Even supporters agree: Clinton has weaknesses as a candidate. What can she do?
WASH POST
Hillary
Clinton’s declining personal image, ongoing battle to break free of the
challenge from Sen. Bernie Sanders and struggle to adapt to an
anti-establishment mood among voters this year have become caution signs
for her campaign and the focus of new efforts to fortify her position
as she prepares for a bruising general election.
More than a
dozen Clinton allies identified weaknesses in her candidacy that may
erode her prospects of defeating Donald Trump, including poor showings
with young women, untrustworthiness, unlikability and a lackluster style
on the stump. Supporters also worry that she is a conventional
candidate in an unconventional election in which voters clearly favor
renegades.
“I bring it down to one thing and one thing only, and
that is likability,” said Peter Hart, a Democratic pollster who has
conducted a series of focus groups for the Annenberg Public Policy
Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
To counter these
challenges, Clinton is relying primarily on the prospect that her likely
Republican opponent’s weaknesses are even greater. But advisers also
are working to soften her stiff public image by highlighting her
compassion and to combat perceptions about trustworthiness and
authenticity by playing up her problem-solving abilities.
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