The Underdog Myth that Hillary Has to Overcome

Last updated on: April 17, 2015 at 12:48 pm by Fr. Dwight Longenecker

The Underdog Myth that Hillary Has to Overcome 2015-04-17T12:48:57-05:00 Fr. Dwight Longenecker

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When I was living in England I remember how the English hated George Bush Jr.

The mocked him for seeming like a small town hick.

What they didn’t understand was that George Bush Jr’s move to Texas to live on a ranch and marry the town librarian was the smartest political move he could have made.

Bush was from a top notch blue blood New England, Ivy League establishment family.

But he knew that having a rich grand daddy and a well connected former president for a Dad wasn’t going to win votes in middle America.

Why?

Because Americans love their president to be the underdog. They want a rancher from Texas with a pitchfork in his hand not a financier from Manhattan with a silver spoon in his hand.

The American myth of the little guy who clambers to the top through brains, charisma, hard work and “aw shucks ma’am” likability is a myth that is super powerful and which appeals to all Americans.

Think about it: Every president except JFK and Geo Bush Sr. since the second world war has either been (or successfully pretended to be) a small town boy who made good, or just an ordinary fella.

Harry Truman was the small town draper who made it to the Oval Office

Dwight Eisenhower was the down home war hero

Richard Nixon was the ordinary guy with a wife two kids and a dog

Gerald Ford was a likable college football hero

Jimmy Carter was the son of a Georgia peanut farmer

Ronald Reagan was a home town sports announcer who made it to Hollywood and got lucky

Bill Clinton was an Arkansas boy from a broken home who worked hard and made good.

Barack Obama–the African American son of a single mother

While I don’t personally buy into this myth, (because in most cases it is fake) the important thing is that American voters do.

Big Time.

This article at National review points out that Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have this story to tell. They are the hard working, young sons of immigrants.

Hillary is another matter. Continue Reading

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