WI: Bill Clinton divorces Hillary to marry Monica in 1998?

inspired by the thread about Bill’s dad living.

Obviously, it would have made the scandal worse, but what would it mean for the rest of Bill’s presidency? How would it effect the 2000 election? Would Hillary still try to run for President? Would we see “Monica 2016”?
 
inspired by the thread about Bill’s dad living.

Obviously, it would have made the scandal worse, but what would it mean for the rest of Bill’s presidency? How would it effect the 2000 election? Would Hillary still try to run for President? Would we see “Monica 2016”?

As the person who started that thread, I can confidently say this ain't gonna happen. Firstly, Clinton and Lewinsky didn't have a serious romantic relationship. It was an affair that had already ended by the time it broke in 1998. Secondly, Clinton was a smart enough politician to know that divorcing his longtime wife for an intern young enough to be his daughter would be politically apocalyptic.
 
As the person who started that thread, I can confidently say this ain't gonna happen. Firstly, Clinton and Lewinsky didn't have a serious romantic relationship. It was an affair that had already ended by the time it broke in 1998. Secondly, Clinton was a smart enough politician to know that divorcing his longtime wife for an intern young enough to be his daughter would be politically apocalyptic.

I know it was never likely, but I wonder how it would have effected future elections.
 
For Clinton, likely nothing. If he and Donnyboy have proven anything, it's that if you give the electorate, or even a part, something they want any sex scandal is like Teflon.
 
For Clinton, likely nothing. If he and Donnyboy have proven anything, it's that if you give the electorate, or even a part, something they want any sex scandal is like Teflon.

But how would this effect the 2000 election? Clinton would be way more disgraced than in OTL, his former Vice President Gore running in 2000 would be like Spiro Agnew running in 1976.
 
The Democrats might nominate someone like Joe Lieberman, who publicly criticized Clinton early on and can distinguish himself from Clinton in the eyes of voters. The problem is that this candidate won't be able to tie themselves to Clinton's economic record and would be a long shot at best, so it would be hard to convince them not to wait for '04. You might end up with Gore or a senator who's due for retirement (Daniel Patrick Moynihan?) running as essentially a sacrificial lamb. In the somewhat longer run, public sympathy for Senator Rodham would be stronger, and she'd have a better chance at winning the '08 primary or the '16 general (especially the '16 general, given the flack she got for some of her husband's policies IOTL).
 
In the somewhat longer run, public sympathy for Senator Rodham would be stronger, and she'd have a better chance at winning the '08 primary or the '16 general (especially the '16 general, given the flack she got for some of her husband's policies IOTL).

This assumes there is a Senator Rodham. Divorced from Bill she is no longer part of the Clinton political machine. As much as Bill needed her, she needed him more and she knew it, that's why she stayed with him.

In a world where Billy Boy does dump her for whatever reason, I don't see her running for office, it create too ugly of a scene and will be too divisive.
 
In the somewhat longer run, public sympathy for Senator Rodham would be stronger, and she'd have a better chance at winning the '08 primary or the '16 general (especially the '16 general, given the flack she got for some of her husband's policies IOTL).

This assumes there is a Senator Rodham. Divorced from Bill she is no longer part of the Clinton political machine. As much as Bill needed her, she needed him more and she knew it, that's why she stayed with him.

In a world where Billy Boy does dump her for whatever reason, I don't see her running for office, it create too ugly of a scene and will be too divisive.

I'm not sure the Clinton machine sides with Bill in this scenario.
 
The Democrats might nominate someone like Joe Lieberman, who publicly criticized Clinton early on and can distinguish himself from Clinton in the eyes of voters. The problem is that this candidate won't be able to tie themselves to Clinton's economic record and would be a long shot at best, so it would be hard to convince them not to wait for '04. You might end up with Gore or a senator who's due for retirement (Daniel Patrick Moynihan?) running as essentially a sacrificial lamb. In the somewhat longer run, public sympathy for Senator Rodham would be stronger, and she'd have a better chance at winning the '08 primary or the '16 general (especially the '16 general, given the flack she got for some of her husband's policies IOTL).


Joe Lieberman would certainly lead to a very different kind of Democratic Party by now.
 
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