Perception vs. Reality. Clinton vs. Trump

[louis c]

I hope I can convey this post properly, so please bare with me so I can give a little background. My late Father was very, very close to US Senator Ed Brooke (R-Mass.). I've been involved in politics and elections for over 40 years. My Dad was a local city Councilor. I've been a Democrat all of my life, coming of age during the Viet-Nam war, civil rights era of American Politics. I currently sit on two union boards that either approve or recommend endorsements for candidates in the Greater Boston area.

In addition, I love Hillary Clinton. I agree with her politics and I think she is just one tough public servant. I admire her personally on the way she handled the embarrassing public issues in her marriage. She was a victim, and she remained tough and formidable, never feeling sorry for herself. I just really love her.

Having said that, she has a perception problem. We cannot ignore the polls that indicate a majority of voters just don't trust her. I understand her. She likes to explain things like a lawyer. I get that. As a union Rep, I deal with lawyers all the time. The average voter doesn't. Parsing words, being technically correct, leaving subjects open to interpretation are all going to fuel that distrust. But, that doesn't mean a lot of those voters won't vote for her, because they will.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, is not only equally or more distrusted than Hillary, his sanity is seriously being questioned by respected journalists and politicians alike. Most of them from his own party. "erratic, insane, unhinged, incoherent, nihilistic, narcissistic, sociopath and, the key word here, unstable".

So, I stopped trying to argue the trust issue with anti-Hillary voters. I can't get through the perception. I then boil the issue down to one phrase, "I don't agree with you that Hillary may not be truthful. But, this country has survived Presidents that were less than truthful. We can not survive a lunatic. So, ask yourself this. Would you rather a President who may be untruthful or would you rather a President you know is unstable?"

[BlueCollar]

1. I'm. still waiting for someone to provide me with evidence

That Secretary Clinton is a liar or has lied.

(and I supported Bernie in the primary)

[Stinky The Clown]

2. No one can provide that which doesn't exist.

[louis c]

3. that's why I explained "perception"

No anti-Hillary voter is going to listen to a 30 minute education on the subject. These ad-hoc discussions have to take place in 3 minutes or less.

These low information voters have a perception of Hillary being "untruthful" and Donald being "unstable". In every case, a voter will take untruthful over unstable in a President.

I'm just trying to win votes for our side.

[BlueCollar]

5. I understand completely

But I think you are optimistic.

Anti-Hillary voters are intellectually incapable of engaging in any conversation lasting as long as three minutes.

I get your point though.

I agree with your premise.

[wcast]

4. Hilary was not my preferred candidate but she is still a darn good candidate.

The perception problem, as you noted, can't be changed in the three months leading up to the election as it has been created by over 40 years of non-stop Republican attacks. In fact, I look at it another way; it is amazing that after over 40 years of unprecedented attacks on the Clintons, Hilary is poised to be the first female President.

I had this conversation with someone who asked me why I would vote for Hilary over and Trump and did I think she was more qualified. My response, Hilary is very intelligent, has years of both foreign and domestic policy experience, and will be respected by the world. Trump has none of these qualities. I then asked, what will happen if Trump wins? Who will be the first country he threatens with nukes, or what world market will he disrupt with an off the cuff remark.

People who hate Hilary do so for a reason, which is that it gives the person a reason to vote for Trump. It is an excuse so they don't fell badly about their vote for Trump. Facts don't matter!

Hilary is handling Trump perfectly in my opinion. Let him implode while she pushes policy.