What's Your Story?

The best candidates are good story tellers. And often times the reason they are running has something to do with their own personal story.

In a recent Roll Call article, Stu Rothenberg wonders if candidates need a great story:

Everybody loves a good story, don't they? Why do you think people pay money to go to the movies? But it is reporters and editors who get particularly excited about a good story (which probably is one reason why Janet Cooke, Jayson Blair and Stephen Glass got as far as they did with major print organizations).

And media consultants? They get downright misty-eyed when thinking about what they can do with a candidate with a personal story that pulls at the heartstrings. What could be better than being raised in a broken home or coming from a town called Hope, Ark. (as Bill Clinton and likely '08 GOP presidential hopeful Gov. Mike Huckabee did)?

... Many presidential hopefuls have something in their life stories that can paint as a personal test or a hurdle that they overcome. The old 'born in a log cabin' chestnut is about as old as the country.

But while a good story goes a long way, Rothenberg also warns:

A candidate's 'story' may get voters' attention, but a story is by its very nature backward-looking, while presidential contests are about the future. Ultimately, a candidate must offer more compelling reasons than a resume to justify why he or she deserves to be nominated and elected. Remember: No matter his personal history, which included great hardships and great courage, McCain's incredible personal story didn't win him the GOP presidential nomination in 2000.

Note: Your story doesn't have to be as glamorous or dramatic as, say former POW John McCain -- or George H.W. Bush. But -- no matter who you are -- you still have a story worth telling.
Sadly, too many candidates are afraid to tell their story. They don't want to talk about their personal lives. That's a mistake because voters want to know who you are and why you believe the things you do.

So what's your story?