You have had nearly a week to either celebrate or mourn, depending on who and what you supported of course.

At the end of the day, I think the emails did it. FBI Director, Comey, released more emails precariously close to the election and I think it influenced potential voters to stay home. Sec. Clinton thinks so as well.

‘FiveThirtyEight,’ a popular political blog spoke to that overall fall of voter turn out, especially in states where Clinton won. 

Using the numbers from a reputable 2016 national popular vote tracker and government archives, I looked at voter turn out for myself.

2012 total vote (including third parties): 129,075,630

2012 Democrat vote: 65,446,032

2012 Republican vote: 60,589,084

 

2016 total vote (including third parties): 128,604,583

2016 Democrat vote: 61,337,682

2016 Republican vote: 60,582,159

 

From 2012 to 2016 the Republican vote dropped .01142 percent while the Democrat vote dropped 6.2775 percent from 2012 to 2016 showing less motivation from Democratic voters. The total vote dropped a 0.3649 percent while third parties votes increased from 2,518,731 (2012) to 6,684,742 (2016), an increase of 37.6788 percent.

Third parties showed up in this election, proving the distaste of the two popular candidates.

The large drop of vote from 2012 to 2016 for the Democratic candidate is evidence of a large group of unmotivated voters who are not excited about their candidate, and I think their apathy was solidified by Comey’s late and vague disclosure of more (come to find out, insignificant) emails. This was also seen slightly in the Republican’s drop in votes, but not like Sec. Clinton’s.

I hope this gives everyone a fair laugh. I found it in my search for relevant political cartoons.

That is all.

Well, apparently losing the election was not enough for the Clinton Camp according to the people over at WikiLeaks. Today, they released 300 more emails from Podesta, in what is now the 36^th leak to come out. It seems to be more of the same things coming out at this point; early information, evidence of political doublespeak, and political strategizing. This batch came with some information from the Obama campaign as well, as Podesta worked with him back in 2008.

 

What does releasing these emails still really accomplish though? Of course, the WikiLeaks side of things is to give information to the public that they deserve. For Trump, this is fuel for his early fire. If you remember back during the first debate, Trump was saying he’d release his taxes when Clinton released all her emails. Video linked here

This isn’t the end of it for his side though. The Washington Post reported earlier that he still might be pursuing a legal track of prosecuting her after he is sworn into office. If you’ll remember, as the article explains as well, he said during a previous debate that he planned to appoint a special prosecutor to try her. Apparently the Republican side in general though is saying that this would probably be a bad idea, but his supporters were frequently seen at rallies shouting “Lock her up!” so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

All that these emails are doing at this point though are throwing her further under the bus after a loss and giving Trump and his supporters more tools to make their case against her.

As Election Day is here, it’s valid to ask: will the results bring the end of this long controversy over Hillary Clinton’s inbox? Elections cause lots of mudslinging, but usually this ends once the election is over and people get on board behind the newly elected leader. However, in many ways, including Trump claiming he may not accept the results of the election, there is reason to believe that this election could be different. Many people believe that this email scandal will follow Hillary into the White House even if she wins tonight.

Well said, Bernie. However, the end of the email discussion seems nowhere in sight.

Why?

Trump’s campaign has been feeding off the concept that the election and the political system are rigged. This powerful rhetorical strategy has many voters questioning the legitimacy of our democratic process, which is very dangerous for the stability of our country. As the election results unfold there are numerous opportunities for Trump to continue these claims, which he has already been doing these last days of the campaign. After FBI Director James Comey released a statement claiming that the FBI does not suggest any charges to be filed against Clinton, Trump stated:

“You can’t review 650,000 new emails in eight days. You can’t do it, folks. Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know it.”

Trump claims that the system is rigged and it is up to the voters to ensure that they don’t get away with it. Whichever way the election goes tonight, it seems that we will likely continue to hear rhetoric embodying this idea.

Furthermore

The Democrats are praising Comey for releasing the statement claiming they are glad it is “resolved”. However, the FBI says it’s normal for more evidence in this type of issue to surface. Plus, according to this article, they plan to further question Huma Abedin about why these emails were stored on her ex-husband’s computer. The FBI didn’t confirm or deny whether any were classified, they only suggested no further action in response to reviewing the new emails. So this all leaves a lot of Americans scratching their heads confused. If Hillary is to win, it is likely that these rumors will continue as each party gears back up for the next election cycle—the cycle that seems to never rest.

Implications

These claims have many American people questioning the government. It seems unlikely that people are ready to drop these email accusations. The rhetoric surrounding this election and specifically this email scandal has increased distrust in the government and further divided the American people.

So, tomorrow is the day many Americans have been anticipating since Ted Cruz was the first major candidate to announce that he was running for president in March 23, 2015: Election day.

Election day may bring something other than this campaign season to an end…

Yes, we might actually escape Secretary Clinton’s email controversy.

In my last post I described the ‘October surprise’ of more ‘classified emails’ being found on Anthony Weiner’s computer. The FBI reviewed emails, again, determined if a crime was committed, again, and are not recommending charges, again. The FBI reviewed the emails in eight days and are not recommending charges against Sec. Clinton.

The rhetoric currently circulating the latest development of the email controversy mainly on how the FBI was able to review the emails so quickly and Trump, and other supporters, claiming it was impossible, probably to push the ‘rigged election’ narrative. While Sec. Clinton’s camp hasn’t pushed anything out about the emails, keeping her presidential position and acting above the fray. I think Sec. Clinton’s position of not focusing on petty moments of the past and focusing on the big picture of the election is the best position to take in the final stretch.

In the past few days she has had celebrity appearances with Beyonce, President Obama and Bruce Springsteen, which is a smart move. She has great celebrity support and she has capitalized on it instead of commenting on the newest development on controversy in the news.

Meanwhile, Trump is scraping for support, doesn’t have any celebrities championing for him in person and still focuses on petty issues.

More than 42 million votes already cast, but that is lower than the 46 million votes cast in 2016, which is an indictor that there is a lack of motivation and enthusiasm (Vox). GO VOTE!

I promise it’s very easy.

 

Do it! Your vote counts!

Donald Trump’s Godsend!

With the election drawing to a close, FBI director Comey announcing that the Clinton email case would be reopened was a damaging blow to the Clinton campaign. Hillary and her campaign are already going after director Comey for reopening this case so close to the election. This has been an obvious blow to her campaign for presidency, but it has been an amazing turn of events for her opponent Donald Trump. He not only is utilizing this rhetorically, but it also takes the eyes off of his own numerous scandals.

What the Case Reopening Means for Trump

Donald Trump’s campaign was quick to utilize the reopening of the campaign to go after Hillary Clinton’s character. Even though Trump initially slammed the FBI for how they handled the case, with it being reopening he is now claiming that he has always had confidence in the FBI . This shows how Rhetoric shifts to fit, the situation. When the FBI claimed that there was no evidence to persecute Hillary Clinton Trump attacked them, but now that they are opening up the case again he is fully supporting them. Trump also has been claiming that Hillary is untrustworthy and is using the recurring scandal from her emails to further push that narrative.

It is safe to assume that for the Trump campaign this October surprise coming so close to election day is being used to try to jolt them to victory, it is also being used to take some of the heat off of Trump’s own scandals.

Trump’s Godsend

This not only occurred near the end of the election, but also during a time when Trump was being criticized for lewd comments he made about women. With the eyes finally being pulled off of him, Trump is trying to milk the email scandal for everything it is worth in the last days of this election and is trying to increase momentum for his campaign. Not only was his sexual misconduct swept under the rug, but also his lack of tax returns is also being left out of the media circus. Now the media is focused on Clinton’s emails and she has a dark cloud over her, while Trump is trying to avoid scandal in the last days of the campaign and stay on point .

He is allowing the reopening of this case, and the scandal of the Clinton campaign to hurt Clinton. By staying on point, he is appearing more presidential and making himself look like the trustworthy one in the final days of the election. The only question is will this be enough, we will find out once this election is finally over.

Case Reopened

In my last article, I discussed the reasons why the Wikileaks emails were gaining so little traction in the media. My reasons were that 1) we expect this from Hillary by now, 2) we need soundbites, not pages of emails, and 3) other alternative stories are juicier. Well folks… Clinton’s juicy sound bite story has arrived! A few days ago, the FBI released a statement that they will be reopening the investigation regarding Clinton and her email server based on recent findings.

Where did those findings originate? (No, not from Wikileaks.) Surprisingly enough, they were found on the infamous Anthony Weiner’s computer that was being investigated for other reasons. It turns out that the emails actually belonged to Weiner’s ex-wife and now-Clinton aide Huma Abedin, which makes a lot more sense… but that explanation sounds a lot less scandalous.

Story or sound-bite?

To be honest, that’s nearly all the information the public has access to, except for a few more details you can read here. The fact that the FBI has released no other information in and of itself is hurting Clinton’s campaign, because now the media has its sound bite to run with. Hillary Clinton and her email controversy are now tied to a scandalous politician being investigated for inappropriate relations with a minor—and if that’s not juicy, I don’t know what is. The longer it takes for the FBI to release more details, the more and more this impression will be reinforced in the public’s mind. People have no other information with which to justify or denounce their support for Clinton, which means the short story is getting revisited over and over again.

Given that it is only one week from the election, I disagree with my own advice from the last blog post. The Clinton campaign has been backed into a corner with this one and there is little room for pivoting anymore. I really doubt that any other scandal will break in the next 7 days that is bigger news than this, even though Trump has proven to be a bit unpredictable. The only thing left for the Clinton campaign to do is to keep their heads down and wait for November 8^th. Realistically, no major investigation findings can break in the next week, given the sheer multitude of information to comb through and many people have already made their choice via early voting.

Back Up

In case you missed it, last Friday the FBI revealed that emails from Huma Abedin are now under investigation in relation to the Clinton email scandal (catch up on the full story here). As the election is only a week away, this last minute “October surprise” has both sides talking.

What’s Being Said

As to be expected, the Republicans, especially Donald Trump, are jumping up and down. Last week a majority of the polls showed that Senator Clinton was ahead by a long shot. However, after this October surprise, according to a poll published by the Washington Post 34% of voters stated they are now less likely to vote for her.

On the other hand, there have been a lot of open accusations surrounding the announcement of this information. A lot of people are criticizing FBI head James Comey for releasing this information without the full story so close to the election.

Clinton’s Response

In what I would consider a good rhetorical strategy, the Clinton campaign has addressed these new email leaks head on. In the past her response to the email scandal has included a lot of avoiding and pivoting from the issue. However, this time she needed to address the new wave of emails more quickly because Election Day is around the corner. Hillary has challenged the FBI to release more information about the investigation. Her reasoning for this is that the emails have not yet been confirmed to contain any incriminating information. By directly calling upon investigators to reveal more information, she has attempted to convince voters that these emails are irrelevant. While it is clear from voter response that her strategy has not been very successful, it was the best political move for her campaign. In one article she is quoted responding to the FBI’s behavior saying:

“It is pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information right before an election,” Clinton said, adding, “It’s not just strange, it’s unprecedented and it’s deeply troubling because voters deserve to get full and complete facts.”

Clinton supporters are also coming forward with similar statements. By directly responding and engaging in response to this issue, she is attempting to rhetorically create an image of innocence and transparency. I think the Clinton campaign has handled this much better than previous situations during this email controversy, although only time will show if her response effectively encourages voters.

Hillary Clinton Email Case Reopened

With the election winding down, on October 28, 2016 FBI director Comey announced that the FBI is reexamining new emails related to Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server. This stems from Emails that the FBI found recently and is related to inappropriate behavior related to Anthony Weiner, and the emails were found on his laptop. I will be examining how this will have a negative rhetorical effect on Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Negative Implications for Clinton Campaign

Anthony Weiner is a known democrat and has a history of inappropriate behavior, and the new Secretary of State emails were found on his laptop while he is being investigated for sending illicit messages to a fifteen year old girl . The emails were found, while during the investigation law enforcement went through Weiner’s ex wife Huma Abedin’s laptop. This democrat scandal, coupled with the fact that Huma Abedin is Hillary Clinton’s current aid . Amongst the backdrop of current email scandal that has arisen from Wikileaks , and the election soon drawing to a close this has been a horrible turn of events for Hillary Clinton. For her opponents and the media this has been a field day.

Trump used this as more ammunition to claim that the election is being rigged, and that the Justice Department is fighting the FBI to protect Hillary . Thi is a good move for his campaign rhetorically as it gives more fuel to the fire that Hillary Clinton is a untrustworthy establishment shill who doesn’t have to follow the same rules as the rest of us. At a Trump rally when he brought up the case was being reopened his supporters were more then excited, and he pushed the notion that she is a criminal and corrupt.

 

 

The media on the other hand, is attempting to sensationalize the issue and further draw this story out. Often reporting how the Clinton campaign is one the defensive in handling this situation. This story is steeped in enough scandal as is, but now that you add the sexual backdrop, that comes with the fact that it is linked to Anthony Weiner’s sexual misconduct that only further adds more controversy for the media to play off of. Sex sells in American politics.

Rhetorical Significance

Which each passing day, the cumulative scandals created by Hillary Clinton’s emails only further cause her more issues in this election. As she is already seen as untrustworthy and as she had just only narrowly been found not guilty, the reopening of the case is just further evidence to deteriorate her campaign. This October has had many surprises for both campaigns, this might be the issue to finally get the eye off of Trump’s sex scandal. Considering this new reopened case is a mix of a sex scandal and another case of Clinton seeming untrustworthy, it is possible that Trump can use this to take the election in November. Her campaign is already mobilizing to fight this.

Clinton will maintain that this is a non issue, and that even director Comey has said that this investigation should not effect her being President. That being said, in the public opinion this only further makes her appear untrustworthy.

Why can’t the Wikileaks emails dominate the news cycle? 

The email dumping continues as Wikileaks has recently completed “The Podesta Emails: Pt. 20”. New outrages and suspicions have been arising with each new leak, yet these stories will often disappear from the news cycle within a few days. The latest stories include… Bill Clinton’s paid speeches, police brutality victims like Eric Garner, and Clinton aides’ reaction to her private server. But don’t worry about catching up, by tomorrow there will be 3-5 more shocking stories to cover up those updates anyway. As the campaign comes to a close, the Wikileaks information overload is starting to feel like old news before it’s even leaked.

Why do these perfectly shocking and scandalous stories seem so tired out? I have three possible reasons for you.

1. Because that’s what we expect from Hillary Clinton by now.

The shock and awe of Clinton’s email controversy is long gone. It’s not news that HRC has been involved in some shady political dealings. Personally, I have not seen a story from the Podesta Emails series that has truly shocked me because everyone expects Wikileaks to find dirt on the campaign.

2. Because to stay interested, we need soundbites, not pages and pages of emails.

It’s difficult to turn a long thread of emails into an attention-grabbing soundbite—and that’s what the public needs to stay interested in a story. Political media thrives on short, catchy, memorable phrases, like “basket of deplorables” and “nasty woman.” It’s not to say that the released emails aren’t incriminating, or at the very least intriguing, but the truth is, very few voters will take the time to research and educate themselves on the topic, especially if it’s not being blasted from every media source imaginable. The problem with the information overload can be summed up like this: We will never see a trending hashtag on Twitter that reads “#HillaryIsShady2016BecauseEvenHerAidesWereSuspiciousOfHerPrivateServerIfYouGoBackAndLookAtTheEmailsFromMarchOf2015.”

3. Because the alternative is so much juicier.

Along with the first two reasons, HRC has the best political distraction in modern history to cover up the news cycle with faux paus: Donald J. Trump. This is perhaps one of the best things to happen to the Clinton campaign in the midst of this email controversy. Even if a few stories from the Wikileaks dumps get traction in the media for a little while, something related to Trump is sure to overshadow them. Whether it’s new sexual harassment claims or his refusal to accept the validity of the democratic process, something over in the Donald camp is sure to cover up everything else in the media.

Overall, in the next two weeks, I will be interested to see if a Wikileaks story can truly saturate the news cycle. If that were to occur, the Clinton campaign should just keep their heads down, continue to pivot, and wait until the next Donald slip-up comes along to dominate the media once again.