On NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Hillary Clinton thought it was funny when host Chuck Todd brought up her inability to excite voters, a problem that she had in 2008.
"As you know, the caucuses sometimes are about passion and enthusiasm," Todd said and read off part of a 2008 article from the New York Times that noted Clinton’s "aging" establishment image.
"Nevertheless, you can't ignore the fact that Hillary Clinton is now the candidate of the aging Democratic establishment whose supporters pray for low turnout on Election Day. That might get her nominated in the long run, but it is not really the kind of image that makes you go whistling into the election booth," Todd read.
The article seems like it could have been written in 2016, but, Todd said, Gail Collins observed Clinton’s passion problem all the way back in 2008.
"By the way, she wrote that in 2008," Todd said, to which Clinton laughed.
"By the way, she wrote that in 2008, Madam Secretary," Todd repeated as Clinton carried on laughing. "Is there a déjà vu happening here?"
Clinton said she was amused by the "speculation" but that she is getting a lot of enthusiasm from voters.
"Yeah, yeah … no, there isn't. I just have to tell you, I can only react to what I’m doing, feeling, getting responses from people and, you know, I feel great that we have the level of enthusiasm that we do," Clinton said. "So, you know, this speculation and all the rest of it is entertaining, I admit that."
Clinton has had trouble winning over younger voters from her competitor, Bernie Sanders, who the New York Times writes has "undoubtedly… struck a chord with young people." Voters and reporters alike have noted that Clinton has been appealing to voters on the basis of logic and experience, whereas Sanders comes off as passionate and has been appealing to the heart.
In addition to facing the same authenticity issues against her opponent that she did in 2008, Clinton has been repeating the same attacks against Bernie Sanders that she used against President Obama eight years ago.