Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: 'I Am Not a Natural Politician'

In a remarkably raw moment, Hillary Clinton said she is “not a natural politician, in case you haven’t noticed, like my husband or president Obama” during a heated Democratic debate held tonight (March 9) in Miami. “I have a view I have to do the best I can, get the results I can, make a difference in people’s lives.”

Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post asked Clinton why voters don’t trust her despite decades in politics, an issue she and her campaign have struggled with since the beginning. “It’s painful for me to hear that, and I do take responsibility,” she added. “When you’re in public life, even if you believe that it’s not an opinion that you think is fair or founded, you do have to take responsibility, and I do,” she said. “And I also have, you know, very much committed to the best of my ability my energies and efforts to helping people. That’s something that I care deeply about, and I will continue to do that.”

Clinton acknowledging she's not a natural politician and this is hard for her is something i find endearing

— Kevin Collins (@kwcollins) March 10, 2016

I think she just got me for a moment. Or maybe she *is* a politician after all.

— Alice Speri (@alicesperi) March 10, 2016

In polls, the former secretary of state fares well on measures such as “electability” or “experience,” but on “trustworthiness,” she has consistently lost to Sanders. Only 37% of voters find her “honest” and “trustworthy,” according to new Washington Post/ABC News national poll.

Some of her efforts to appear more authentic or unscripted have been interpreted as contrived (paywall), especially by younger voters, although others see the backlash as sexist, a double standard that is not applied to men.