Tough, Smart, Electable
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Klobuchar's CNN town hall, which I DVR'd earlier last week (see video), and watched while having lunch just now, made me think that we have a surprisingly good politician in the race, but don't notice, because her charisma is of the feminine variety: controlled, adaptive, socially adept, intelligent; she impresses, but not obviously. Compare that to Obama's athleticism, flashy grin, and issues command. Ok, both have issues command and intelligence.
Comments:
* On the issues, she's careful to bridge aspiration with the practical. Why be for something that can't pass until at least 2023, and that'll only be a frustration voters will remember in 2022--after it goes nowhere, when instead, you can appeal to centrist voters with your prudent approach, hinting at, and then delivering more?
* Reflecting on her recent moment in the spotlight at the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, Klobuchar says she was "surprised", and admits “it was also kind of sad.” That's a normal reaction. Her performance wasn't normal, however. It was the result of growing up with an alcoholic father, as we learned from her appearance; the perfect background experience for dealing with someone who's unsteady, unpredictable, and unprincipled.
* What about her being harsh with her staff? Recent news articles have reported that she browbeat several staff members who no longer work for her. Apparently she has one of the highest staff turnovers of any senator. Social media opinions have ranged from viewing these reports as disqualifying, to those asking why similar behavior on the part of male candidates is all but ignored. What do I think? Certainly a point against her, and perhaps, tragically, her candidacy is doomed; but, the performance that I watched today makes me want to think otherwise. See this Vox piece, by Laura McGann, for a discussion of whether sexism might have something to do with the matter. Plus, as is pointed out in the article, it may be that her experience with her father, a force that required iron discipline and control over chaos, contributed to her being too strict at times.
* Interesting that when asked to say 'yes' or 'no' about free college for all, she avoided doing so; she was then asked again by the CNN host, point blank, and she said 'no' while seating herself, her head turned away from the cameras. Now that is being careful. Never say something on tape that can be aggressively used against you, especially when taking the honest approach of saying what you actually think. Note: she and I are both for free college, if it could be done affordably; but why appear eager if there is no chance of passage?
* Do I think she can win the general election? Yes. Though I'd be happy with several other candidates, she's the Democrats' best bet for maximizing their vote, mainly because she's a true MidWesterner. She combines the instinct for inspiring a younger, more diverse electorate (her views are actually quite progressive), while at the same time sounding reasonable, even conservative, and thus appealing to a huge trove of swing voters in the center; hard to do. My guess is that this gift comes from growing up in a mixed rural/urban state which has traditionally been Blue; metaphorically, she's the farmer's daughter of the establishment left who came to town and did well making herself cosmopolitan.
* Except, what about the Democratic nomination? Won't that be all but impossible, given that she's not well known? She may well surprise. And starting out with the bad news behind her is certainly better than knowing it'll emerge later. There's nearly a year before the Iowa caucuses, where she could take off as a candidate. A good debate performance in the months ahead could mean a big push after Iowa. Her town hall took place in New Hampshire, which is probably where she needs to do reasonably well, after Iowa.
Read a Jan. 15th inside look, written by Julia Felsenthal for Vogue, after a day following Klobuchar around Washington.
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