The Flawed Campaign

When you consider politics you have to consider the fundamental fact that politics is much more about emotions than it is about facts.

Ultimately people need to feel a connection with the candidate on some level.

We've all most likely had the experience where someone running for local office either knocks on your door or approaches you in a public place introduces themselves as "CandidateX", hands you some literature and asks you to vote for them.

You would think this is a pretty stupid way to get votes, but it isn't.  A certain number of people will remember that they met that candidate and assuming it isn't someone who rubs them the wrong way or has a position they are diametrically opposed to, will vote for that candidate.

They feel a connection at that point because of the contact and because he made them feel he/she cared.

Its not the same when the person doing that canvassing is not the actual candidate. Not to say that doesn't help some but but its not as effective.

In 2008 and the other day Hillary lost to people who made better connections with the voters than she did.

She almost lost in the primaries for the same reason.

In all those cases she was pretty clearly the better and more qualified candidate, but she herself admits she's not a natural politician like her husband was.

Now watching her speak or seeing her performance in the campaigns has a certain power, but what it always seems to lack is that connection with the viewer.

I know some do feel that connection either because she managed to touch them or because they felt so strongly about her issues, but its also pretty clear that she didn't make enough of a connection with "regular" Americans.

Its not really transferable.  The support generated for Bernie did not automatically go to Hillary.  The support for President Obama did not transfer to Hillary.  The celebrities and others couldn't make people feel that connection.  It was her job to do it and I think she simply failed at it.

One thing that she should have done differently was less preparation and more campaigning.  Two states that ultimately proved her undoing were never visited by her during the campaign.

It wouldn't have taken much to win Wisconsin or Michigan, they were both very close, but it required something.

Everyone likes being asked to dance, no one likes being ignored.

However, it might not have mattered if she didn't create that sense of oneness with the voters which gives them an emotional reason to vote.

You need to reach out on issues they care about personally and you also need to care.

If the audience doesn't believe you mean it, you are doomed to fail.  In too many instances her positions simply didn't resonate as hers as much as some compromise she had made to get the nomination.

She needed more Charisma.