Elizabeth Warren's Charisma Didn't Suddenly Disappear

[Shrek]

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/04/elizabeth-warrens-charisma-didnt-suddenly-disappear/586690/

“Charisma” comes from the Greek word for “divine gift,” and, back in 2015, political commentators thought Elizabeth Warren had a lot of it. Vox called the Massachusetts senator “a more charismatic campaigner than [Hillary] Clinton.” Roll Call said Clinton couldn’t “match Warren’s charisma, intensity or passion.” The polling firm Rasmussen called Warren “Bernie Sanders with charisma.”

That was then. Now that Warren is running for president, many journalists have decided the charisma is gone. An article last month in The Week noted that Warren “doesn’t do uplift, which is what people mean when they grumble about her lack of ‘charisma’ and ‘energy.’” In a recent story about Warren’s fundraising trouble, The New York Times suggested that she was suffering because Democrats’ “longstanding fascination with youthful charisma—along with its current, Trump-driven fixation on electability—can outweigh qualities like experience or policy expertise.”

What happened? Warren may be a victim of what scholars of women’s leadership call the “double bind”: For female candidates, it’s difficult to come across as competent and charismatic at the same time. To be considered charismatic, leaders must be both appealing and inspiring, both likable and visionary. Unfortunately for women who seek positions of power, they’re rarely perceived as possessing these characteristics while also being deemed competent to do the job.

[JI7]

1. a lot of people were just using her to attack HIllary

Warren is the same and probably even better now since she has proven she has policies .

but those same types who claimed to have been huge supporters of her are not supporting her now.

[betsuni]

4. +1

[smirkymonkey]

10. Thank YOU!

That's exactly what she sounds like. I could never put my finger on why she annoyed me so much. She is my senator and I voted for her and would again if she was the nominee, but I have never found her charismatic. Quite the opposite.

Your description of how she sounds is perfect! I find her rather schoolmarmish and insincere. I think she does a great job in the senate, but her personality really grates on my nerves.

[athena]

37. Thanks for demonstrating that this is all about sexism in the end.

The fact that you would call the candidate who has the smartest and most liberal policies an “angry school marm” speaks volumes about what kind of person you are.

An angry male is “a strong leader.” An intelligent and well-spoken woman who tells it like it is “an angry school marm”.

The sexism on DU is disgusting. If you had posted a similar attack against any other group, you would have been banned from DU. But posting it against a woman is not only OK; it’s welcome.

Enjoy Trump’s second term. That’s what people like you are going to give us. Sexism gave us Trump. Sexism will give us Trump again. But will anyone learn? No.

[MrsCoffee]

7. That has become crystal clear.

[PatSeg]

11. From what I've seen recently

I'd say she is considerably better. She gives great speeches and really says a lot. She is an exceptional communicator, which is how she became a public figure in the first place. She can explain complex issues in language that most people can relate to, probably because of her long career as a teacher/professor.

I think the problem is she is a woman and the media tends to ignore her.

[mountain grammy]

16. I completely agree.. thank you!

[PatSeg]

20. I think the debates will

make a huge difference for a lot of the candidates. The general public is not as familiar with some of them as political junkies are. And of course some of them are relatively new to us as well.

[mountain grammy]

40. My huseband watched an interview with her two years ago..

he's been hooked ever since. Said it was the first time he actually learned hard facts about the banking industry and everything she said made unbelievably good sense. She was being questioned by a "financial" reporter who was going at her pretty good. She never gave an inch and answered every single question.

This is pretty much a Warren house, but I'm still officially undecided.

[PatSeg]

42. The first time I saw Warren

was probably on Bill Maher's show before she entered politics. Like your husband, I learned so much in a short period of time. She became a regular on his show after that and everyone loved her. She is pretty much like the absolutely best teacher you've ever had.

[mountain grammy]

43. Yes, I remember seeing her on Maher's show.

I loved when she was on.. her and Barney Frank, two of my favorites.

Husband rarely watches Maher.. he's not a political junkie like me, but he sure likes Warren.. I think she can capture an audience and she sure knows her stuff.

[PatSeg]

45. I think so too

The problem is giving her that audience. The media seems reluctant to give her much exposure.

[deurbano]

19. She was often used to prove gender had nothing to do with their rejection of Clinton as a candidate.

(They claimed if only Warren were running, they'd vote for her in a heartbeat...) Another factor was the combination age/gender bias because so many assumed HRC was significantly older than Warren, so "too old," even though their age difference is less than two years. Of course, that was just until Sanders declared, when the age "problem" miraculously evaporated. Besides, their comparison of Warren with Clinton was never about actual age, but of the age they looked. Warren looked quite a bit younger than her age, which is critical for woman candidates (and if they don't come by that naturally, they have to spend hours every day to achieve the illusion), but it clearly didn't matter what Sanders-- or that thing occupying the White House-- looked like. With old men as her opponents, they switched from slamming Clinton's age to absurd claims about her "failing" health... but it was still just about being too old and too female. (And at the same time!!!!)

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. Mayor Pete has it.....

His youth, honesty, the ability to communicate reminds me so much of Bobby Kennedy.

Perhaps America needs another dose of idealism for this age as Millenials will be inheriting this world after we are gone.m

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

3. Didn't realize Vox called Elizabeth a "more charismatic campaigner than Hillary"...

Given Elizabeth's high degree of competency, perhaps, she is the perfect charismatic candidate to carry the torch that lights the way to finally shattering the glass ceiling!!


Elizabeth & Bernie 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[ProfessorPlum]

6. Warren's "fundraising trouble" has a lot to do with her resisting being bought by the big donors

and is a positive in my ledger

[brooklynite]

9. So you're saying she was "bought" by big donors when she was a Senator?

I've been to several high-dollar events for her.

[ProfessorPlum]

21. I'm saying I prefer a presidential candidate who doesn't take money from corporate PACs

in their campaign for president.

[WeekiWater]

15. Her fundraising tactics is why I don't have her as my preferred candidate anymore.

I want someone who is in it to win it. The restrictions she has placed on herself have removed her from possibly competing.

[ProfessorPlum]

22. In it to win it for wall street and corporations

huzzah

[WeekiWater]

23. That doesn't make any sense.

You are saying that before this she was bought and paid for? That's pretty low.

[ProfessorPlum]

25. what an obvious attempt to strawman

[WeekiWater]

29. It flows directly from your statement. You built the hut. NT

[ProfessorPlum]

30. better luck next time. Try being more subtle

[WeekiWater]

32. I don't feel the need to be subtle.

Not even sure what point you are onto now.

[NewJeffCT]

8. I like Warren a lot

but I said on here back in 2016 that while she is charismatic to a lot of the Democratic base, I don't think she is to people outside the base.

I have not heard Stacey Abrams speak enough to say if she has "it" or not, but I think she might.

[oldsoftie]

13. I dont. Harris is leaps ahead of her in that regard.

I'm in Ga, so i've heard Stacey MANY times. She's too structured & just hits bullet points. Compared to Harrris, who can snap off a speech with zero prep. Just my .02

[stillcool]

33. I agree...off the cuff..

she's great, and communication is so important.

[Super Iridium]

12. DNA test

The talk about Elizabeth Warren's charisma and energy changed after her DNA testing announcement. I am an Elizabeth Warren fan too, but that was plain stupid. Why did she have to do that?!?

[appal_jack]

18. She needs to "Trump" that problem

Was the DNA test episode stupid and unproductive from start to finish? Yes, certainly. But for me, it's such a minor mistake, at a time when the Republican pResident* and CONgressional wings make stupid, unproductive, mean-spirited AND illegal mistakes and deliberate actions every day.

For this reason, I hope that Warren can soon find a break-out moment that reframes the debate about and perceptions of her. A filibuster maybe? Some other Senatorial move that she can execute despite the Republican majority in the Senate? I really hope for this soon, as she is among my very favorite of the Democratic candidates thus far.

Warren will face sexism and the double-bind noted above, but I believe that a few fiery moments and powerful episodes can change the whole narrative about her. She and her campaign need to get it into gear though, soon.

-app

[customerserviceguy]

35. All kinds of things were wrong about that

First, she did it while the focus should have been solely on the midterm elections. Secondly, she should have simply said that there was very little evidence to back up her family story, and used that as a teachable moment to cause people to question their family stories.

Third, by doing anything about her DNA publicly, she showed that Donald Trump could rent space in her head for free. That's when the shine went off of Sen. Warren.

[unblock]

14. for a lot of democrats, "charisma" exists only if the media acknowledges it.

the minute the media starts saying you're not charismatic, you're not, no matter how effective you are at getting crowds to cheer or swoon.

meanwhile, republicans who sounds like nails on a chalkboard can be deemed "charismatic" and the media can't shut up about it.

shrub was once called "charismatic".

shrub.

[mountain grammy]

17. +1

[ProfessorPlum]

24. that's an important comment

some politicians defy that. the war against Sanders by the media contrasts with his crowds, popularity, and fundraising. But he's sailing against the corporate media headwinds. as are a lot of the more progressive candidates.

[unblock]

26. democrats have a way of drawing huge crowd, and we have huge marches

an million-people gatherings and so on.

and the media shows donald fraud speaking to a dozen random people and a bunch of empty chairs and calls him a "populist" and charismatic.

[backtoblue]

41. Totally agree

:

[Funtatlaguy]

27. She is so smart. She will shine in the debates.

[greymattermom]

28. I've seen her speak in person and on tv.

She seems better in person to me. Something about the way she is shown on tv is a little off, and I don't think it's her doing.

[Drunken Irishman]

31. Well I've never found Warren all that charismatic...

She reminds me of Kerry. Competent, smart and a strong understanding of the issues...but the way she sells her message is a hindrance. People only seemed to buy into the idea she was extremely charismatic when it benefited the narrative to attack Hillary. It's no different than the same people who became vehemently anti-Hillary lavished and praised her in 2016 to attack Obama.

[customerserviceguy]

36. Good point

What sells in Massachusetts might not sell as well in the rest of the country.

[athena]

38. "Charisma" is just a word used to justify and propagate sexist biases.

If one takes off one’s sexist sunglasses and actually watches Senator Warren speak, one has to admit that she has charisma and likability in spades. It’s the sexists who gave us President Trump in 2016 who latch on to the word “charisma” to appeal to society’s sexist stereotypes to attack candidates like HRC and EW. Because according to those stereotypes, a woman cannot be intelligent and outspoken and ambitious and still charismatic and likable.

[Drunken Irishman]

44. Not really...

It's been used to dog male Democrats in the past. Just look up "charisma + Gore + Kerry" and you'll see what I mean.

John Kerry was always hit for not being likable enough - too wonky, too professor, too boring.

[madville]

46. She just doesn't have "it"

I look at her like Inslee and Hickenlooper, they have great messages but they are boring. Gore, Kerry and Dukakis are other comparable examples. Klobuchar's public persona is kinda like that also.

[Apple Fritter]

39. I learned something. I rec'ed op

I feel like I have slighted her this whole time. Not good at all. Sorry Warren.

[patricia92243]

47. Charisma, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.