Finger pointing from the swamp

[William Thornton]

Dowd: “"She is a weak campaigner with a documented history of unsavory dealings,” Kevin wrote in an essay for my new book, “The Year of Voting Dangerously.” “She is declared unlikable by 55 percent of the electorate and untrustworthy by 67 percent. ... When the director of the F.B.I. laid bare her gross negligence for arrogantly setting up her own email system while secretary of state and announced there would be no prosecution, you could hear the heavens thunder for justice. Not since O.J. Simpson had someone so obviously guilty by the facts, walked away. A separate investigation tying Clinton Foundation contributions to speeches made by Bill adds to the pungent aroma of shiftiness and entitlement that routinely hovers above them. Bill only adds to it with his surprise thirty-minute visit to the attorney general on the tarmac at the Phoenix airport, a stunt even a first-year law student knows is verboten.""

[William Thornton]

Some of my colleagues are making a big deal out of trump getting greater support from evangelicals than did Romney or even bush2. I rather think it was anti-Hil that motivated that.

[Dave Roberts]

I think this may have less to do with Hillary's failures or Donald's successes than it may have to do with the nature of American politics. One of my history profs in college, Dr. Robert Burts, taught a theory of history in terms of pendulum swings. He used American elections as the bellwether for his theory. If you look back across the twentieth century, with the exception of the FDR/Truman years, we have a pattern of one party holding the levers of power for a period before we swing to the other side. Whatever has been the goal of the first, it swings to the second. For example, following Woodrow Wilson's great progressive crusade, we had the 1920's with very conservative Republican approaches. After the progressivism of FDR/Truman, we had the Eisenhower years of GOP control. Following Kennedy and Johnson, we swung back to Nixon, then to Carter. From Carte we went to Reagan and Bush 41. Clinton followed for 8 years of more progressive concerns followed by W. After 8 years of Bush 43, the country swung to Obama. The almost natural swing moved back toward the right again.

I realize there are many factors in this election, but my suspicion is that after 8 years of an African-American in the White House, the country swung toward a white male over accepting another radical change in having a woman serve as President. My suspicion is that after a Trump presidency, the time may be more ripe for a woman to take the White House. My possible candidate would be the newly elected senator from Illinois, Tammy Duckworth. With both a military and congressional background, she might be more acceptable in 4 to 8 years.

[William Thornton]

I'll make a prediction here that there will be a woman prez...and she will be a republican.

[Dave Roberts]

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

I don't think the GOP will have to look hard to find a woman candidate who is considered untrustworthy by less than 67% of Americans.

[Dave Roberts]

[Tim Bonney]

[Tim Bonney]

There were lots of factors here. Several articles I've read contended that Hillary would have won if there had not been 3rd party candidates. Several have suggested that if the FBI hadn't done a last minute hatchet job she might have won. And others are again calling for the abolition of the electoral college as she did win the popular vote. (I have mixed feelings about the electoral college, but I'm not sure that is the answer.)

I also believe that Bernie's candidacy actually ended up hurting Hillary. But I wonder myself if maybe we should have nominated Bernie, as people were in a change mood, even if that change is to someone who has no idea what the heck he is doing.

[William Thornton]

As the pundits start to assess, I suspect they will say she was a terrible candidate. Bernie could have beaten trump.

[Sandy]

[Sandy]

[Tim Bonney]

[Sandy]

[KeithE]

[Tim Bonney]