I can usually understand Trump’s lies. They are self-aggrandizing, and some portion of the public finds the very absurdity of his tales to be entertaining. That isn’t what I’m looking for in a president, but Clinton’s Thursday press conference provides some clues as to why even some voters who find Trump ridiculous haven’t decided to support Clinton.Clinton responded to questions about her campaign’s hiding the news that she had pneumonia by saying:
My campaign has said that they could have been faster. I agree with that. I certainly expect them to be as focused and quick as possible.
This statement didn’t get much play, but it gets at part of what makes her so tough to like. Nobody believes that the problem was that her campaign wasn’t “quick.” They were very quick about getting her out of the public eye and coming up with a cover story. Nobody believes that her campaign’s attempts to conceal her condition were the product of the staff. Even the most obdurate Clinton flacks know that the lies started at the top.
Clinton’s statement made her look dishonest, and it made her look disloyal toward her staff. It was also unnecessary. She could have just promised to do better without leaving the implication that it was about her staff.
But she couldn’t help herself. She couldn’t level with the public — even when it would have helped. She seems to have a pathological determination to mislead.
I suspect that is a one reason why so many weak Democratic-leaners that I know view voting for her with a combination of resignation and disgust.
These weak Democratic-identifiers will probably still vote for her. She will probably be elected president. But if she loses, her tombstone should say:
She would rather be mendacious than president.