Patton: Why Hillary Haters Hate Hillary

Life is not easy for the smartest girl in the class. Her enthusiasm for and love of learning results, much to the other students' annoyance, in a hand that is constantly raised to answer the teacher's questions. Her wig-wagging arm may be misperceived by others as a desire to draw attention to herself or a display of superiority rather than a genuine love of learning. Her inevitable A grades on papers and exams produce envy and hostility from those less gifted or less enthusiastic about learning. The brainy girl is not universally beloved.

No doubt Hillary Clinton symbolizes the smartest girl in class. She graduated from Wellesley and earned a law degree from Yale. She is a policy wonk, soaking up information rapidly and easily and then generating numerous, detailed policy proposals, unlike Donald Trump who is long on bombast and short on specifics.

Americans have traditionally been leery of women who are "too smart for their own good. " Girls were encouraged not to display their intelligence around men; to be pretty; to be friendly; to be in the fashion of the moment; to be passive; to be submissive. Girls were supposed to run for school offices, like treasurer or secretary, that encouraged them to be good followers who faithfully completed their duties. Leave the active roles such as president to guys, who traditionally have taken charge and occupied leadership positions.

This stereotype for women is changing, of course, but it will probably be a while before it is totally eradicated. In the mean time, Hillary breaks all the rules. She is smart, assertive, a leader, tough, resilient, and persistent.

People don't like it when the world around them suddenly changes. The values they hold dear, such as how a woman should behave, are considered fixed and permanent, but now are falling from favor. That makes the public nervous; no, more than that, those disagreeable changes make people annoyed and angry. They want the world with which they were comfortable to return. They resent someone like Hillary coming along and upsetting their agreeable world view.

Of course, not everyone is so resistant to change, but some are. Men are particularly likely to be disturbed by women like Hillary. Women whom they once saw as subservient are becoming more like them and occupying positions of power, action, and authority. "What's going on? Why is a woman like Hillary Clinton running for president? Men are supposed to be the president, not women."

Some people maintain their self-esteem by putting down others. "I can be proud of myself because I'm better than those people." White supremacists not only feel superior to African-Americans, they want to keep blacks down so they can maintain that feeling of superiority and, thus, their feeling of self-esteem.

So some men feel a loss of status when the women they once considered inferior rise to their level. And a capable woman like Hillary Clinton is disliked all the more for taking away their smugness.

As if all the preceding weren't enough of a challenge to her, persistent Republican attacks on Hillary extending over the past 25 years have further complicated her run for the presidency. The GOP has very much wanted for a very long time to destroy the political career of Hillary Clinton. From Whitewater, to the suicide of Vince Foster, to Travel gate, to Benghazi, to debate over her email server, Republicans have been relentless in their pursuit of Hillary. Yet, after 25 years, these charges have come to nothing. Hillary is still standing.

However, though unsubstantiated, these constant assaults on Hillary's character have left their mark. They have undermined the public's confidence in her. They have unfairly created the impression that she is "not trustworthy." As Hillary has said, if they keep throwing charges at you, after a while, right or wrong, the public begins to feel, "Gee, there must be something there," even if none of these charges have been proven.

Many people do not particularly care about politics. When an election draws near, rather than seeking answers in the media, they may get their information about candidates by word of mouth from friends or neighbors. So, if the friend or neighbor buys the Republican attack line that Hillary is not trustworthy, other individuals who have no other information about an election are receptive to it. The rumor mill goes into operation, and the notion that Hillary can't be trusted quickly spreads.

So, Hillary faces a challenge in this election. She must convince the public that though she is not a traditional female, nevertheless, she possesses the characteristics that make a good president. And she must confront the rumor that she is untrustworthy.

Suppose at this point I haven't convinced you. Suppose you still don't like Hillary as a person. Let me draw a parallel with Bill Belichick, the coach of the New England Patriots. Though Belichick is admired in New England, elsewhere he is pretty much loathed. Why? Because the New England Patriots are a successful team (other teams and their fans are envious) and he pretty much doesn't care what people think or say about him. He is uncommunicative with the media, close-mouthed, secretive, and hostile toward league officials.

My point is that a leader doesn't have to be beloved in order to be successful. The idea is to elect a president who has the intelligence, experience, wisdom, stability, and strength to do a good job. If you want a friend, get a dog.

Gary Patton is the author of two books, Selling Mt. Washington, a political satire, and Outtastatahs: Newcomers' Adventures in New Hampshire, a work of regional humor.