On Jan 23, 2010, at 1:23 PM, Michael Smith wrote:
>
> Who could like Gore at all? He's
>> surely the polar object of unlikableness. Take the most
>> likable person you know, reverse the signs of all the
>> relevant dimensional coefficients, and you've got Gore.
>>
>
I've posted this here before. If you didn't click it then, watching it now
will give you some idea how closely Martha Coakley resembles your
description.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-january-18-2010/mass-backwards
> By most accounts, Gore is fairly likable in person. But so what? Why
> should likability matter? We're not drinking beer with them, we're giving
> them state power.
>
Spoken like a true economist! I think the implicit assumption that human beings are - or should be - rational machines breaks down even more quickly in political science.
Obviously Americans want their politicians to be likeable. Are there countries where this is not true? (That's not a rhetorical question, if anyone has an answer.)
-- "Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."