Anthony Zurcher, the North America reporter for the BBC recently wrote an article summing up the nightmare scenarios that could ruin Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton this November.
His reasons were broad, informative, and intelligent. However, he wrote that article five months ago. We are now two months away from the one of the ugliest presidential elections in history, and some of his predictions are coming true.
Here are Zurcher’s 5 reasons Clinton could lose, updated.
Unexpected Events
Known as “black swans,” unpredictable one-off events can render every political asset useless. Clinton’s polls have closely tracked along with America’s confidence in the economy, and a financial collapse could devastate her.
A terror attack could do the same. Even though Trump mishandled the Orlando nightclub shootings, he regained his voter confidence after the November attacks in Paris so it’s reasonable he may do the same again.
Then there are the natural disasters. Hurricane Hermine is the first of its kind to hit Florida in over a decade. Beach-side homes have been destroyed along with commercial buildings, and trees have been wrenched out of the soil and hurled onto homes. Though it is being downplayed in the media, Hermine could just be one of those “black swan” events should she not squander.
Smoking Guns
In an eerie coincidence, a photograph of Julian Assange was used about this heading in the original BBC article. The WikiLeaks founder threatened to release documents that could damage Clinton’s candidacy.
He has, and more are on their way.
In March, Assange’s team released 30,322 emails sent to and from Clinton’s private email. These were merely embarrassing, with little information to throw shade upon the former First Lady.
Now, Assange has spoken openly of future emails revealing the extent to which Clinton threatened Democratic hopeful, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. He plans to release another batch of emails that he believes will lead to an FBI indictment.
We are all awaiting his October Surprise, which is the topic of discussion in our feature video.
Shy Trumpsters
This phenomenon was originally coined in the United Kingdom, known as the “shy Tory.” It is believed to be behind 2015’s general election and the Brexit vote earlier this year.
Shy Trumpsters are the individuals that are too embarrassed to admit they will be voting for Trump, as many were too embarrassed to say they’d vote for Brexit. If the polls stay close as we head into election day, there is a strong possibility that Trump may win.
Election Hackers
As previous discussed in relation to Mr. Assange, Clinton’s team are not ignorant to the abilities of cyber attack. The presidential candidate even compared the WikiLeaks email break-in to the Watergate scandal.
The FBI has found evidence of hackers breaching state-based electoral databases in Arizona and Illinois. The bureau issued a warning to US election officials, urging them to upgrade their security protocols.
It would only take a handful of questionable results in a few key precincts to nudge this election over.
Debate Spotlights
The first of the three presidential debates is scheduled for September 26th. Though Clinton can beat out Trump on a technical level, she may fall short of his showmanship.
With estimates ranging from 50 – 90 million viewers for these debates, it could beat the record-setting 1980 presidential debate between former presidents Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter, and John Anderson.
Many are calling this presidential fight a popularity contest, with knowledge and experience falling far behind on the list of qualifications for the 2016 White House. Trump will enter this fight with little in expectations from viewers, so even the smallest success can explode him back into the forefront of this race.
Watch this space of the October reveal we are all waiting for:
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
