Shaking Hands

[poliphilo]

A political candidate came canvasing last night. He stood on the doorstep smiling nervously and shook my hand three or four separate times in the course of a minute. His grip was very loose and limp.

I was discussing this with Judy. She shook hands with President Bill Clinton once and was surprised how hot and damp and flabby he was. She admires Clinton and thinks his hand may have been hurting from over-use but I'm not convinced.

None of us knows what its like to be on the receiving end of our handshake- which makes it very hard for us to control the message it sends.  Is a handshake a reliable indication of a person's character?  I have to say- fair or unfair- I take it as such. 

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Clinton has the gift- I understand Tony Blair has it too- of making the person he's talking too feel like they're the most important person in his life.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I remember watching him the FIRST time he ran for President. He knows exactly what he's doing - I remember watching him wade into a crowd of people and start shaking hands while the other guys were still trying to find seats on the stage.