Having failed to win re-election in 2012, Nicolas Sarkozy has announced he will seek to win back the French presidency in 2017. His candidature depends upon him winning the conservative Les Republicains party primaries in November, where he is expected to face more than a dozen contenders for the nomination.

In a social media post he announced; “I felt I had the strength to lead this battle at a troubled time in our history… The five years that come will be full of danger, but also of hope.”

He is expected to emphasise his leadership experience, and pledge to better protect French secular identity and culture to prevent support  drifting further to Marine Le Pen of the Front National.

Another individual seeking a comeback this November is Hillary Clinton in the US presidential election, who eight years ago conceded the Democratic Party nomination to Barack Obama. She too will highlight her achievements in leading and resilience in defeat.

“Life’s not about what happens to you, it’s about what you do with what happens to you.”

Things don’t always go our way, and making a comeback takes guts.

Different examples and personalities teach us different lessons: Hillary Clinton shows learning from experience; Ronald Reagan showed the importance of narrative. The career of Northern Ireland’s former First Minister, Peter Robinson, provides a masterclass in resilience.

Each example merits a closer look.

 

Hillary Clinton: Learning from experience

A favourite article of mine was penned by Jill Abramson of the Guardian in July: If at first you don’t succeed: how Hillary Clinton came back from the brink.

Rather than wallow in the mistakes, “Clinton went to school on everything Barack Obama had done right.”

In the intervening eight years between defeat to Barack Obama and success over Bernie Sanders, we’re told Clinton replayed and learned from the mistakes of 2008: her failings as a politician (“too brittle and unemotional”); constant infighting between her campaign staff; her misjudgement of the Democratic Party’s delegate math; and lack of a coherent strategy or message.

Rather than wallow in the mistakes, “Clinton went to school on everything Barack Obama had done right, meeting and grilling some of his top strategists.”

The death of Clinton’s mother in 2011, aged 92, hit her hard but she took inspiration from her words; “Life’s not about what happens to you, it’s about what you do with what happens to you.”

 

Ronald Reagan: Mindset and narrative

Ronald Reagan is often cast as the embodiment of the ‘American dream’. Even before he entered into politics his luck tossed and turned, from his tenure as an actor to representative with General Electric, a nearly-ran for the US Republican nomination for the presidency, and later President.

“Ronald Reagan was an athlete of the imagination, a master at turning complexity and confusion and doubt into simplicity and stout-hearted certainty.”

He served as President between 1981 and 1989, beating the then incumbent Jimmy Carter, but years earlier lost out on the GOP nomination to Gerald Ford in 1976 – who went on to lose the general election.

Perhaps one of the best sources to date which delves into the mindset of Reagan is Rick Perlstein’s book The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of [Richard] Nixon and Rise of Reagan. The book focuses upon the meltdown of confidence in the US political elite after Watergate and Vietnam, but also the immense confidence Reagan had in himself. Success and defeat were part of a narrative, in his mind, almost like a movie; and he would always be the hero.

Perlstein writes; “Ronald Reagan was an athlete of the imagination, a master at turning complexity and confusion and doubt into simplicity and stout-hearted certainty. Transforming is life, first in his own and then in others’ eyes, into a model of frictionless ease – and fashioning the world outside him into a stage on which to display it – was how he managed to fly.”

 

Peter Robinson: Resilience

In May 2011, after a series of allegations made against him and personal crisis, Peter Robinson personified resilience when he led the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to its then highest ever number of seats at Stormont at 38.

Just twelve months earlier Mr Robinson had lost his Westminster (East Belfast constituency) seat to Naomi Long of the Alliance Party, an event which led many to write off his political future altogether. He continued to serve as First Minister until January 2016.

In June, the Irish News reported that since standing down as First Minister and as MLA for East Belfast Mr Robinson has launched a new business. There is life after politics, and always opportunities.

 

Sarkozy’s comeback has a long way to go, and joins a long list of attempted returns. Certainly from the examples above we recognise lessons learned and characteristics showcased by others.

Experience, narrative and resilience are important, but certainly don’t compile an exhaustive list.