Body Language: Clinton has been practicing the Christlike "double opened palms" position for years, presumably in an effort to appear open and sincere, but it still looks forced, says Pease. "She frequently uses finger-pointing, which is aggressive, and karate chop type movements, which sometimes contradict what she says," he explains. Clinton also uses the "steepling" gesture, in which the fingertips touch—unusual for women. "This gesture is often used by people
of power," says body language expert Janine Driver. "Donald Trump does it on The Apprentice all the time—as does Mr. Burns on The Simpsons."
Self-definition: Identification with middle-class values. Clinton talks often about the middle-class family in the middle of America. She's not identifying herself as a first lady or as a senator. Rather, she's telegraphing back to her roots as a child.
Emotional tone: Clinton's linguistic style stands out as the most positive and personal of all the candidates. While positive-emotion words flow from her lips at a high rate, she rarely utters anything negative. Her style is also "immediate," meaning she appeals to people in the here and now, which helps her connect with voters. She uses simple language, short words, and present-tense verbs.
Political values: Clinton's speeches reveal the cautious strategy of a party's frontrunner. She makes scant reference to freedom, order, or equality. The nonideological tint of her speeches thwarts attempts to paint her as an extreme liberal.
Universal values: Her value hierarchy is similar to that of other Democrats—she values universalism and social justice. She also stresses protecting the environment more than the others do, and shows respect for parents and elders.
Handwriting: "Hillary Clinton's signature is clear and simple, she has nothing to hide. Simplified and straightforward, the upright slant says that she takes a neutral stance and isn't swayed by an emotional argument. She's focused on hearing all the facts," says Sheila Lowe. Dresbold agrees. "A vertical slant takes a lot of control," she says. "It appears in the handwriting of people whose heads rule their hearts."
John Edwards
Exemplary quote: "If we actually want to change this country and we want to move America the way it needs to move, we're going to have to do it, all of us, together. Instead of staying home and complaining, we're asking people to help."
Subtext: John Edwards has the highest use of "commonality"—kumbaya, pulling together, "we can do it" type language.
Rhetorical style: Edwards is off the charts on realism (concrete language), insistence (the tendency to stay on script), and certainty. It's, "We can do these specific things together, and we can do it with great assurance." It's a good style for a Democrat, because it's a language of the people, feel-good kind of style.
Body language: Passionate and animated, Edwards' gestures mirror and match his message. But he's also a "measurer"—he uses the distance between his hands to show the relevance of things to one another. "This creates interesting contradictions," says Pease, "as when he talks about the large amount he gave to a charity while holding his hands 12 inches apart and then speaks about how frugal he was with campaign funds while holding his hands three feet apart." Edwards seems to be at his most animated when he's on his planned talking points.
Self-definition: "I want this to be a country where everyone has the same chances I had... where you can go from having nothing to having everything." This encapsulates his focus on poverty and the fact that he grew up poor in a small town in the South. His life was transformed by America, and he wants to transform others' lives.
Emotional tone: Edwards, who used the most positive words in the last election, is using the fewest in this one. His high use of first-person plural pronouns (we, us, our) and concrete nouns (world, country, plate) are signs of a masculine speech style.
Political values: Compared to those of his fellow Democrats, Edwards' speeches are boldly ideological. He uses equality keywords five times more frequently than any other candidate. His two signature talking points are health care and, especially, poverty, which he mentions ten times more than all the other candidates combined.
Universal values: Edwards places an emphasis on his public image, as when he says, "I didn't run the war." He also places more emphasis on spirituality than do the other candidates, making comments like, "I think I as a Christian—and we as a nation—have a moral responsibility to do something about this."
Handwriting: "The very strong right slant of John Edwards' signature reveals an emotional nature that feels everything strongly and deeply," says Lowe. "He wants things to happen quickly and can be a little impatient. The small E in his last name suggests humility—or perhaps less confidence than he might like to portray." Adds Dresbold: "Large lower loops appear in the script of people with strong physical, financial, and sexual drives."
Rudy Giuliani
Exemplary quote: "Where I stand on abortion is, I oppose it. I don't like it. I hate it. I think abortion is something that, as a personal matter, I would advise somebody against... "
Subtext: Giuliani wins the prize for negativity—spewing words like "hate," which many politicians view as anathema.
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