# When and how will Clinton go negative against Sanders **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 20, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320 "2015-08-20T04:22:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/61 "2015-08-21T16:01:59Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Oh my Og! Hillary didn’t follow _government policies!!_ > > Yeah, no question, it’s all over. :rolleyes: If I cared enough, I’d love to fight with the SDMB search engine to see if you felt the same way about the Bushies (near-treasonously) outing Valarie(?) Plame. “Oh, it’s no big deal. Just didn’t follow government policies regarding state secrets. Ho hum.” ---
**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 21, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/62 "2015-08-21T16:20:39Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > If I cared enough, I’d love to fight with the SDMB search engine to see if you felt the same way about the Bushies (near-treasonously) outing Valarie(?) Plame. “Oh, it’s no big deal. Just didn’t follow government policies regarding state secrets. Ho hum.” I must have missed where Clinton deliberately leaked top secret information to attack her political enemies. Could you please find me that article? ---
**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 21, 2015, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/63 "2015-08-21T16:22:07Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > If I cared enough, I’d love to fight with the SDMB search engine to see if you felt the same way about the Bushies (near-treasonously) outing Valarie(?) Plame. “Oh, it’s no big deal. Just didn’t follow government policies regarding state secrets. Ho hum.” I must have missed the news the day that Clinton was shown to have deliberately leaked top secret information to attack her political enemies. Could you remind me what day it was? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/64 "2015-08-21T17:08:13Z")
Yawn. A sad attempt at sarcasm coupled with the classic Dope technique of pretending that an attempt to nitpick a small part of a comparison overrides the bigger point\* isn’t worth responding to. \*which is “not following government policies”. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/65 "2015-08-21T17:23:49Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > Yawn. A sad attempt at sarcasm coupled with the classic Dope technique of pretending that an attempt to nitpick a small part of a comparison overrides the bigger point\* isn’t worth responding to. > > \*which is “not following government policies”. I’m not sure that’s a nitpick - you’re claiming that the reason people were angry over the Palme thing was “not following government policies.” If that was not, in fact, why people were angry over the Palme thing, then your comparison falls apart entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/66 "2015-08-21T17:41:00Z")
That’s a valid point. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/67 "2015-08-21T18:18:38Z")
> [@purplehearingaid](#): > > [Judge pushes State Dept, FBI to expand probe on Clinton email server - CBS News](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-judge-says-clinton-violated-government-email-policies/) > > ``` > I really don't it would be very wise for Clinton to go negative against any candidate when this just came out on the news ! I personally thought is was a bad move running again when she was still under investigation over her emails. And made me feel that she think she is above the law and doesn't have to answer to it. I don't think she is fit to be president , I don't think is capable of giving orders to take out a terrorist , it looks like she was going vomit when she saw Bin Laden taken out. > > ``` A federal judge, by the way, who was [appointed by her husband.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmet_G._Sullivan) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/68 "2015-08-21T18:32:44Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > A federal judge, by the way, who was [appointed by her husband.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmet_G._Sullivan) And your point is? I mean, I’m a government employee, and I _know_ there are times when I have failed to follow government policies in some minor ways. Guess my future Presidential campaign is doomed, _doomed!_ Sarcasm aside, I think the burden’s on Hillary’s accusers to demonstrate that a ‘failure to follow policies’ was a big deal, rather than a triviality that’s only in the news because of (a) the government’s tendency to classify a lot of documents just because, and (b) _Hiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyy!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/69 "2015-08-21T18:42:29Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > And your point is? > > I mean, I’m a government employee, and I _know_ there are times when I have failed to follow government policies in some minor ways. > > Guess my future Presidential campaign is doomed, _doomed!_ > > Sarcasm aside, I think the burden’s on Hillary’s accusers to demonstrate that a ‘failure to follow policies’ was a big deal, rather than a triviality that’s only in the news because of (a) the government’s tendency to classify a lot of documents just because, and (b) _Hiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyy!!!_ Just staving off the inevitable question as to whether this was just some right-wing judge appointed by Bush who’s clearly out to get her. I just answered the rest of this in the unfork Hillary thread, so would you mind going there to see it so I don’t have to repeat myself? Thanks mucho. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/70 "2015-08-21T19:18:24Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > the Palme thing She ordered the Olof Palme assassination _too_? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/71 "2015-08-24T18:02:58Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t think she will. Candidates like Sanders and Trump are leading in polls now because the campaign hasn’t entered the serious stage yet. Nothing is real until Iowa and New Hampshire. I think this is it. Some politicians have it coming, even Hillary, arguably. But Sanders’ approach has been more of “Here’s a truth sandwich, take a bite if you dare.” And his targets are larger than a political candidate or party. He throws rocks at giants. You throw a rock at him, then _you_ must be one of the _giants_. If Hillary takes a nasty swing at him, she may as well take a swing at the (current, totally awesome) Pope. I think Non-Republicans don’t feel like they have to be too picky–they just have to vote D in the main election to keep the meth-addled baboons out of the big house. Her best bet is to let us liberals get all our simpering adoration of Bernie out of our system and then come in strong with her qualifications while saying, “Yes, he’s a nice guy with an admirable moral compass. Now let’s get real about keeping the reins of power out of Republican hands.” > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Attacking Sanders would also feed into the “Hillary is ruthless” theme that’s being played … ETA: Ruthless is actually one of my favorite qualities in a leader, and Sanders’ apparent lack of it makes me doubt him as a POTUS. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/72 "2015-08-24T18:55:49Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > I think Non-Republicans don’t feel like they have to be too picky–they just have to vote D in the main election to keep the meth-addled baboons out of the big house. Her best bet is to let us liberals get all our simpering adoration of Bernie out of our system and then come in strong with her qualifications while saying, “Yes, he’s a nice guy with an admirable moral compass. Now let’s get real about keeping the reins of power out of Republican hands.” ‘_Vote For Me, Because I’m Not A Republican_’ doesn’t seem a particularly strong program. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/73 "2015-08-24T19:24:19Z")
But it’s generally sufficient. ---
**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 24, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/74 "2015-08-24T19:31:29Z")
It’s certainly not a particularly strong program in the primaries. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320/75 "2015-08-24T19:32:16Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > Just staving off the inevitable question as to whether this was just some right-wing judge appointed by Bush who’s clearly out to get her. Doesn’t matter. Whether he is or isn’t, failing to follow government policies is hardly a kiss of doom. > [@](#): > > I just answered the rest of this in the unfork Hillary thread, so would you mind going there to see it so I don’t have to repeat myself? Thanks mucho. You mean the thread with over 1,100 posts in it, that I haven’t looked at in months? No, I’m not going there to find your needle in that haystack. Sorry, but even if I had the time, I just don’t care enough to do so. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-will-clinton-go-negative-against-sanders/728320.md?page=3)