So if Hillary wasn't Bill's wife, would she be running for president?

[Cyrano]

I'm not a Hillary hater. I'm not even a Hillary disliker. But let me ask you this. If Hillary were not Mrs. Bill Clinton, would she be running for president?

I like much of what Hillary stands for and dislike many other things she stands for. That can be said about any other candidate we have, or ever have had.

But here's the thing. If Bill Clinton had not been president, would Hillary be running? What would her platform be? What would her credentials be? What would her credibility be? What would make her a viable candidate? Why would anyone pay any attention to her? And most importantly, why would anyone vote for her? On a more personal level, why would you cast your vote for her?

Whether you love her, hate her, or are totally indifferent about her, I'd like to hear your answers to these questions.

[Perry Logan]

1. It would be for God to say.

[AzDar]

12. Or Pat Robertson.

:rofl:

[aquart]

2. Probably ten years ago. Next question.

[fenriswolf]

3. here is a question for you

if she wasn't mrs bill clinton would she even be a senator?

[PeaceNikki]

4. What if penguins could fly?

What if unicorns were our primary mode of transportation?

What if God was one of us?

[lutefisk]

30. What if Sparticus had a Piper Cub?.....n/t

[PeaceNikki]

32. What if chickens ate people?

[lutefisk]

36. Hmmmmmm....

:shrug: Now that has me thinking...:toast:

[Avalux]

5. She might be running, but she wouldn't be where she is.

I don't want to get beaten up for saying this, but I think a lot of people are supporting her because of Bill; because they love him and there's a sense of nostalgia at play. If her name was Hillary Douglas with an unknown husband and she was running 'alone', she would be nowhere.

That said, if she's the nominee, I will support her 100%.

[mruddy]

6. Will Laura Bush be a presidential candidate in 4 or 8 years?

[Cyrano]

20. George Bush is no Bill Clinton.

[babylonsister]

23. Neither is Hillary. nt

[Xipe Totec]

7. The real question is, would Bill have been President? (nt)

[angstlessk]

9. THAT was my question...I think Hillary had more to do with Bill becoming

president then Bill had!

[Journeyman]

19. There's the old joke from the early '90s. . .

Bill and Hillary return to Arkansas and while there, run into an old boyfriend of Hillary's. He's pumping gas at the local filling station. They pass a few pleasantries, then drive on. Bill turns to Hillary and, with a laugh, says: "If you'd married him, you'd be living at that gas station today."

"Bill," she replies, "if I'd married him he'd be living at The White House."

[JackRiddler]

25. beat me to it, damn you...

There's truth in it, no doubt.

[Xipe Totec]

29. Agreed!

Much truth in that joke.

:hi:

[maddezmom]

35. love it

:thumbsup:

[ElizabethDC]

8. I think she probably would

I think that if she hadn't married Bill she'd probably have run for elected office long before she did. I think that he holds her back in some ways. I think she's independently intelligent, strong, and level-headed, and that would have carried her far no matter what path she chose in life.

[LiberalFighter]

10. Elizabeth Dole

[WillyT]

11. She Might Be Running, But I Doubt She'd Be At The Top Of The National Polls

Her name recognition gave her a large leg up!

:shrug:

[951-Riverside]

13. She wouldnt have a chance in hell. n/t

[uppityperson]

14. Difficult to do "if"s, are you asking IF Sen Clinton were just a regular person?

Without money or political connections? Why her and not me? Connections and money. If she hadn't had the life she had, who would she be? So, to answer, difficult to do "if" since so many factors.

[Cyrano]

16. Outstanding answer. Isaac Asimov couldn't have said it better.

[uppityperson]

17. Why, thank you.

:crazy: :rofl:

[Octafish]

15. What if Hillary wasn't Bill's wife, would Bill have become president?

And I like Hill and Bill.

The thing is, they got press coverage. They also got money when they needed it to buy and build a buzz when things weren't going well in 1992 had a lot to do with that. Smart, savvy PR helps.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. Celebrity has it's rewards. However underserved.

[JohnnyLib2]

21. Nah. She went to Harvard Law, looked for the most likely

guy to be president, nailed him, nailed the presidency for him and here we are. It was all planned by the time she deserted Goldwater. And Moynihan had to go, as well. :sarcasm: :banghead:

[salin]

22. Who knows...

as that would mean she probably would have started her legal career in another state, and who knows. When Bill first ran in 1992, she was on the list of the 100 most powerful lawyers in the country. What might that have been like had she not spent so many years being first lady of a state? Clearly she is talented on her own, and was interested in politics at least going back to college. Who is to say what her political career might have been on her own.

[jody]

24. That's like asking would Obama be running for president if he wasn't black? n/t

[MADem]

26. You have to wonder if she wouldn't have run sooner.

She'd probably be right behind the Old Bulls in Senate seniority at this point, and who knows from what state, either? She might have been the Senior Senator from Illinois...!

She'd probably be very credible. After all, she became "made" on the Watergate Commission. Way too many people forget that.

She put her shit on hold to help her Charlie Charm husband. If she'd married some guy who was happy to be second banana, President Rodham might be a FORMER president, going on to do Carteresque or Clintonesque things around the world.

[Rageneau]

27. I think she's running because of what they DID to Bill.

I detect a streak of: "Okay, assholes I'll show you!" in Hillary's attitude. I think it's actually PERSONAL with her.

[DaLittle Kitty]

28. In A Word... NOOOOOOOOO!

She is the Absolute Narcissist! That is why she remained w/ Bill No matter his "Character flaws.":)

[CANDO]

31. You sexist pig!!!!!!!

Not really. That's the treatment I got for mentioning something similar in another thread.

[mondo joe]

33. Unknown. Her life, and his, wold have been very different. She might have been president already.

She might not be interested in it. She might be on the Supreme Court. She might be an attorney in a small town.

[ljm2002]

34. She was on that path...

...up and coming lawyer, political activist. She may very well have run for office herself, and that may or may not have led her to run for President, or even to have ever considered it. Who knows? But she certainly did not come into her political interests and commitments only on Bill's coattails. In my view, she was constrained by the traditional role of politician's wife, actually, and hers is a cautionary tale: be careful what you give up in the name of supporting your husband's career. For when he succeeds in his career, he'll get the credit; and when you finally start your own political career, he'll still get the credit.

She's not my favorite candidate. But she has earned her run for President, IMO.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

37. I don't see why not. She's an impressive and talented person.

And to be honest, Bill is looking like more of a liability than an asset these days. :shrug:

[treestar]

38. tough call

She might have been elected Senator on her own, but the notoriety of being First Lady probably helped. But the thing is, she could be able, also. It wouldn't be that she is not, merely because she was once First Lady. Even if it gave her a leg up, that doesn't mean she's not talented or capable and didn't learn anything from 8 years as a spouse in the White House.

Whether she could have done it without Bill will always be academic, since she married Bill. A woman doesn't have to be single to be successful, either, and no one would ask this question of a man. Nobody said, if not for Hillary, could Bill have made it to the White House. You know, behind every successful man there is a woman, and all that sexist stuff, so maybe that applied here too. If he had married someone else, that might not have been someone who was so helpful and supportive of the campaign.

[leftofthedial]

39. no.

if she was in politics at all, she might be running for state legislature somewhere. maybe mayor of a top-100 market city somewhere in the Midwest. probably, though, she'd be a corporate lawyer.

[LostInAnomie]

40. She probably wouldn't even be a Senator...

... definitely not the NY Junior Senator.

Take away Bill and you take away about 17 years of her claimed "experience".

[mondo joe]

42. Take away Bill and she'd have been successful in other ways. NT

[LostInAnomie]

43. Could be, the relationship is a symbiotic one for both of them.

It's highly doubtful, in my mind, that either one of them would have been anywhere near as successful without the other. They are a compliment to each other.

That being said, without Bill and the clout that comes with being married to the former POTUS, she would have never became a NY Senator. She probably would have never even become the nominee.

It's possible, considering many of her policy positions, that she would have been a Republican.

[AngryAmish]

41. She would still be running Wal-Mart

[Thothmes]

44. In my opinion,

No, she would be a corporate lawyer in Arkansas

[mondo joe]

45. Why would she be in Arkansas?

[Thothmes]

46. Why not?

[mondo joe]

49. You're the one who suggested it - thought you might have a reason.

Guess not.

[UTUSN]

47. So if Shrub weren't Poppy's son, would he have run for president?!1 n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

48. Your question is specifically unanswerable. That said, consider this:

Everyone who runs for president does it out of some combination of ego and megalomania. In that sense, there's no doubt that she would be one who would always have dreamed of it, even if she never rose higher in life than ...... I dunno ..... a school lunch lady with a hairnet.

Her circumstances and life path brought her here. As did the life paths of her three opponents on stage tonight.