Hillary Clinton – Once More, with Feeling
January 8, 2008 by Eric Eggertson
Filed under Marketing
Less robotic, more human.
That’s what New Hampshire Democrats said to Hillary Clinton Tuesday when they rewarded one of the most scripted politicians in history for veering from her all-too-predictable script.
Her 
"near tears" moment came shortly before the primary vote. More people who decided at the last minute chose Clinton over Barack Obama. Coincidence? We think not.
Obama has built his campaign on being authentic, and it’s been winning him youth supporters. Clinton has been acting like a front-runner, rarely veering from planned moments, planned words, and even planned jollity.
To hear her chuckle is to cringe.
Will she learn how to act less scripted and more human? That may be the deciding factor in her race to be President.
Tags: hillary clinton, barack obama, new hampshire, primary, president, vote, america, campaign, authenticity, scripted, politicians
Obama is hardly authentic. There is something vaguely unsettling about how perfectly he fits the description of a perfect Democratic candidate. Besides, anyone that garners Oprah’s evangelistic support will not get my vote.
I’m throwing my hat in the ring for Senator Clinton.
I felt that the “near tears” moment showed a side of Mrs. Hillary Clinton that one rarely sees in her political life. Her emotional display was a heartfelt response and showed a sincere desire to not only serve our country but make it a better place to live. I believe that this helped lead her to a last minute victory in New Hampshire.
I’m amazed by how big a deal a little emotion can be. You expect political campaigns to be about spending money and debates and kissing babies — not about whether Mrs. Clinton is under a bit of stress. I’m sure Margaret Thatcher never had to tear up to get the British government to do what she wanted.
I’m always a little skeptical about displays of emotion from candidates, especially ones just before a big vote. If Hillary were going to show emotion, why didn’t she do it when her husband’s sexual romp with Monica whatshername became public?
Did Hillary cry when she did her “stand by your man” speech before Bill’s first presidential victory?
The thing with crying is that it only works once.
I’m not sure Hillary is my political choice, but I do think that by departing from the script and speaking from the heart that very powerful communication took place. It wasn’t so much the tears as it was a sharing of truth from a place of vulnerability. Only the strongest leaders can let their guard down for that sort of vulnerable power. It is a risk I hope more will take so we can know our candidates as true human beings.
We want our candidates to be human, although waht we ask of them is superhuman. So, be superhuman, work 20 hours a day in public (many of us work longhours but not under public scrutiny) be away from home for months, examine and re-examine everything you say, because every one else will, and then, please just be human.
could we recognize and prioritize “human” anymore? was Rudy human when he cleaned the streets of both crime and humanity, or is he human now when he laughs about his eyesight?
is huckabee human when he tosses one liners to the media, or human when he says he has a degree he does not actually have?
I think this human quality is over-rated. give me someone who understand our form of government, who understands that there are three equal branches and the president just can’t do what he or she wants to do. give me someone who understands that as incredible a speaker as MLK was, words alone would not have made the civil rights act happen.give me someone who understands that while washington is broken is a catchy phrase, it is not true.
washington is working the way washington was designed to work, slowly, with at least two branches of government working together. give me someone who is human enough to tell us that truth.