Bizarre, Politics

Hillary Clinton: “I Take Responsibility For Every Decision I Made, But That’s Not Why I Lost”

Hillary_Clinton_Testimony_to_House_Select_Committee_on_BenghaziWe have previously discussed how Clinton has blamed self-hating women, the Russians, and a long list of reasons for her loss . . . except for herself.   Despite losing the virtually unloseable election to Donald Trump, Clinton continues to be celebrated by Democratic insiders in speeches and continues to blame others for her historic loss.  That campaign was in full view this week with Clinton’s appearance at the annual Code Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.  Clinton continues to evade tough questions about her own conduct while giving the false impression of taking responsibility.  This week she crafted a truly Clintonesque line: “I take responsibility for every decision I made, but that’s not why I lost.”  In other words, I take no responsibility.  As many on this blog know, I have been very critical of Trump but I have no more patience with Clinton or the establishment figures who brought about this historic loss.  All of these groups celebrating Clinton ignore the fact that Trump could not possibly have succeeded without her — and the effort of virtually every national Democratic leader to guarantee her nomination.

As we discussed earlier, Clinton’s magical mystery tour after the election is designed to avoid blame for herself and the Democratic establishment which largely engineered her selection.  We are still waiting for a serious post-election interview of Clinton.  Carefully selected interviewers never ask about any of the scandals that plagued Clinton or the fact that she was one of the least popular politicians in the country or that she magnified these problems by refusing to turn over her Wall Street speeches.  They also do not ask why Clinton remained so close in the polls against someone so polarizing as Trump.  Finally, when Clinton refers to her controversies as causing the loss, she is never asked about the fact that Trump faced endless such controversies at the same time but still prevailed against her.  Trump faced unrelentingly bad press and, in comparison, Clinton had overwhelmingly positive (and at times openly supportive) coverage.  Yet Trump prevailed against her.  As David Axelrod said this week, “it took a lot of work to lose to Donald Trump.”

The show was in full display in the latest speech. The Clintons however have continued to evolve in their blaming of others.  Within minutes of the loss on election night, Clinton aides began to spin the loss and entirely the fault of FBI Director James Comey — a spin picked up by Clinton herself the next day. Many of us have questioned that spin in light of Clinton’s long-standing low polls on truthfulness and her ranking as (with Trump) the most unpopular nominee of a major party for the presidency.  Now however it is the Russians who stole the election from Clinton (who could not get serious distance from the most unpopular presidential candidate in history due to her own low polling).  Accordingly, after claiming that she would take responsibility, Clinton immediately denied any responsibility: “The overriding issue that affected the election that I had any control over — because I had no control over the Russians — was the way the use of my email account was turned into the greatest scandal since Lord knows when. This was the biggest ‘nothing burger’ ever.”

There are a couple of obvious problems with this spin of course.  First, Clinton’s use of a personal server did compromise security and was widely denounced.  Despite her denials, classified emails were sent to her personal server.  Second, Clinton and her supporters still struggle with the fact that the key emails cited in the election were true.  They were not fake.  So they are still trying to get voters upset that hackers revealed false statements by Clinton and high ranking officials.  They are supposed to be disgusted that anyone allowed them to see emails that directly contradicted what they were being told.

I have previously said that the Russian hacking warrants comprehensive investigation, even though our county is notorious for such hacking and influencing of elections.  It is a serious matter if the Russians selectively hacked Clinton’s emails to try to influence the election.  However, I do not believe that the hacking was the reason that she lost.  More importantly, the Clintons continue to avoid discussing the misrepresentations disclosed

A recent poll showed that, despite Trump being the least popular modern president at this point in his Administration, he would still beat Clinton.  Clinton still remains radioactive with many voters. Before the establishment all but anointed Clinton as their candidate in the primary, polls clearly showed that the voters did not want an establishment figure so the DNC worked to guarantee the nomination to the ultimate establishment figure. However, it clearly goes deeper than that.  Again, even against one of the most unpopular figures in history (Trump was even worse at 63 percent unfavorability), Clinton struggled even to maintain a majority of women with favorability ratings.  I believe that voters are willing to elect a woman and I do not believe that the last election was decided by self-hating women. There was ample reason to vote against Clinton who was not just the ultimate establishment figure but was dragging a long chain of controversies (as well as polls showing that voters heavily viewed her as dishonest).
 As previously discussed, the New York Times study found that Trump won by “persuasion” and not turn out. In other words, they rejected Clinton as a candidate as they did when she ran against Obama.  It came down to the candidates: “The voter file data makes it impossible to avoid this conclusion. It’s not just that the electorate looks far too Democratic. In many cases, turnout cannot explain Mrs. Clinton’s losses.”
However, that is not the point.  It is essential for Democratic leaders that the blame for this election not fall on Clinton (and by extension themselves).  It is easier to blame Comey or the Russians or women.  Clinton returned again to the notion that there was no reason why any woman could possibly vote against her other than her own self-hate: “At some point it bleeds into misogyny.”
Ironically, like Trump, Clinton continues to blame “fake news” without explaining what critical story undermined her campaign.  The complaint ignores that Clinton lost not one but two presidential elections.  The public has always distrusted her and even the highly favorable media would comment on her striking inability to simply answer questions directly and truthfully.
The concerted effort of Clinton and her supporters to rewrite history is understandable.  It is hard to get voters to come back into the fold if they blame you for your disastrous role in the 2016 loss.  That is why it has to be the Russians or Comey or self-hating women.  The tragic thing is that it may work.  The Clintons are back on the speaking circuit (with the addition of Chelsea who is rumored to be thinking to taking over as the new Democratic standard bearer).  Figures like Debbie Wasserman-Schultz are back on the air attacking others for dishonesty.  Nancy Pelosi is still the leader of the Democratic House members.  Little has changed but the narrative.
For years, I have argued that the duopoly of power is killing this country and that we need real political reform (here and here).  We have become a country of chumps.  The two parties continue to limit the choices for voters while running primarily on the hatred for the other side.  Yet, even with our history of falling time and time again for the same rhetoric, there is no evidence of upward learning curve.  The reinvention of Hillary Clinton is a prime example of just how gullible we have become.  The Democrats could well take one or both houses based not on their popularity but the rising hatred for Trump.  These very same Democratic leaders will then again enjoy the fruits of power in the endless swing of our pendulum politics between the two main parties.

Clinton: Majority of news items posted on Facebook were fake

226 thoughts on “Hillary Clinton: “I Take Responsibility For Every Decision I Made, But That’s Not Why I Lost””

  1. What Hillary doesn’t realize or doesn’t admit is that she is unlikable. untrustworthy, self-aggrandizing, morally compromised, arrogant, leader of the far Left fruit loops who married a certified liar, serial adulterer and accused rapist. A lawyer for Wall-Mart turned social reformer, Hillary may have been the worst possible choice for president in American history.

  10. This post is excellent. It covers a considerable number of points with real insight, and drives home, again and again just how moribund the Democratic party is, as fundamentally illustrated by its total identification with the elite and it’s blind insistence on noting but the most odious establishment candidates despite overwhelming in-their-face evidence of the need for change. And I agree, as Professor Turley points out, both parties need a serious overhaul at a minimum. In the case of the Democrats, I don’t think that is enough. I believe at this point, the party is beyond any hope of repair. As to the Reppublicans, probably the same. They are no longer conservative, they are just corrupt. Almost identical with Democrats in terms of function, they are simply mad with power, globalism, and greed.

    Are there some serious hangovers out there? Not as many as there should be. These people have drunk so long and so deep of the cool-aid that it is no longer a question of hangover.

    I have (in some cases had) various friends who simply couldn’t fathom why Hillary might be anything other than our queen or why there was even a need to vote, so obvious and preordained was her reign. Any dissent on my part or even murmur of criticism with her name in it got me the exact same labels of pinko socialist communist I get from the right (minus – perhaps – the “pinko”, I forget). I’ve rarely been so gobsmacked by their ability to simply ignore wholesale and glossy eyed any information big or small that contradicted those beliefs.

    1. I will be celebrating 4th of July and will not cede my country to Trump Putin.

    2. More fit mentally and physically for office than current POTUS. and he is 10yearsolder.

    3. autumn – Arizona voted in term limits for all offices including federal. However, the federal courts said only an act of Congress or a Constitutional Amendment could put term limits on federal elected officials. Still, we tried. 😉

      1. Pass an act of Congress stripping the federal courts of jurisdiction.

        1. dss – to you think Congress is going to vote term limits on itself. Each term is more power. Can you see Nancy Pelosi voting herself out of power? McCain?

  14. “I’m With Her” is why she lost. Her campaign was all about what we could do for HER.

    Help ME break the glass ceiling. Help ME be the first woman president. Help ME make history. Help ME to power. Help ME fight against this vast right wing conspiracy that holds ME back. Help ME because I am a victim of all they are doing TO me. Help ME achieve what I deserve because I am a woman and it is MY turn.

    It’s not persuasive because it’s all about HER. She truly believed she deserved it. She didn’t campaign much. She had her surrogates do that for her – including Barack and Michelle Obama. Hillary offered nothing, zero, nada, zilch to anyone except her corrupt cronies.

    Her chosen slogan: “I’m With HER” sums it all up.

    Now can we let this election be over already?

  15. Given that Turley is for abolishing the Electoral College, that actually means that Hillary should be President currently.

    1. You can abolish the office of elector and the ritual of having electors meet in state capitols without eliminating electoral votes. In the latter case, electoral votes would be a tabulating convention, distributed accorded to who won a state’s popular vote.

      If you want national popular vote, you’d have to erect a national scheme of elections administration. Building novel public agencies is not exactly our national genius.

  17. My favorite excuse of Hillary’s so far is: ‘content farms in Macedonia.’

  18. Hillary Clinton was unfit to be the candidate in Election 2016–but she even admits to having to “inject money” into the DNC–ergo, she bought them off–ergo, they rigged the primary in order to enable her to represent the Democrats–and then, they purposely defrauded the voters who preferred Bernie Sanders over her.

    It’s NOT the Russians–It’s NOT misogyny–It’s NOT Comey, bad “data”, social media, the Deplorables, the Basement Dwellers, or the vast right wing conspiracy–It’s the Clintons: they are the most corrupt politicos along with the Bush Crime Family to have infected our political system in modern times. Both the Bush & Clinton mafias should be ousted from the political arena for the next century.

    All of the excuses not withstanding–as a woman who voted for Bernie Sanders–as a life-long Democrat–as a feminist who has fought for Women’s Rights my entire life–and as a citizen who refuses to follow anybody blindly– I will never vote for Bill, Hillary or Chelsea Clinton–Never! Hillary is a liar, a cheat and a criminal–she has no empathy for the working people of America–Hillary is for Hillary. Period.

    1. http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/35006-hillary-clinton-s-faux-feminism

    2. http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/37054-hillary-clinton-s-record-a-us-horror-story

    3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtmvoKvP0sU

    Hillary lost because people see thru the Clinton’s Triangulation scam which has harmed America whilst enriching the Clintons. period.

    1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QnVp5Krk14

    2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE8PG2mpo58

    3. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/bernie-sanders-us-election-president-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-democrats-primary-results-a7408451.html

    Wake-up: the Clintons should face indictment for selling us out to Russia, the Saudis, Wall Street, etc. etc. etc.:–>http://www.activistpost.com/2016/01/the-clinton-foundation-hillary-beholden-to-banks-corporations-and-foreign-governments.html

      1. Sometimes, too many links will cause the spam filter to automatically reject a comment. I had one the other day that I never could get to go through. It was a really good one, too.

        Squeeky Fromm
        Girl Reporter

          1. I should correct that to say, two is the limit I have found when ever I try and post more. I suspect Darell or someone pushed Gadfly’s comment through the filter.

            1. Tat, and sometimes the WordPress spam filter just gets hungry. I’ve had perfectly innocuous posts (no cussing and no links) get snared. Sometimes Darren can find them and free them, sometimes they are just gone.

  19. Sick of rehashing this election. We had two war mongering crooks running. One won. One lost. Let’s protest the one that is waging war and taking away our healthcare.

    1. kimi, the government does not provide healthcare. They are not doctors and nurses. No one is taking away your healthcare. Please read up on the difference between health insurance and health care.
      If your auto insurance company cancels you, does that take away your car?

      Re: waging war. He didn’t start them, your guy did.

      2. Trump IS escalating the mideast wars. He and the Saudis are starving the Yemenis.

      4. TRUMPCARE is a losing proposition no matter how you look at it. Medicare for all.

    2. And privitizing our infrastructure and setting us up for anthropogenic extinction with distinct possibilities of a nuclear option if we, or Trump, decide(s) we can’t wait for climate change to do the trick. And that’s the tip of the ice bu… (damn, it melted). 🙂

  20. Yes… it is the reason why she lost… SHE’S A LIAR!!! The BETTER candidate won. GET OVER IT!! GO AWAY. SHUT UP. PEOPLE AREN’T INTERESTED IN YOUR EXCUSES ANY MORE!!

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