Reading Jacob Weisburg’s But Why Can’t Hillary Win? article in Slate provoked some thoughts. The article argues that Hillary can’t win because she lacks likability: “As hard as she tries, Hillary has little facility for connecting with ordinary folk, for making them feel that she understands, identifies, and is at some level one of them.”
If she clinches the nomination, this is less of an issue. If the electorate is about as evenly divided as last time, Hillary will win a key demographic that could put her over the top: People who will vote for her only because she’s a woman. I believe the best time to beat Hillary is in the primaries.
What we, the anti-Hillary crowd, don’t want to do is emulate the Deaniacs. We don’t won’t to be obnoxious anti-Hillaryites. This could push people over to her column. If she truly lacks likability, she should self-destruct in the early primaries. Kids, reading is good for you. I recently read Sneaking into the Flying Circus: How the Media Turn Our Presidential Campaigns into Freak Shows. If she can’t connect with the voters well, then she should lose in New Hampshire and Iowa… she won’t be able to perform well in that context.
Alright, here come the caveats. First off, from the article itself: “Whatever she may be like in private, her public persona is calculating, clenched, relentless—and a little robotic.” Maybe she is more likable in private, that could help, or at least not hurt, her in the early going. Maybe they’ll like her at the house parties, who knows? I’m banking on her totally bombing in that stage of the race.
The second caveat involves the structure of the primaries themselves. Last year there was a front-loaded primary. Kerry had the race clinched after winning the first two states. No, no, he had it clinched after winning Iowa. Momentum counted for a lot. (Momentum, not Joe-mentum.) Depending on how the primaries are structured, Hillary could recover if she doesn’t win in the beginning.
Still, I think the best strategy in the beginning is not to go all out with Hillary attacks. Don’t make her the favorite going in. It’s best not to give her any attention at all. Throw support to a better Democratic candidate, and let the momentum meme carry him through the rest of the primary. It’s best if Hillary’s campaign dies with a whimper… if people, especially the press, wonder, why did we even think she had a chance this year? Negative press may backfire; no press is always deadly.
I know it’s way too early to be thinking about this, but I really don’t want Hillary to be president. We can do much better for a first woman president.