feeling their pain

I mentioned Bill Clinton in 1992 being both warrior and priest. Put another way, he is THE model for candidates running in a recession year. This clip from one of the 1992 debates shows why. George Bush Senior gets a tricky question from the floor about how the 'national debt' has affected him personally. Trying to answer the question on its own literal terms, he struggles, sounding distant and incoherent. Governor Clinton follows, and, rising from his seat, moves towards the questioner. He understands that the question is really about the recession. He also understands it's about whether he can empathise with the problems and fears of voters. So he asks the questioner how it has affected her life. Then he tells her how it has affected him, and goes on to list concrete solutions to the economy's problems, keeping eye contact all the way through. It's a masterful performance, combining empathy with a sense of action.

Half-way through Clinton's speech there's a cutaway shot of a dazed-looking Bush, mouth hanging open, wondering what the hell just hit him...

Comments

[A. Maguire]

Wow thanks for that, quite a lesson in how it's done.