The bizarre movement to “ban” the word “bossy” because it allegedly stigmatizes girls struck many people as ridiculous. But on consideration, it is something far more sophisticated and sinister than mere feminist hyperventilating. Hillary Clinton faces an image problem, and the deep thinkers on her propaganda team know it. In a debate during the 2008 primary campaign, Barack Obama alluded to it when he called her “likable enough,” a backhanded compliment/slap that stung. The woman who as first lady demanded that military service personnel assigned to the White House not look her in the face is an imperious, demanding, and frosty sort of person.

Asche Schow of The Examiner puts two and two together and posits that it is no coincidence that the “ban bossy” campaign was the handiwork of Facebook's Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, an enthusiastic Hillary donor and supporter:

…Sandberg is an ally of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.

Sandberg worked as former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers' chief of staff under President Bill Clinton during his second term and maxed out in personal campaign contributions to Hillary Clinton in 2007 and 2008. She also donates almost exclusively to female Democratic candidates.

In 2012, Sandberg posted a video on her personal Facebook page of Meryl Streep's tribute to Clinton, calling it “amazing.”

In 2013, Sandberg and Clinton hosted a gala for Women for Women International. Sandberg presented Clinton with the “Champion of Peace” award at the event.

Also in 2013, Sandberg said she hopes Clinton runs for president again in 2016, believing that Clinton's 2008 “likeability” was tied too closely to her appearance. (snip)

…Clinton [was] called “bossy” during the 2008 campaign by Australian feminist Germaine Greer. Bossy is also more tame than some of the other words Clinton has been called.

Thus the need to disarm critics in advance. Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit calls it “battlespace preparation,” shaping the terrain to her advantage.

There are many other reasons to scorn this campaign. Mollie Hemingway comes up with 7 of them, the first of which is “Banning words is un-American,” and the most telling of which is, “Making people feel bad for using adjectives is pretty bossy.”

Despite Hillary’s lead in polls matching her against potential GOP presidential nominees, she is not a strong candidate. The anti-Romney campaign demonstrated that demonization works, and likability is a primary factor in the choices of low information voters. With her tendency to screech, her indifference to the deaths of her employees in Benghazi, her demonstrable lying, her miraculous commodities trading success in Arkansas, and her overall personality, Hillary actually isn’t likable enough.

Thus the need to pre-emptively insulate her form criticism. The ban bossy movement is just one step in the process. There will be more.

Hat tip: Instapundit