Likable Politicians? Are only men included?

Have you noticed that only the men among the the twenty-two Democrats running for President are described as likable? Claire Bond Potter in a New York Times Sunday Opinion piece reminds us that Hillary Clinton was branded as the unlikable one when she ran against a known womanizer and liar, Donald Trump. The theory being that only men are likable when running for President of The United States. She may be on to something.

I have searched my memory for instances where the news media have praised Kamila Harris or Elizabeth Warren for their likableness. We praise Joe Biden for his cheerful demeanor and Pete Buttigieg for his smile, but call Ms. Harris hard to know and call Ms. Warren to academic. Why do you suppose we see female politicians as less likable that their male counterparts? Looking back at my own reactions there have been several times when I said things like, “Warren seems to be the smartest one running, but she’s too much the professor to be electable” or Harris seems distant. Why do you suppose we have those negative opinions about women politicians and not their male counterparts?

If I’m honest with myself, I have to admit to suffering the same cultural bias that kept women out of politics for most of U.S. history. The culture says men can be strong and assertive, but we are only beginning to give women permission to have and be praised for those same traits.

If you are a man, you might want to spend some time rethinking political choices in light of the possible male bias we bring to choosing. I’m sure, that in my case, I didn’t give Warren, Harris or Klobuchar the chance to make their case and since my first choice is one of those “likable” males, I
should probably re-evaluate before it’s to late.

As a parting thought, why do we think our politicians should be appealing or likable? Isn’t their expertise and ability to work with others much more important than their likability?