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Commentary: ‘Likability’ is not a qualification for president

My plea to the American electorate and the responsible media is to discard this question when evaluating the electability of possible presidential candidates.

The first reason to avoid this line of questioning is that it immediately puts female candidates at a disadvantage. It is a Catch-22 that if a woman leader is deemed “likable” or “charismatic,” she probably won’t have the “strength” characteristics that voters require. “Likable” in female candidates almost always includes physical characteristics and soft personality traits that are truly irrelevant to top political leaders.

“Charismatic” is perhaps more relevant in evaluating male candidates, because it seems to mean being a dynamic speaker and having a forceful personality.