The Jerk Factor

Some leaders can look really good on the surface, but when you look a little deeper you discover that those who work under them despise them. As a result, their efforts are often, at least partially sabotaged, by their subordinates who aren't totally committed to making their boss look good. Often, it's because of something I like to call, "The Jerk Factor".

Michael Kelly, in his posthumous book, Things Worth Fighting For wrote that Bill Clinton was one of those guys that everyone liked, even when they disagreed with him.

Regardless of your opinion of his character, his decisions, or his politics, Bill Clinton was a very likeable guy. Ironically, that's what drove Republicans so crazy. He seemed to be able to get away with anything based solely on the power of his persona.

Members of the press have commented that George Bush is a rather enjoyable guy to cover on the campaign trail simply because he's pretty likable on a personal level. Other encounters with the President, like the one documented here, lend credence to the impression that he's pretty engaging when you meet him one to one.

John Kerry on the other hand, doesn't seem quite as likable. There's this incident where Kerry made some disparaging remarks to a Secret Service Agent after falling down while snowboarding. There's also this event (titled: Flip-Flop Hip-Hopper) where Kerry was quoted as saying,

I'm fascinated by rap and by hip-hop. I think there's a lot of poetry in it. There's a lot of anger, a lot of social energy in it. And I think you'd better listen to it pretty carefully, 'cause it's important. ... I'm still listening because I know that it's a reflection of the street and it's a reflection of life.

It may be true that rap music has a certain poetry to it, but it's difficult to imagine Kerry (I don't even know the correct slang here.) chillin' with the boyz. Then there's an article in this month's Weekly Standard, where PJ O'Rourke discusses an incident he witnessed with a young freshman senator named John Kerry. [source] His conclusion. John Kerry is a jerk.

By contrast, in a Glamour interview given four years ago, George Bush was asked what he thought of Madonna. He replied, "I'm not into pop music." A much wiser and honest answer. Admit it, Bush is much more likable, regardless of whether you agree with him on his politics. Just as it was with Clinton, his likability is one of the things that drives his detractors nuts.

This doesn't mean that nice guys get elected and jerks don't. Two modern-day presidents that come to mind are Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon. These two had a very high Jerk Factor yet they were still elected. You could argue it was the jerk factor that ultimately served as the catalyst for bringing down the Nixon presidency. However, in terms of media exposure, those years were the dark ages.

In this present age when the camera is so ubiquitous, The Jerk Factor plays a much larger role than ever. Jimmy Carter comes to mind as one of the more likable presidents. He managed to get elected, at least in part, to being a likable guy. (Unfortunately he was a pathetic president.) You can't hide The Jerk Factor from the public, especially over the course of a long campaign cycle. Much of the public will cast their vote for reasons that aren't entirely logical. In a close election, The Jerk Factor just might make the difference and for that George W. Bush should be thankful.

Posted by jdmays at April 7, 2004 06:06 PM | TrackBack