THREAD: After seeing this tweet from Politico, I decided to search for tweets by several mainstream news orgs and see how they use the terms “likeable,” “unlikable,” and “likability” when applied to men vs. women. The results are...stark. 
First of all, those words are used far more often to refer to women. Politico did note in 2014 that Hillary Clinton—who at the time had a favorable rating in the 60s—was now “likable enough” vs 2008.
If you’re Politico and reporting that a male politician—former Illinois Mayor Rod Blahojevich—has been found guilty of trying to sell a US Senate seat like, though, it’s important to note that the jurors found him likable, criminality aside.
During the 2008 Democratic primary, the New York Times sarcastically referred to Hillary Clinton’s campaigning as a “likability tour.”
Last year, the @nytimes tweeted out a quote about British Prime Minister Theresa May that described her as “not human enough to be likable.”
The New York Times sent out this tweet in 2017, quoting an opinion article that cited conservative TV host Megyn Kelly as having been “magnetic” on Fox News despite being “unlikable.”
The NYT did report on Ted Cruz’s likability last year, quoting Trump’s budget chief who wondered if Cruz wasn’t likable enough to hold onto his Senate seat (turns out, either he was or it didn’t matter, because he did).
In 2016, the Washington Post pondered whether Hillary Clinton was likable enough to win the election.
When it came to Republican former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, though, the Washington Post argued that “‘electability’ is not ‘likability.’”
The Washington Post also wondered if Mitt Romney would even “need to be” “likable” to win in 2012. Like, is that really necessary for a candidate?
Maybe Mitt Romney should’ve consulted with Roger Ailes about how he made Richard Nixon so likable?
The Washington Post even shared some tips from former Congressman Barney Frank on how to be both “likability” and “intimidating”—advice that would surely work for any woman considering a political career.
Of course, if none of those tips work for women in politics who want to be seen as more “likable,” plastic surgery is always an option, according to this report from Washington Post (which features a woman, of course).
Over at the Atlantic, we find that Gary Johnson — who had no idea what Aleppo was — was very likable in 2016 despite his “troubling economic policy.”
Of course, “Hillary Clinton’s whole likability thing” was “still an issue,” The Atlantic noted that year.
Perhaps Hillary Clinton should have asked NJ Gov Chris Christie how—a year after the Bridgegate scandal that saw his approval rating plummet to the lowest in the nation at 15%—he managed to get The Atlantic to consider that he might be the guy to “make Republicans likable again.”
Fox News has good news for at least one Democrat in 2016, though: Voters considered Sen. Bernie Sanders—known for lots of shouting and doom-and-gloom finger wagging—“likable enough to serve effectively we president.”
Also on Fox News, Newt Gingrich praised Sen. Marco Rubio for being “very likable.”
Republicans at Fox News even had high praise for Vice President Joe Biden’s likability in 2015. “One of the most likable people in Washington,” Dana Perino said.
Hillary Clinton, though? “When she’s not being criminal, she’s just being wooden and unlikable.”
While other potential female candidates like Sens. Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand have not announced 2020 campaigns yet, I did see what tweeters thought about their likability (in addition to Warren) for a preview of things to come.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich*
I gave Illinois a mayor and misspelled his name. 🤦🏻♂️
I gave Illinois a mayor and misspelled his name. 🤦🏻♂️
If you’re Politico and reporting that a male politician—former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich—has been found guilty of trying to sell a US Senate seat like, though, it’s important to note that the jurors found him likable, criminality aside.
This follow-up thread includes A. Receipts of folks who argued in 2015/2016 that Elizabeth Warren would be a “likable” alternative to Hillary Clinton and B. Social science research that explains the “likability” conundrum for women in leadership:
