It’s trust, stupid
Hillary Rodham Clinton once enjoyed a commanding lead in the polls and was the presumptive presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.
Last week, The Washington Post and ABC News released a poll showing why her fortunes have changed. Only 39 percent of Americans now view her as honest and trustworthy as compared to 62 percent for both Barak Obama and John McCain. Clinton’s numbers are down from 52 percent less than a year ago.
The news gets worse. Among Democrats, her numbers fell from 81 percent to 63 percent in that same time period.
Most campaign strategists tie the precipitous fall to her comments about landing amid sniper fire in Bosnia during her time as First Lady. Her campaign made it worse by handling the situation poorly when reporters uncovered footage of the official welcoming ceremony that was anything but hostile.
Politicians don’t generally rank high on the trust scale. At the same time, presidential candidates are held to a higher standard.
The ability to lead effectively is based on trust. Trust us; it will be a significant issue in this year’s election.
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