Let's Talk Clinton: John Leo
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. . . next luminary . . .
Clinton has to show balls. He needs to be magisterial and mysterious like JFK could be. He has to stop jogging in those stupid shorts and playing instruments. Our national father figure needs gravitas, [but] he's pitched himself as the kid brother. He can't be showing up in his shorts and be in the seat of Washington and Lincoln.
Clinton could grab a huge constituency toward the center. I voted for him, and I'd listen if he wouldn't be p.c. Clinton could run against Republicans by standing for the future, presenting a vision of America. He's used that rhetoric. Great divisions have to be healed. Get away from biased victimization and get the races working together. He has to use the pulpit against the victim culture. He has to seize hold of the office and use guile and images and manipulation, all of which he has done so poorly.
He's a salesman for himself and can't separate the desire to please from the desire to get things done and establish a constituency. He's great on the stump because he gets right away what an audience wants to hear.
But now he's overexposed. He becomes just a boring guy if he's on all the talk shows.
