A young U.S. senator, Barack Obama, uttered arguably one of the signature lines of the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primary campaign when he told fellow Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, “You’re likable enough, Hillary.”
I’m betting that Clinton didn’t appreciate the “compliment.”
Now, eight years later, she’s launching another bid for the presidency.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/04/12/clinton-campaigns-challenge-make-her-likeable/
And as the Wall Street Journal reports, her task is to make her “likable enough” to get elected president of the United States next year.
As the WSJ reported: “She needs to try to humanize herself, because in some ways she’s kind of become a cardboard cutout figure,” said Douglas Brinkley, a history professor at Rice University.
So, the campaign begins anew for the former first lady, senator and secretary of state.
Many in the media refer to her simply as “Hillary.” Just a mention of that name and you know to whom the reference is being made. Does the first-name familiarity make her likable? Hardly. I continue to believe she needs to translate likability into authenticity.
She remains a political powerhouse. The strength, though, doesn’t always connect with voters in a tangible manner. Clinton at times appears evasive, which hardly lends itself to likability.
I will be among millions of voters looking for signs that she’s capable of understanding the problems, worries and concerns of average American citizens. If she does, she’ll prove she’s for real, that she’s authentic.
And likable.