2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumWaPo Editorial: Both are unpopular. Only one is a threat.
By Editorial Board July 10 at 7:13 PM
This election, a spokesman for Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said Thursday, remains a dumpster fire. Well, yes, the two major-party candidates for president are historically unpopular. But if this election is unusually bad, it is not because both parties chose bad candidates. There is no equivalence between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as even responsible Republicans should be able to recognize.
Ms. Clinton is a knowledgeable politician who has been vetted many times over. She understands and respects the U.S. Constitution. She knows policy. She can cite accomplishments in the public interest, such as pressing through an important childrens health insurance program during her husbands administration. As a senator, she was respected by colleagues on both sides of the aisle. She completed four years as secretary of state to generally positive reviews. She began her presidential campaign by rolling out a series of serious policy papers.
None of this means you have to like Ms. Clinton or believe she would be a good president. You may disagree with her views; we have done so often enough and will do so again when we think she is wrong. You may believe she was foolish to push for the Libya intervention, arrogant to keep her emails out of the official State Department server, greedy to take large speaking fees as a private citizen. But measured against other major-party candidates of recent times, Ms. Clinton is well within established bounds of competence, knowledge, commitment and integrity. She is not a dumpster candidate.
Mr. Trump, by contrast, has waged a campaign based on bigotry, ignorance and resentment. He has no experience as a public servant, and his private record of bankruptcies and exploitation should be disqualifying. He regularly circulates falsehoods. He has no discernible interest in or knowledge of policy. Just in recent days, Mr. Trump tweeted out an anti-Semitic image circulating on neo-Nazi websites and attacked the media for reporting as much. He called one sitting senator a loser and threatened another while proving that he lacks even a passing familiarity with the Constitution. He praised one of the most vile dictators of the 20th century.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/both-are-unpopular-only-one-is-a-threat/2016/07/10/4d78dce8-4529-11e6-bc99-7d269f8719b1_story.html?wpisrc=nl_az_most
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)DemonGoddess
(4,640 posts)of the last 25+ years for the unpopularity. I'm thankful she keeps fighting DESPITE them.
ffr
(22,672 posts)I have never bought into the unpopularity meme. She's unpopular with RWNJs and who cares about them? I DON'T, NOR SHOULD I!
The Clintons can hold their heads high. They're fighters and they stand up for democrats and principles. If that's the definition of what makes someone unpopular, then call me unpopular too. I'll wear that label with pride, because the person doing the labeling doesn't deserve any respect, in my eye.
thesquanderer
(11,993 posts)She's unpopular with a lot more than that. Even despite her strong support among the Dem base, her unfavorables overall are still well over 50%.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/clinton_favorableunfavorable-1131.html
Still, she should be able to beat Trump, luckily for us!
PatSeg
(47,609 posts)who talk against her in such a way, that it sounds like hard core republicans. It is really disturbing for me. These are people whose liberal values usually mirror my own. I am afraid some people just might not vote at all.
thesquanderer
(11,993 posts)I think for most of us, even if Hillary wasn't our first choice, we'll have no problem voting for her in November.
Trump is not an option!
PatSeg
(47,609 posts)People need a constant reminder that Trump in the White House would be a disaster beyond imaging.
I am hopeful that Bernie will turn things around. Perhaps when he endorses Hillary tomorrow, it could be the beginning of a new chapter.
maddiemom
(5,106 posts)It's not that unfounded accusations have been leveled at Trump; all those negatives about him are a matter of record. Hillary is far from perfect, but her record is pretty much comparable to ANY politicians (bless the very few exceptions, but hardly any of them are ever able to gain traction with the public). Both Clintons have been hounded unmercifully by Republicans, aided by the media, for the better part of twenty years. Untold taxpayer dollars and time better spent on doing the nation's real business have been wasted in trying to "get" them. Aside from Bill's admittedly appalling lack of sense regarding his womanizing, nothing has ever stuck. I still can't help thinking "Cheney/ Bush lies re: Iraq, Cheney/Halliburton profits, 9/11 negligence, and on and on and on. Where was the outrage-- when a blow job didn't cost untold thousands of lives?
PatSeg
(47,609 posts)are always held to a higher standard than republicans, sometimes even by Democrats, who still want a perfect candidate. No one is going to get everything they want.
NewJeffCT
(56,829 posts)Republican Newt Gingrich cheats on 3 wives, including one recovering from cancer, and is still considered a serious presidential candidate in 2012 and a serious VP candidate this year. Democrat John Edwards cheated on one wife, and his political career was finished, and he has become a political persona non grata.
Republican David Vitter cheated on is wife with a hooker (or multiple hookers?) and was giving a standing ovation by his Republican colleagues when he returned to the senate. Democrat Anthony Weiner sends a naughty text message to a woman that wasn't his wife - he resigns in humiliation and his political career is essentially over.
The only exception was the "wide stance" senator guy, I think. Didn't he resign? But, that's probably because he was outed as gay, or bisexual.
PatSeg
(47,609 posts)deleting 22 million White House emails and using a RNC server and he gets a job on Fox News. Hillary uses a private server and she should go to jail.
Interesting exception. You can cheat on your wife, even with a hooker, as long as it isn't with another guy. There was also that congressman with the interns, can't remember his name now.
maddiemom
(5,106 posts)It's not that unfounded accusations have been leveled at Trump; all those negatives about him are a matter of record. Hillary is far from perfect, but her record is pretty much comparable to ANY politicians (bless the very few exceptions, but hardly any of them are ever able to gain traction with the public). Both Clintons have been hounded unmercifully by Republicans, aided by the media, for the better part of twenty years. Untold taxpayer dollars and time better spent on doing the nation's real business have been wasted in trying to "get" them. Aside from Bill's admittedly appalling lack of sense regarding his womanizing, nothing has ever stuck. I still can't help thinking "Cheney/ bush lies re: Iraq, Cheney/Halliburton profits, 9/11 negligence, and on and on and on. Where was the outrage when a blow job didn't cost untold thousands of lives?
maddiemom
(5,106 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)someone I rarely agree with, said something very important (though I don't think he meant to) ... He was responding in a segment about the horrible favorabilities of the candidates, when he said ... "trump has had a really tough two weeks with his responses to Dallas and all ... HRC has, too, with all that has been said about her."
Get that? trump's bad two weeks was because of stuff HE did/said; while, HRC's bad weeks are based on what OTHER PEOPLE have said about her.
DemonGoddess
(4,640 posts)the point of why she has the unfavorables she does. It's driven by the RW smear machine.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)redstateblues
(10,565 posts)lark
(23,158 posts)I am shocked at the brutal bluntness of this article, it's totally right on. Trump is a menace to our country, our constitution and our way of life. So glad to see this recognized in print by a major newspaper, and one that isn't fond of Clinton.
TeddyR
(2,493 posts)The fact that the paper's editorial board calls out Hillary when she makes mistake is a plus in my mind.
JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)Had a 67% approval rating as SoS.
Dont believe the rightwing narrative.
Her Sister
(6,444 posts)bettyellen
(47,209 posts)They've been blinded after buying into the media spin. She's greedy now? Lol.
calimary
(81,507 posts)and the real number they did on America with their war crimes and predatory war-criminal PNAC policies. She spent most of her time as Secretary of State - healing the wounds they inflicted in, and on, other nations. reassuring them that America was NOT the bloodthirsty, warlike, opportunistic, exploitive, greedy, robber-baron plague of an international rogue nation that bush/cheney had turned us into.
maddiemom
(5,106 posts)Same with President Obama in many ways. Trump's accusations about our world reputation are nothing but hot air.
Hekate
(90,829 posts)63splitwindow
(2,657 posts)Her Sister
(6,444 posts)https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/both-are-unpopular-only-one-is-a-threat/2016/07/10/4d78dce8-4529-11e6-bc99-7d269f8719b1_story.html?wpisrc=nl_az_most
NewJeffCT
(56,829 posts)really limits the list. Most of them have been Blue Dog Democrats for a while now.
bucolic_frolic
(43,308 posts)If Hillary Clinton is elected we will see an end of year economic boom like
nothing ever seen because the total high-wire daredevil scenario of Trump
being elected will evaporate
Celebrations will ensue, spending will be like the cow jumped over the moon
However, if Trump is elected, the increasing economic anxiety of 2016 will
all come home to roost at once creating severe downturn in the fourth
quarter and a miserable holiday season
I could see 4Q GDP fall 3.2 to 3.5% because it has such momentum
I can feel the fear ... the markets are tentative, retailers try to push price
increases and the merchandise sits there, people are preparing for total
despair with Calamity Don
BlueEye
(449 posts)I tend to believe in the efficient markets hypothesis and that equities markets will generally have priced in a Hillary win by November, assuming it isn't very close.
Corporate spending patterns tend to be more conservative (in the non-political sense) and in that circumstance, I agree that many companies are probably taking the wait-and-see approach until the election is settled. Any investments in international operations would be very much at risk with Trump. With Hillary... financial managers know what to expect, for better or worse.
Loki
(3,825 posts)It would be the unrelenting and arrogant disregard for factual reporting on this woman or in fact any Democrat. With the constant drumbeat of the right wing smear machine it is amazing she has any reputation left. They can't bring her down no matter what they have thrown at her. I'm sad that young women have taken everything that women of my age and Hillary's age have worked and struggled for so long to bring about for granted as if it was always there. I wish they could just experience what that was like to be a young woman back then but hope they never have to.
Gothmog
(145,619 posts)The concept of the lesser of two evils is simply false. There is no equivalence between Trump and Sec. Clinton
niyad
(113,581 posts)Her Sister
(6,444 posts)Proud of HER! #45
maddiemom
(5,106 posts)Bush V. Gore.