Reply #21: Bill Clinton had both personality and qualifications [View All]

[Jai4WKC08]

He was usually "the smartest guy in the room." He had some 10 years of executive experience as a state governor. He had interned with Senator Fulbright and gotten a great deal of exposure to foreign policy issues. Being extremely well read, he kept up with those issues over the years, and went out of his way to participate in international forums before he launched his presidential campaign. Even at that, foreign policy was a weakness for him -- not as important in 1992, but important enough to get him trouble almost right off the bat in Somalia.

George Bush, otoh, was a personality candidate. In 2000, he ran officially on being a "compassionate conservative" and unofficially as "the kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with." The idea was that his VP would bring in the experience and knowledge. There was never a question that he had little experience in government, none of it on the world stage, and a demonstrated lack of knowledge in the foreign policy arena, but that was ok because he was a good guy who would have lots of help from the grown-ups who had worded for daddy.

I agree with you that likeability and personality have a great deal indeed to getting elected. I would go further to say they are essential. But they aren't enough. We have to find candidates who have both personality and ability, like Clinton did. To get elected, but also to clean up the mess that the Bushies will leave behind them.