Hillary Clinton has a new attitude, and the Democratic presidential candidate is not afraid to show it.
At the recent Iowa Wing Ding dinner, she wowed skeptics at how much fire they saw her spew and at her newfound ability to take herself less seriously, according to a Politico report. In reference to what many are calling “Servergate,” she raved about her new Snapchat account because “those messages disappear all by themselves.”
Most strikingly, she was forceful in her declaration that there should be an end to mass incarceration, and we should all “say loudly and clearly, ‘Yes, black lives matter.’”
Her powerful invocation of that phrase was a double-edged attack. Not only does it show progressive millennials and black voters that she is in tune with the issues they care about, but it also was a subtle dig at Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ issues with the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
She further enhanced her credit as the candidate for African-American voters when in a private meeting with members of Black Lives Matter, she was unapologetic in telling them she believes you cannot change all hearts, instead you must change systems.
This acknowledgement of the daunting task ahead of her­ — if she becomes the next president — is welcomed news to those who feel too often white politicians give peace rally platitudes instead of concrete, realistic answers to black voters.
But Clinton has not always been so forthcoming with voters.
In the 2008 primary race, Barack Obama attracted masses to his speeches and rallies while exciting supporters to donate to his campaign in record numbers. He was successful in his campaigning because voters saw him as transparent.
It’s deja vu. Since Clinton announced her campaign, there are constant news stories about Sanders turning out massive crowds, exciting the Democratic progressive base and consistently nipping at her heels in the polls.
But during the first phase of the primary season, the Clinton camp hasn’t hit the panic button — instead, it ignores Sanders and chooses to attack Republicans. She targeted her attacks specifically on contenders Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
This strategy has led to many in the political class wondering if this is the best plan. Her tactics seem to give off a sense of inevitability — that she’ll land in the White House no matter what. This sense of entitlement was a curse to her campaign in 2008, making her team fight too late in the game to counter the upswell of support for Obama.
With the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary quickly approaching, Clinton stepped up her forcefulness at campaign appearances and shed some of the more sober aspects of her campaign.
She and her team are now beginning to open up her personality to the people. As this race continues, her willingness to fight for the ordinary people will shine through, and she will gain the respect of non-supporters. Clinton and her team should be confident that her new attitude combined with her résumé will lead to victory.
Garrett Hines is a 21-year-old political science senior from Monroe, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @garrettH_tdr.