What is it about Charisma?

[Kayleigh]

Okay….and remember he’s not ‘my’ candidate; Edwards was my choice. Obama is my back-up choice.

Obama is young and handsome and energetic. He offers a true break from the past, a step away from old school democrats like Hillary and even Bill and hopefully a leap away from the broken dreams they remind me of. He has none of Hillary’s baggage (some of which is not her fault, but it’s there nonetheless.) He has a way of appearing to hover above the nasty political fray and believes (rightly or wrongly) that he can draw people together.

His voting record and online white papers (see his website) are progressive enough that I trust him to do his best to implement liberal policies.

He touches the hearts of young people, some not so much younger than I, who have the energy and idealism to help carry America forward.

The old Democrats’ ways have not gotten us very far in eight years; in fact, we’ve lost tremendous ground. It’s about more than policy and plans…it’s about a new voice and sense of hope.

No matter how smart she is, no matter that she’s a woman, no matter how die-hard her supporters are, I don’t get a real sense of hope from Hillary that she can turn the country around. That’s just a feeling, like you said, subjective. Doesn’t make me right.

I’m the first to say people should vote on policy and voting records and plans rather than personality–but I think many many Americans vote on personality. The thing is, what we see in others’ personality is something of a Rorscharch, isn’t it?

We all see something different in Hillary, and in that sense, I think she sometimes gets a raw deal. She’s too hard for some, too soft for others, too protective of her family or not protective enough, etc.

Sorry if I came across disrepectful—I continue to have bad days at work. Not good for my emotional welfare.

[JoB]

Kayleigh, i am sorry you are having bad days at work. I wish we could do something for you there.

thanks for writing. this new voice, sense of hope, spirit thing is what i am getting everywhere.

If he is our candidate, i hope it works…

he’s not too sure though. he and move-on.org are petitioning democrats to pressure their party to lock super delegates to their state’s primaries.

Whether you think this is a good thing or a bad thing.. it doesn’t speak so much about his confidence.

i think i will send hillary some money today:)

[TheHouse]

This is a fantastic question (the orginal post) and I will give a nonpartisan answer.

Charisma should be completely irrelavant when deciding a leader in my opinion.

Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan all were positive leaders with great charisma that were able to engage their audiences and inspire people to bring about positive change.

On the other hand, Adolph Hitler was one of the most charismatic speakers/leaders ever and was also able to engage their audiences and inspire people to bring about change….unfortunately negative change. History will also show that Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Pol Pott, Mao ZeDong and Che Guevara also had great charisma.

So, charisma could possibly inspire a nation of equality or it could inspire a nation of genocide. At best you have a 50/50 success rate if you select a leader simply based on charisma.

In the current race, Barak Obama clearly is the most charismatic speaker that is running and even I listen to him and think “Wow…he will change this great country”. The issue is that a great portion of our country stops right there and does not make an educated decision.

No matter what side of the fence you are on, reading these will drop your IQ by 10 points but they’re funny nonetheless:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080209220453AABsdO9

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080214055108AA8ZIbt

[JanS]

House…I’ve read some of the questions and answers on Yahoo in the past…doesn’t exactly give you a lot of confidence in some parts of society, does it? If you ever get a chance, read some of the stuff on AOL if you can. It makes these people look like absolute geniuses.

I think I’ve always said….education is everything…

[acemotel]

The politics of hope and change is not all smoke and mirrors.

Obama has already shown his colors (so to speak) in the way his campaign is being run. Young people are noticing that politics don’t have to be dirty, nasty, backstabbing bloodbaths, and that was the message I heard at my precinct caucus, whose attendance was roughly 10 per cent people under 25. The basis of that allure, I think, is trust and integrity. Obama does not have a history of saying one thing, and doing another.

Hitler’s “charisma” (someone mentioned above) was based on appealing to fervent nationalism in a population that felt itself defeated. That’s quite different from Obama’s “charisma” that appeals to overcoming differences and uniting a country deeply divided.

I see Obama’s strength in healing our tarnished foreign relations, but that’s my personal interest. I can’t think of anything better than having someone of his intelligence, eloquence, and integrity representing our interests overseas to restore the respect and credibility we’ve lost with that buffoon in the White House.

[JoB]

acemotel… i find myself in the awkward position of defending what House had to say. he really did step back and take a distanced view of charisma and it’s good/bad duality.

I do think he missed all the grey areas in the middle … but i am old enough to see grey everywhere:)

That said… what you had to say about how you respond to Obamas message really adds to the conversation…

you did say something tho that i would like you to clarify. Why do you feel Obama’s strength is in healing our tarnished foreign relations?

Have you been reading foreign press reports on him… I ask because i haven’t seen anything.

Have there been diplomatic trips i am unaware of?

Or do you base that on his mixed racial and religious parentage?

Or a mix of the three plus his charisma?

any of those are valid, but i wanted to know if there is something more i should be looking for or at.

[acemotel]

JoB, Although not recognized by the US, I have dual citizenship and spend a bit less than half the year in urban EU locations in my business.

My opinion draws from my own personal experiences, granted, and my anecdotal reading and conversing that convinces me Obama would generate a newfound respect on the international stage.

I don’t know of any diplomatic trips, nor do I know his religious parentage. His race is a factor, of course. I suspect a black man would be more credible than a woman of any stripe in some Middle Eastern countries. (please be gentle! If you believe otherwise, I would love to know why and how.)

As it is, the US (or more precisely, our president) is the laughing stock of the mainstream foreign press. Someone will surely find an exception, but that’s a point not worth debating…..

Regarding “charisma” I don’t see the Obama campaign spawning a Hoffer “True Believer” movement, do you? I see his words stirring people, affecting them, perhaps moving them. I don’t see his words calling people to blindly follow.

Charisma aside, is it inherently suspect to have an inspirational leader? Has it been such a long time since we’ve had any heroes that we no longer trust visionaries? Do you prefer Clinton because she’s pragmatic rather than inspirational? Or do you prefer Clinton because you don’t trust Obama’s charisma, which is not easy to define?

[JoB]

acemotel, you asked a direct candidate centered question and i will answer it in the spirit it was asked… what i think and why.

at this point i don’t trust Obama because he is selling his charisma as though it was the only thing he really had to offer.

His policies, when he personally gets to them are crafted to apply to too broad a spectrum of the populace to actually mean much. And he is just plain too good at sound bites. If i heard him actually give me something more substantial in addition.. i don’t think i would mind so much.. but i don’t.

He is bending over backwards to not be a champion of the little guy so that he will be liked by middle class America and i want someone who will bend over backwards to be a champion of the little guy so he will lead middle class America.

Hillary has a history of doing just that. And i find that inspirational.

I don’t think it is inherently bad to have an inspirational leader but i want to be inspired to purpose… and i don’t see that with Obama.

What i see is that he is good at articulating vision… and that he has mass appeal… and that is pretty impressive…but i am not so sure i see leadership.

I agree that the men of the world would much rather see a black man as President of the US than a woman… but over half of the world is not male. The female half, especially those in underdeveloped countries… already know and trust Hillary. She has been actively working for them for years.

Aside from that, she is actually very well known and respected by most of the world already… and she got that respect the good old fashioned way… she earned it. Take a good look at where she has been internationally. it’s pretty impressive.

I agree that we need to change our international image… i just think there is a better way to do it:)

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