US elections 2016: What went wrong for Hillary Clinton

By Anil Kumar Satapathy

NEW DELHI: Following Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump in the US presidential polls, most people are in shock all over the world. Just one look at Twitter and the popular reaction stares us in the face.

And it's easy to see why people are in shock. Just the other day, a commentator said Trump would fail "spectacularly", going on to add that it was unlikely for a leader (in US) "who is dominating" throughout the poll campaign to eventually lose just because a few adverse developments occurred during the last leg.


But that is what happened just now. Trump not only won the 2016 US Presidential election, he did so "spectacularly".

So, what actually went wrong for Hillary?

The FBI angle

This has to be one of the biggest factors behind the defeat of Hillary Clinton. First, FBI Director James Comey sent shockwaves by revealing that new emails have been discovered that might be relevant to the completed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private server, a case that she had seemingly put behind her in July.

Trump used this as his primary weapon against Hillary during the last days of campaign. This might have pushed many borderline voters towards the Republican candidate.

It was all too late when the FBI director finally concluded that the new emails were not relevant at all. It might have done more damage to Clinton’s cause than anything else, as many voters probably thought that FBI was favouring Clinton, and that the agency might have been forced to drop the case under pressure from the Obama’s administration.

Image issues

Trump was divisive from Day 1. There was no doubt about it. Many analysts even went on to say that Trump was all about "I, Me and Myself". But everyone also admitted that Hillary Clinton had a very “fake” image.

She was even criticised for being "uncharismatic, sometimes even robotic". Trump even highlighted her "health" issues and perhaps managed to portray her as a “weak leader”. She was also portrayed as pro-Pakistan due to her association with Huma Abedin who is of Pakistani origin.

Clinton was also associated with many scandals in the past from Lewinsky to Benghazi, and most recently, her e-mails.

Obama Fatigue

Anti incumbency is a big factor, whether you are in India or in USA. After eight years of Democrat rule, it was quite likely that the Americans would develop some sort of fatigue. Hearing Obama promising many things and not fulfilling many of them might have turned a lot against the Democrats. That partly explains Hillary’s defeat in Florida – a Democrat stronghold for generations.

The White Votes Count

The 2007 recession is over but not its scars. There have been concerns in the US about outsiders taking away their jobs. And Trump used that sentiment to his favour quite well. The racism issue in the US has increased in recent times and the many have highlighted the fact that many white, rural voters who have previously been not counted may have favoured the Republican candidate over Clinton.