# Why are the Clintons more scandal prone than Obama? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 6, 2016, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180 "2016-07-06T01:20:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/21 "2016-07-06T17:10:05Z")
Are you questioning **adaher’s** intellectual integrity? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/22 "2016-07-06T17:32:20Z")
> [@Randolph](#): > > Are you questioning **adaher’s** intellectual integrity? Point me towards it, and I’ll give it a go. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/23 "2016-07-06T17:40:43Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > The Clintons are more scandal-prone than Obama because they have worse judgement and are less honest than he is. It’s not that hard, really. Yeah, wait until they get to the Hillary wore white after Labor Day scandal. That one’s going to sink her. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/24 "2016-07-06T17:52:45Z")
The Clintons think they are self-entitled and believe they are serving a greater and grander cause. Mere rules don’t concern them. They are the Clintons. Don’t you understand how lucky we are to have them? How lucky we are that they are working to make our pathetic and small lives better? That attitude leads to problems every time. They really believe the rules all public officials follow dont apply to them. Hillary especially has grown more and more paranoid throughout her career. Every political attack leaves her more guarded and distrustful. She won’t ever candidly speak about anything. This entire email mess could have been mitigated by a sincere “I screwed up” speech from the beginning. But thats not how she rolls. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/25 "2016-07-06T18:07:20Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The Clintons think they are self-entitled and believe they are serving a greater and grander cause. Mere rules don’t concern them. They are the Clintons. Don’t you understand how lucky we are to have them? How lucky we are that they are working to make our pathetic and small lives better? I’m not disagreeing but - as opposed to which other candidate we’ve seen in this race? Sanders? Trump? Anyone else on the GOP bench? Maybe O’Malley or Kasich, but who knows what they would have been like had they actually had a chance of winning. You have to think a lot of yourself to run for President, and humility is a rare trait in that breed. Hell, half the GOP candidates thought God personally told them to run, which is a whole other level of personal delusion. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/26 "2016-07-06T18:11:02Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The Clintons think they are self-entitled and believe they are serving a greater and grander cause. Mere rules don’t concern them. They are the Clintons. Don’t you understand how lucky we are to have them? How lucky we are that they are working to make our pathetic and small lives better? > > That attitude leads to problems every time. They really believe the rules all public officials follow dont apply to them. > > Hillary especially has grown more and more paranoid throughout her career. Every political attack leaves her more guarded and distrustful. She won’t ever candidly speak about anything. > > This entire email mess could have been mitigated by a sincere “I screwed up” speech from the beginning. But thats not how she rolls. > **[Hillary Clinton admits private email server was 'a mistake'](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/08/hillary-clinton-apologizes-private-email-server)** > > ‘I’m sorry about that. I take full responsibility’ says embattled Democratic frontrunner, a day after telling the Associated Press she would not apologize > [@](#): > > Hillary Clinton has apologized for her use of a private “homebrew” email server during her time as US secretary of state, a day after telling the Associated Press that she would not. > > In an interview with ABC News’s David Muir which aired on Tuesday, the former secretary of state said: “That was a mistake. I’m sorry about that. I take responsibility.” That was last year BTW. What I do see is that once again Republicans do not see that hey should leave the criticism that the FBI gave Clinton to speak for itself. The Republicans can be counted to step on their dicks as usual. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/07/06/republicans-may-be-blowing-it-on-clintons-emails-they-have-only-themselves-to-blame/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/07/06/republicans-may-be-blowing-it-on-clintons-emails-they-have-only-themselves-to-blame/) > [@](#): > > Republicans may be blowing it on Clinton’s emails. They have only themselves to blame. > [@](#): > > And Trump went further at a rally, accusing Clinton of an effort to “bribe” Attorney General Loretta Lynch. This charge is apparently based on a single sentence in a recent Times piece which claimed: “Democrats close to Mrs. Clinton say she may decide to retain Ms. Lynch.” The insinuation, spelled out by Trump and echoed widely on twitter yesterday by even some on the left, is that the Clinton campaign, and even Clinton herself, offered Lynch a job as a way of swaying the investigation’s outcome. But anyone who knows how D.C. works knows that there are probably hundreds of people in this city who are eager to tell reporters that they are “close” to the Clintons. There is no way to fairly read this reporting, at least as it was transmitted there, as any kind of official position of the Clinton campaign, let alone of the candidate. Maybe Clinton does intend to retain Lynch, but there’s no basis for asserting this or extrapolating anything from it until her campaign or she says so. > > So, yes, Trump is already overreaching. But some Very Serious Republicans may be doing the same. Now Paul Ryan’s House Republicans will hold hearings into Comey’s recommendation, and he is calling on the FBI to release all of the information that went into that decision, because it “underscores the belief that the Clintons live above the law.” Interestingly, Ryan appears somewhat uncomfortable with the implications of his criticism. In his statement, Ryan carefully highlighted his “respect for the law enforcement professionals at the FBI,” but no matter: He essentially suggested that the bureau had placed Clinton “above the law.” Many other Republicans, including others of the Very Serious variety, are making similar suggestions while calling for a special prosecutor. > > To be clear, there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with pressing Comey for more detail justifying his decision. It’s true that Comey’s statement contained a wealth of new details that undercut some of Clinton’s previous claims and, in his words, showed an “extremely careless” treatment of classified information. We need to know more about how and why all this nonetheless led to his conclusion that no illegal “grossly negligent” conduct occurred. > > But the looming question here is one of degree, and Ryan, too, should be pressed to justify his suggestion that the FBI placed Clinton above the law. As we’ve already seen with Benghazi, Republicans don’t ever stop, no matter how many investigations fail to turn up that single devastating piece of evidence of Clinton perfidy and lawbreaking they are looking for. The same may prove true in the case of the emails. As Bloomberg Politics puts it, Ryan is basically helping Trump “whip up conspiracy theories over the FBI process” in a manner designed mainly to “rally the base,” but which “may do little to convince general election voters” that the fix was in. > > Democratic strategist Robert Shrum predicts that Republicans will overreach once again on the emails: “I think it will go about as well as the Republicans did on Whitewater or Benghazi or anything else. I just think it’s fundamentally over.” I wouldn’t dismiss the possibility that Clinton, whose trust numbers are dismal, could sustain further damage. But GOP overreach now looks like a very real possibility. If so, the problem here isn’t necessarily just Trump. It’s the broader GOP willingness to play these games to “rally the base.” And it’s possible this will be priced into the broader public reaction to GOP criticism of Clinton over the emails, perhaps helping mitigate what could otherwise be more damaging. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/27 "2016-07-06T18:19:19Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > This entire email mess could have been mitigated by a sincere “I screwed up” speech from the beginning. That’s sweet. That’s sweet that you believe that you believe that. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/28 "2016-07-06T18:50:00Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The Clintons think they are self-entitled and believe they are serving a greater and grander cause. Mere rules don’t concern them. They are the Clintons. Don’t you understand how lucky we are to have them? How lucky we are that they are working to make our pathetic and small lives better? > > That attitude leads to problems every time. They really believe the rules all public officials follow dont apply to them. > > Hillary especially has grown more and more paranoid throughout her career. Every political attack leaves her more guarded and distrustful. She won’t ever candidly speak about anything. > > This entire email mess could have been mitigated by a sincere “I screwed up” speech from the beginning. But thats not how she rolls. I’m curious how you have such personal knowledge of the Clintons. How long have you known them? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/29 "2016-07-06T20:42:35Z")
> [@Randolph](#): > > That’s sweet. That’s sweet that you believe that you believe that. She had no choice but to lie. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/30 "2016-07-06T20:44:10Z")
Well, for starters, they do more scandalous shit than Obama. That doesn’t help, nor does it help that they keep doing it. Bill Clinton is like your slightly skeevy uncle, the sort that is a blast to have at parties but you would watch warily when he’s around your daughter’s friends. I mean, the guy did cheat on his wife in the Oval Office with a girl half his age, possibly while his wife was in the same building. Who here believes that Lewinski was the only one? Most of the time, a guy like Bill Clinton would be Buddy in _Friday Night Lights_, owner of the biggest car dealership in a city of 300,000… a force in local politics, and owner of 50 acres somewhere. In this world, he was able to charm his way to the forefront of global power… but he’s still a woman chasing car dealer at heart, just wanting to be loved by everybody. Hillary is his socially-climbing wife, recognizing in him… really, both recognizing in each other… qualities that make them better than the sum of their parts. Usually, this role is satisfied once the family is economically safe, but with Hillary her ambition has been plain since before she met Bill: She herself wants to be the first female President of the US. And it’s this combination of trailer park skeeviness and naked ambition\* that makes the Clinton’s prone to scandal. Combine this with being severely burned early in 1992-95 with a bunch of self-inflicted crap (Paula Jones, DADT controversy) and the beginnings of the Right-Wing Hate Machine which continues today in unrelenting fury and, yeah… they are going to be investigated for as long as they are a force in America. Regardless, in the end, they brought this upon themselves, but their personalities and how they fit certain archetypes don’t help. I’m still going to vote _for_ her though. \*I’m a big fan of ambition so I have no problem with Hillary deciding “I want to be President” and then making it happen. I think much of what goads a lot of people is that a _woman_ and a _mother_ should have the unmitigated gall to be as dedicated to a career goal as was Ronald Reagan or JFK or FDR or her very own husband. And, you know, fuck people who think like that. Losers. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/31 "2016-07-07T02:33:24Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > I’m curious how you have such personal knowledge of the Clintons. How long have you known them? I was in high school when Bill ran for his first term as governor. I followed their long career in state politics closely. Hillary has always been a polarizing figure. Strongly disliked. Totally opposite from Bill. He comes across very likeable. I voted for him consistently. I will probably vote for Hillary only because the alternative is so much worse. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/32 "2016-07-07T17:08:59Z")
I think it’s because Bill had problems keeping his dick in his pants. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/33 "2016-07-07T17:28:51Z")
Obama has been the target of Karl Rove and his “make shit up” or “blow things all out of proportion” hate machine for quite a bit less time than the Clintons. That’s all. 8 years vs 24 years. Bengazi? Nada. Emails? OK, Hillary made a mistake- same as her GOP predecessor. Fast & Furious? GWB started that type of shit. And so forth. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/34 "2016-07-07T17:34:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Obama has been the target of Karl Rove and his “make shit up” or “blow things all out of proportion” hate machine for quite a bit less time than the Clintons. That’s all. 8 years vs 24 years. > Bengazi? Nada. > > Emails? OK, Hillary made a mistake- same as her GOP predecessor. > > Fast & Furious? GWB started that type of shit. > > And so forth. Interestingly enough, someone in today’s hearings pointed out that Colin Powell, in his book, mentioned hooking up his personal laptop and doing the same thing Hillary apparently did. Wonder when the Republicans will have hearings on this one? ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/35 "2016-07-07T18:30:11Z")
Because the Clinton’s are more corrupt than Obama. Obama’s scandals tend to be along the line that they are trying to push an agenda and do so in a ham fisted manner. The Clinton’s on the other hand are not ideologically motivated but are instead motivated by desire for money and power. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/36 "2016-07-07T20:50:49Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The Clintons think they are self-entitled and believe they are serving a greater and grander cause. Mere rules don’t concern them. They are the Clintons. Don’t you understand how lucky we are to have them? How lucky we are that they are working to make our pathetic and small lives better? > > That attitude leads to problems every time. They really believe the rules all public officials follow dont apply to them. > > Hillary especially has grown more and more paranoid throughout her career. Every political attack leaves her more guarded and distrustful. She won’t ever candidly speak about anything. > > This entire email mess could have been mitigated by a sincere “I screwed up” speech from the beginning. But thats not how she rolls. I don’t disagree with the critique, but I don’t think the Clintons have to be pure, either. The Roosevelts and Kennedys weren’t pure, and they were still basically good for the country. They’re narcissistic and have an outrageous sense of entitlement, but they make an effort to deliver the goods. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/37 "2016-07-07T23:16:33Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > The Clintons are more scandal-prone than Obama because they have worse judgement and are less honest than he is. It’s not that hard, really. I voted for Bill twice and plan to vote for Hillary, and I actually believe that this is the simple and true answer. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/38 "2016-07-08T14:18:50Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I don’t disagree with the critique, but I don’t think the Clintons have to be pure, either. The Roosevelts and Kennedys weren’t pure, and they were still basically good for the country. They’re narcissistic and have an outrageous sense of entitlement, but they make an effort to deliver the goods. The Clintons have certainly proved they know how to govern, which is something I’ve argued many times Obama does not know how to do. But I wouldn’t compare them with the Roosevelts or Kennedys either. Well, at least Bill hasn’t killed a girlfriend, so maybe the Kennedys are worse. ---
**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:** [July 8, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/39 "2016-07-08T14:23:05Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The Clintons have certainly proved they know how to govern, which is something I’ve argued many times Obama does not know how to do. Don’t know why you argue that. Longest continuous economic growth in history. Deficit reduced. No new wars. Just imagine what would have happened had Republicans not vowed on Inauguration Day 2009 to murder his presidency in the crib. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180/40 "2016-07-08T14:44:23Z")
Congress reduced the deficit, Obama wants more spending. A lot more. No new wars? Were there troops on the ground in Syria under Bush? Longest continuous economic growth? We had more under Clinton, actually, and it was better. We went nine years between recessions in the 90s, we’re at seven years now, so we still need three more years to beat Clinton on length. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-clintons-more-scandal-prone-than-obama/759180.md?page=3)