might have on her and her campaign? I was thinking that if he died tomorrow, it wouldn’t change much. If he died shortly after making an announcement to run, it might look kind of bad if she didn’t at least suspend her campaign for a while. I can only imagine people would be calling for her to quit because she would be too emotional to run a good campaign and as a widow maybe shouldn’t even be president. However, after her official nomination, I think it becomes a boon to her. She would undoubtedly get a lot of sympathy. If he happened to die a day or two before the election, I think her victory would be all but assured. > > What say you, Dopers? The media and Republicans are crying “poison mushrooms”. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/34 "2013-07-15T22:18:40Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > And remember, she’ll be 69 in 2016. McCain was 72 in 2008; he still got a few votes, as I recall. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/35 "2013-07-16T00:49:07Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > “Man, that guy sure has sex with a lot of women! Anybody else think he might be gay?” Does a threesome count? If it’s not the cool kind? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010/36 "2013-07-17T20:54:31Z")
I don’t think it would be a net gain for Hillary. Bill Clinton is one of the best campaigners in the country loosing his experience and charisma would hurt Hillary’s campaign overall. I don’t think the nostalgia and sympathy votes could make up for the loss. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-would-bill-clintons-sudden-surprising-death-have-on-hillarys-election/658010.md?page=1)