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The final staff letter of the Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign

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What an embarrassing pile of excuses. Comey, Comey, Comey. Nothing about their miscalculation in relying on data too much, no reflection on their failure to reach out to certain states, nothing on failing to energize their base. Just Comey. It would have been better if they jusy said they lost the election in the last week because polling data gave them such a hard on tey got complacent. None of that either! Comey!!!!


We can only hope the DNC learns from this but I doubt they will. If we dont get a energized group right now we are screwed in 2018 and 2020
 

Blader

Member
Hillary was a bad candidate. She took a lot of things for granted and simply didn't prosecute the case against Trump in a convincing enough way and let him get away with absolute murder for weeks. Even then I still thought she was a shoe in to win, but after the shock you have no choice but to admit what went wrong.

She skewered him in the debates, with weeks of negative ads (possibly too many), an army of surrogates and a host of rallies denouncing every bad thing that has comprised his life (which is essentially his whole life) and how that would hurt everyone if he were elected. You cannot say with a straight face she didn't prosecute the case against Trump. 60 percent of voters said he was unqualified to be president!

She painted Trump as a dangerous lunatic over and over again. The ultimate problem is that for enough people in a few states, the danger Trump posed registered but still didn't overwhelm the fact that they just flat out don't like Hillary more, for whatever reason they had.
 

HariKari

Member
She painted Trump as a dangerous lunatic over and over again. The ultimate problem is that for enough people in a few states, the danger Trump posed registered but still didn't overwhelm the fact that they just flat out don't like Hillary more, for whatever reason they had.

Which. combined with the ongoing FBI investigation everyone was aware of (and her other baggage), begs the question as to why she was allowed anywhere near the nomination in the first place.
 
Yeah, what the heck has gotten into all of you?
Guess hate is more contagious after all.

It's not hate, people are just pointing out facts. We knew before anyone was even selected as the nominee for either party that Hillary Clinton had some seriously damaging baggage that she was carrying. We also knew the Republicans absolutely despise the Clinton's, and a good chunk of America does as well. But those issues were continually brushed aside by her supporters who would tell you that it's all just a result of the Republican smear machine and it wouldn't matter in the end because of her experience. It didn't matter if the dislike toward her was because of facts or because of a smear machine, the reality is that it existed and wasn't simply going to go away.

She was basically the complete opposite of Obama. Obama was highly charismatic, a great speaker, well liked and ran on a platform about how he was best for the job because he wasn't entrenched in Washington politics. Hillary has no charisma, is boring as a speaker, hated by at least half the country and basically ran as the establishment because of how long she'd been in politics.
 

norinrad

Member
Its always someone else's fault. That letter is like the working place. Employees suck but we as a management team have been doing the right thing and we will continue to do that.
 

Blader

Member
Which. combined with the ongoing FBI investigation everyone was aware of (and her other baggage), begs the question as to why she was allowed anywhere near the nomination in the first place.

Speaking for myself but I'm sure other Hillary supporters will agree: I thought she would be a great president, whose policies would be hugely beneficial to this country and this planet. I thought she would cement Obama's legacy and continue to build on it for a further progressive future.

My sin was conflating "great president" with "great candidate." I believed and hoped on her own merits, but especially in contrast to Trump, her baggage would be seen as largely bullshit and people would see the strong potential president I saw. I thought the primary bore this out. And, going by the popular vote in GE, most did see it the way I did. But many still didn't, and just saw an uncharismatic and scandalous woman they just do not like at face value. That left the margins thin in a precious handful of key states, and then Comey knocked them over the line to either Trump or not voting altogether.
 
Wow. I'm quite disgusted at the hate for a woman who has literally been fighting for me since I was born. I wouldn't have had healthcare as a child without her. I really wish I were not in the same party as those people.
 

Phased

Member
Speaking for myself but I'm sure other Hillary supporters will agree: I thought she would be a great president, whose policies would be hugely beneficial to this country and this planet. I thought she would cement Obama's legacy and continue to build on it for a further progressive future.

My sin was conflating "great president" with "great candidate." I believed and hoped on her own merits, but especially in contrast to Trump, her baggage would be seen as largely bullshit and people would see the strong potential president I saw. I thought the primary bore this out. And, going by the popular vote in GE, most did see it the way I did. But many still didn't, and just saw an uncharismatic and scandalous woman they just do not like at face value. That left the margins thin in a precious handful of key states, and then Comey knocked them over the line to either Trump or not voting altogether.

I'm guilty of this too.

I completely underestimated how much the country as a whole was either "meh" about her, or actively disliked her to the point they'd vote for Trump. I assumed people would get behind her by the end and they never did.

I think she would have been a great President, but yeah as a candidate she was flawed.
 
This forum's turn on Clinton is absolutely unreal.

Some of us were pretending Hillary was a better candidate than she really was because we were terrified of a Trump presidency. Even if Hillary won, many of the people who voted for her would undoubtedly have become significantly more critical of her almost overnight.

Speaking personally, I think she is one of the most competent candidates to run in my lifetime and her incredible resilience has inspired me on multiple occasions. That said, she has never quite reached full-on trustworthiness in my eyes.
 

HariKari

Member
My sin was conflating "great president" with "great candidate." I believed and hoped on her own merits, but especially in contrast to Trump, her baggage would be seen as largely bullshit and people would see the strong potential president I saw. I thought the primary bore this out. And, going by the popular vote in GE, most did see it the way I did. But many still didn't, and just saw an uncharismatic and scandalous woman they just do not like at face value. That left the margins thin in a precious handful of key states, and then Comey knocked them over the line to either Trump or not voting altogether.

What pains me about this is that the Democrats probably should have known better. Not only had they experienced Gore losing, but the opposite end of the spectrum with Obama - a force of charisma and persona - trampling the competition. Policy wonks don't do well and that's what Hillary is. Persona matters a great deal and if you hand your opponent virtually unlimited ammo with which to attack, you can't expect the result to be in your favor.

I personally think that, on the balance of things, she'd be a good president. Having said that, there's really no excuse for the way her campaign was run. Democrats need to take ownership of this L. The other side is going to do what they do. If your own house isn't in order, you have only yourself to blame when things go sideways.
 

Cagey

Banned
What an embarrassing pile of excuses. Comey, Comey, Comey. Nothing about their miscalculation in relying on data too much, no reflection on their failure to reach out to certain states, nothing on failing to energize their base. Just Comey. It would have been better if they jusy said they lost the election in the last week because polling data gave them such a hard on tey got complacent. None of that either! Comey!!!!
Don't forget Jill Stein.

An election against Donald Trump should never have been so close that the smallest of margins mattered. Her utter failure in this election is what reduced her to such a bad position that such excuses are even remotely plausible!
 

MogCakes

Member
Their strategy was fucked. They never once talk about the American people as actual citizens. The electorate is literally a statistic for them here. How embarrassing.

EDIT: It has become clear to me with that list, what the neoliberal mindset is truly about. They are as corporate-focused as their red counterparts.
 

Blader

Member
Their strategy was fucked. They never once talk about the American people as actual citizens. The electorate is literally a statistic for them here. How embarrassing.

EDIT: It has become clear to me with that list, what the neoliberal mindset is truly about. They are as corporate-focused as their red counterparts.

This is profoundly untrue. Hillary spoke to a number of different groups of people as real people with real concerns. Yes, she clearly erred in a huge way by neglecting rural/exurban working-class whites. But the anger and disappointment over her loss and the campaign's errors in strategy are starting to completely re-color people's perceptions of what she/they actually said and did over the last 18 months.
 
Based on this letter I have zero confidence that the DNC will reflect and improve in four years. If Trump manages to improve the economy of the rust belt it's going to be solid Republican for many years.
 

Blader

Member
Based on this letter I have zero confidence that the DNC will reflect and improve in four years. If Trump manages to improve the economy of the rust belt it's going to be solid Republican for many years.

If Trump's policies go into effect, the Rust Belt is going to be the first and hardest hit. The one policy that could be beneficial -- and one of the few, if only things, I hope Trump pulls off -- is an infrastructure bill, since infrastructure in this country needs the help and it would inject more jobs into the economy. But, McConnell has already said no to that, of course. And I'm sure if they even did pass it, it'd be paired with huge tax breaks for the wealthy, because why not, which will drive up the deficit back up.

And, in any event, the Clinton campaign =/= the DNC. I mean, I guess in one sense it DID, but I think the infusion of new blood and more popular progressive firebrands like Warren and Sanders taking on a larger role in shaping the party will end up being a good thing. I hope, anyway.
 

MogCakes

Member
But the anger and disappointment over her loss and the campaign's errors in strategy are starting to completely re-color people's perceptions of what she/they actually said and did over the last 18 months.

I admit I am probably not being objective.
 
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