How large of a Clinton win is needed to "send a message?"

[Ogre Mage]

Some have been saying that because Trump is so uniquely horrendous and bigoted for a general election candidate, it is important for Clinton to not only win but win by a significant margin, to "send a message" that a Trump style campaign is completely antithetical to American values.  In your opinion, how large of a popular vote win would be needed to do this?

[Seriously?]

No message and no size of message will matter if the Republicans still control the House.

[Ogre Mage]

No message and no size of message will matter if the Republicans still control the House.

Incorrect.  The House has no say over appointments to the judiciary or the federal agencies.

[Speed of Sound]

Tough to say, but it's the argument that finally got me to come around and agree to vote Clinton. It may, as some have suggested, have more to do with downballot results, poll result peripherals, fundraising results, etc. that would send a real message.

[Mr. Smith]

A '64-'74'-84-esque whooping methinks.

Whereas for trump, just winning by any percentage will send a message, and not a flattering one.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

To me, anything over 10% will be seen as a solid rejection of Trump. I don't think Hillary will come close to that.

[DINGO Joe]

Really, don't care what margin, but I want to see the Trump vote ground down as low as possible, especially with a big turnout.

[Seriously?]

No message and no size of message will matter if the Republicans still control the House.

Incorrect.  The House has no say over appointments to the judiciary or the federal agencies.

Well good luck getting to 60 Democrats in the Senate to stop the Republicans in their advise and consent role then.

[Xing]

I think 7-8% ('08 margin or greater) plus flipping states which are considered to be "red states" like Arizona and Georgia would send a pretty clear message.

[ProudModerate2]

No message and no size of message will matter if the Republicans still control the House.

Incorrect.  The House has no say over appointments to the judiciary or the federal agencies.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

No message and no size of message will matter if the Republicans still control the House.

Incorrect.  The House has no say over appointments to the judiciary or the federal agencies.

Good luck passing a budget.

[Ogre Mage]

No message and no size of message will matter if the Republicans still control the House.

Incorrect.  The House has no say over appointments to the judiciary or the federal agencies.

Well good luck getting to 60 Democrats in the Senate to stop the Republicans in their advise and consent role then.

Go ahead.  Remember what happened when the Senate GOP would not stop filibustering Obama's three nominees to the D.C. Circuit?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senates-filibuster-decision-could-reshape-influential-dc-federal-appeals-court/2013/11/21/3b3fd76a-52de-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html

[ProudModerate2]

I voted 6-7 %.
But just any win will feel great.
Hopefully it's more .... like 10%.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

No message and no size of message will matter if the Republicans still control the House.

Incorrect.  The House has no say over appointments to the judiciary or the federal agencies.

Well good luck getting to 60 Democrats in the Senate to stop the Republicans in their advise and consent role then.

Go ahead.  Remember what happened when the Senate GOP would not stop filibustering Obama's three nominees to the D.C. Circuit?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senates-filibuster-decision-could-reshape-influential-dc-federal-appeals-court/2013/11/21/3b3fd76a-52de-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html

Ah yes, the nuclear option was so, so, so popular among voters in the 2014 Senate races

[Seriously?]

No message and no size of message will matter if the Republicans still control the House.

Incorrect.  The House has no say over appointments to the judiciary or the federal agencies.

Well good luck getting to 60 Democrats in the Senate to stop the Republicans in their advise and consent role then.

Go ahead.  Remember what happened when the Senate GOP would not stop filibustering Obama's three nominees to the D.C. Circuit?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senates-filibuster-decision-could-reshape-influential-dc-federal-appeals-court/2013/11/21/3b3fd76a-52de-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html

Yes. I remember the stories being written about the doom and gloom of the Republicans. I am sure if I were on Atlas at the time, I would have read thread after thread about how the GOP was finished.  Then 2014 happened... How did that go again? Oh yeah... The Democrats lost the Senate. Doom and gloom, as always, averted.

[Ogre Mage]

No message and no size of message will matter if the Republicans still control the House.

Incorrect.  The House has no say over appointments to the judiciary or the federal agencies.

Well good luck getting to 60 Democrats in the Senate to stop the Republicans in their advise and consent role then.

Go ahead.  Remember what happened when the Senate GOP would not stop filibustering Obama's three nominees to the D.C. Circuit?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senates-filibuster-decision-could-reshape-influential-dc-federal-appeals-court/2013/11/21/3b3fd76a-52de-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html

Yes. I remember the stories being written about the doom and gloom of the Republicans. I am sure if I were on Atlas at the time, I would have read thread after thread about how the GOP was finished.  Then 2014 happened... How did that go again? Oh yeah... The Democrats lost the House and the Republicans in the Senate had a little bit of a fillibuster-proof margin there. Doom and gloom, as always, averted.

Well, it was a big victory to get Wilkins, Pillard and Millett onto the D.C. Circuit.  Surely you understand the importance.  Perhaps one of them will be considered for a Supreme Court vacancy someday ...

[andrew_c]

If Clinton's PV margin is bigger than Obama's 2008 margin, that would be a solid repudiation of Trump.

[publicunofficial]

Republicans are already fully prepared to say Clinton has no mandate no matter how large the win, will just blame Trump and say Clinton was only elected because Trump ran a bad campaign.


Mandates don't matter. Majorities do.

[Cassius]

'American values'.

[Adam Griffin]

The real message will be sent after the election, when the federal government has to start taking out the inevitable rioting, violent Trumpians.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

No matter how big Clinton wins, Republicans leadership will say, "Mandate? What mandate? The people rejected Trump, who doesn't represent Republican values at all.  It's our job now to work against the disastrous policies of the incoming Clinton Administration."

The biggest effect of a Clinton landslide will be to catapult Ted Cruz into the GOP stratosphere.  The leadership loathe him for what he pulled at the convention, but when did they not loathe him?

[Sir Mohamed]

At least six or seven.

But the best “message” would be Democratic control of the WH, Senate and House.

[Vosem]

If anything, a massive Clinton win with nonexistent downballot coattails sends the biggest message. It's a rejection of Trump specifically, rather than something that can be spun into a rejection of the Republican Party or American conservatism more broadly.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

If anything, a massive Clinton win with nonexistent downballot coattails sends the biggest message. It's a rejection of Trump specifically, rather than something that can be spun into a rejection of the Republican Party or American conservatism more broadly.

[oeoyeleye]

Who, exactly is this message supposed to be sent to? Obama's massive wins among Hispanic voters was supposed to send a message to the GOP to soften up on immigration. The next nominee was Donald Trump. The slew of anti-gay marriage state constitutional amendments in the early 2000's was supposed to send a message to liberals the "family values" were here to stay. Gay marriage was the law of the land by 2015 with huge support among Democrats who used to do everything in their power to stay away from the issue. To receive a message you have to have open ears and an open mind.