The Clinton Thread: All things Hillary

[joan1984]

...at this point, what difference does it make?

[Athos_131]

[joan1984]

You've been Trumped, boy...

[Athos_131]

[watcher1]

Asked if she, Hillary Clinton, wiped her private email server, the one she used as secretary of state for her public and private email, she said:

"Like with a cloth or something?"

Attempt at a joke?  Playing dumb?  Joe Biden needs to make up his mind if he will run or not run for president soon.

[joan1984]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd2wIuK9kAM

Huma is a cutie, and the camera is good to her.

Hillary fans weigh in, on their way to Germany, then here.

Just 345 Days until Election Day 2016!

[Lois]

Just 345 Days until Election Day 2016!

Geeze!  Way too long.  No wonder Americans are sick of the election way before it happens.

[joan1984]

[Supersoftball]

I do, and only other candidate worth my vote is Carson, the rest are zealots and bigots.

[joan1984]

  Which specific positions of Hillary and of Doctor Carson do you feel strongly about? Where do they come together for you?

[MissBarbara]

  Which specific positions of Hillary and of Doctor Carson do you feel strongly about? Where do they come together for you?

Good questions.

As are: In what specific ways are the other candidates zealots? In what ways are they bigots?

[joan1984]

THE PLOT THICKENS?

Webb Attacks Clinton With
Eye on Independent Run

If he declared an outsider presidential bid, the former Democratic candidate could have an outsize effect on the race.

Best of 2015: The Democratic Candidates' Defining Moments

When Jim Webb quit the Democratic presidential race on Oct. 20 amid low poll numbers and a minimal debate presence, the former Virginia senator left open the possibility he'd return for a White House run in a different political guise.

Now he appears to be edging closer to making good on it.

On Saturday morning, Webb used Twitter and his Facebook page to attack Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton for her handling of Libya during her time as secretary of state.

The lengthy condemnation on Facebook, which said, among other things that “Clinton should be called to account for her inept leadership that brought about the chaos in Libya,” came just days before the end of the year, which his team had previously told CNN would be reasonable time for them to make a decision about an independent bid.

Since dropping out of the race for the Democratic nomination, Webb has continued to maintain his Webb2016 website, which he has updated with posts about the possibilities of an independent run. On Twitter, he and his fans have been promoting a #WebbNation hashtag.

A run by Webb, who often manages his own social media accounts and has also used them recently to promote a petition in favor of his run and to deliver kudos to Bernie Sanders in his battles with the Democratic National Committee (“nothing more than an arm for the Clinton campaign,” Webb tweeted), could further complicate the already unpredictable 2016 election.

While observers typically have analyzed the prospect of a third-party or independent run by Republican front-runner Donald Trump—or even one from Sanders—Webb could still alter the dynamics of the race even with his smaller profile.

A recent CNN poll, for instance, forecast tight races between Clinton and several Republican contenders in hypothetical match-ups for the general election. Webb's campaign has told Bloomberg Politics it would concentrate on mobilizing voters in the ideological middle, along with people who have become dissatisfied with politics.

In a tight race, even a small base of support could make him a factor. Ralph Nader, for instance, famously won only small percentages of the vote in many states in the 2000 presidential election, yet that arguably helped tip the Electoral College vote to then-Texas Governor George W. Bush, denying Democratic Vice President Al Gore, the winner of the popular vote, the presidency.

Webb could also get a boost from the organizers of the general election debates, who are preparing for the possibility of three candidates onstage, albeit ones who thus far, have managed to command far more support than Webb the roughly one percent of Democratic support Webb managed to muster by the time he quote the race.

There's no ensuring that Webb would be a spoiler for Clinton even as he attacks her. Although he ran as a Democrat to serve in the Senate, he is a highly decorated Vietnam veteran who also served for a time as President Reagan's secretary of the navy and has won conservative plaudits. Even Saturday's attack echoed the talking points of Republican candidates and groups.
His public statements, meanwhile, have focused economic populism and breaking the monopoly of the two-party system.

Despite the apparent escalation of his interest in an independent bid and his aides previously stated interest in making Webb's intentions known by the beginning of 2016, history suggests he could toy with voters for quite some time. Webb missed his own self-imposed deadline for getting into the Democratic race and blatantly disregarded conventional wisdom on political timing when finally declared hours before the beginning of the July 4 holiday.

In addition, the earliest state deadline for submitting signatures for an independent presidential run is May 9 in Texas, according to Ballot Access News. Given that most filing deadlines occur in August, Webb's post-Christmas social activity could be another trial balloon.

Craig Crawford, a top aide on the small campaign, did not immediately return request for comment on Saturday on the prospect that Webb is planning an imminent return to the race, nor did a Clinton spokesman respond to the attack.

Crawford, though, told Bloomberg Politics in October that he has been studying the Nader playbook and that an outsider bid is easier than it was 15 years ago but still “requires a lot more multitasking.”

Yet the main question was the feasibility of that multitasking, including primarily gathering signatures to get on the ballot, rather than Webb's belief in his message, Crawford added.

“Are we comfortable that there’s actually a chance to get on enough ballots to actually have a mathematical chance?” Crawford said the campaign was asking.

“Jim’s not going to do this as a protest thing.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-12-26/webb-attacks-clinton-with-eye-on-independent-run

[Lois]

Never heard of him.

[joan1984]

Never heard of him.

http://www.kristensboard.com/forums/index.php?topic=22154.msg339510#msg339510

Jim Webb was elected to the Senate, over Republican Allen ("Maccaca...") as a Democrat, then largely ignored by the Senate Democrats, except when he was needed to provide cover for one of the Senate 'peacenicks', or when he had a nice ripe 'anti Republican' quote, here and there. He served one term, and is a serious person. His social policies lean far to the left, with some other policies more tolerable to normal people, including Virginians of both parties, and more likely many other States Democrats as well.

Unlike Bernie Sanders, who will likely fold, and certainly support Hillary no matter what, once the Primary is over, Jim Webb has no dandruff on his dark suits, speaks in understandable 'southern' English, and makes sense to most.

Should he decide to take on Hillary as a Independent, to her Right on most any policy she can be said to have (while it may be difficult to pin down any policy she actually may care about one way or the other) Webb could be real trouble for Establishment Democrats who may remember when there were Blue Dogs, and not find being in favor of the United States as intolerable these days.

[Lois]

Well then, if he runs won't he just draw more votes away from the Republican candidate?

[joan1984]

Well then, if he runs won't he just draw more votes away from the Republican candidate?

Would draw from both, I think, depends on the State, and whether usual Dem voters want a more moderate alternative to Hillary, or just don't want to hear her laugh for the next 4 to 8 years.

Worth watching, if he calculates it is worth the effort to get on all the ballots.

[watasch]

Mr Webb has been an interesting individual to watch for some time. 
     I first became aware of him as a result of some of his books.  Then his political actions followed and I watched as he took part in many roles as Secretary of the Navy, his actions with his position on a Veterans' Affairs committee, as  Senator from Virginia  and also his life in the military.
     As for who he draws votes from I do wish our two party system went through a massive change.  I would have no problem with a multiparty program and if he is one who can start this change (I doubt it though) it would be an interesting campaign. 
     But face it from all outward appearances the Democratic Party is pushing Clinton.  The other Democratic candidates are just window dressing to remove the appearance of her coronation.
     

[Elizabeth]

Hillary and Trump....??
Are either one "really worth" voting for..??
Has America really sunk this low...??

Love,
Liz

[watcher1]

Hillary and Trump....??
Are either one "really worth" voting for..??
Has America really sunk this low...??

Love,
Liz

Yes.  Especially when it takes untold millions of dollars to even run for president.

[joan1984]

Anyone But Hillary... ABH...

Hillary and Trump....??
Are either one "really worth" voting for..??
Has America really sunk this low...??

Love,
Liz

Yes.  Especially when it takes untold millions of dollars to even run for president.