No, I am not talking about possible suspects in a crime, but rather charisma. What is it that gives a certain few that indefinable quality or qualities that cause us to stop and stare? It is a force of character, a personal presence that comes to one in a million. The force is not always positive, and it is not always attractive. Many thought Hitler had charisma, his abilities as an orator held people spellbound.
In today's world there is Sarah Palin. If one cannot mention a name without an immediate reaction, there is charisma. Like her or hate her, you cannot deny Sarah Palin has great charisma. With a voice like a screech owl, she captivates audiences. Her enemies are fixated on her to the point they became quite frenzied when thousands of her emails were dumped. What a disappointment, they were drooling with anticipation of dirt. There was no dirt.
Angelina Jolie is charismatic, although just because one is a movie star, does not mean one has charisma. Looks don't have a lot to do with it, but they help. (Looks always help!) Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Gandolfini, Richard Burton - charismatic all. And then there was James Dean, taken too soon, who was magical on the big screen.
Charisma is not a matter of fame and celebrity, and it is definitely not something which comes automatically to every famous person. We can all think of countless famous people who have zero charisma. (Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Thatcher) America will never again elect a president who does not have a fair amount of charisma. If it doesn't come naturally, he/she will have to develop it before entering the cruel limelight of a big time campaign. This should concern us, it makes the possibility of electing a charismatic fool all too real.
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