Not to be unkind, but how can one purport to conduct a serious post mortem of Hillary Clinton's failed candidacy without mentioning what would seem an obvious—and very important—factor: her personality that to many American was less-than-appealing, in a contest pitting her against the unusually charming Barack Obama?Yet David Gregory ignored the personality factor entirely in his "post mortem, Powerpoint edition" on this evening's Race for the White House. Instead, he identified—and invited his panel to comment on—these five factors:
- The Iraq War Vote
- Change vs. Experience
- Dysfunction in the Campaign
- Overconfidence
- Bill
Relevant factors all. But again, what of Hillary's personality, seen by many as cold and grating? Never mentioned. There are any number of videos illustrating the phenomenon. Here is but one.
I suppose Gregory might argue that personality is immutable, and thus not a "mistake." But at the very least, surely Hillary and her campaign can be faulted for not doing more to soften her image. Crying in New Hampshire did some short-term good, but couldn't there—shouldn't there—have been more emphasis on making Hillary more likeable?
