Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post asked why voters don’t trust her despite decades in politics. The former first lady has consistently struggled on “trustworthiness” when compared to her main rival Bernie Sanders, with only 37 per cent of voters finding her “honest” and “trustworthy” according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll. It’s the kind of tough question journalists ask expecting a politician to either dodge it or disagree with the premise. Hillary Clinton did neither. She agreed.
“It’s painful for me to hear that, and I do take responsibility. When you’re in public life, even if you believe that it’s not an opinion that you think is fair or founded, you do have to take responsibility, and I do. And I also have, you know, very much committed to the best of my ability my energies and efforts to helping people. That’s something that I care deeply about, and I will continue to do that.”
Are Hillary Clinton’s attempts to appear more genuine, well, genuine? Or is there a whiff of panic about it – a calculated effort to respond to polls that suggest she needs to appear more authentic if she wants to clear a path to the White House?
When it comes to politicians, I’m pretty cynical (years of working in Westminster does that to you.)
But I find it easy to believe that Hillary Clinton does have insecurities about whether she’s a “natural politician”.
Firstly, just look at the evidence. When she says she’s not a natural politician like Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, well, she’s right. Both the men have the breezy confidence that allows them to crack gags, switch on contagious smiles and generally appear comfortable in their own skin. Whether that makes them effective legislators, is another matter.