Earlier this week Hillary Clinton was a guest on The Late Show. When at 5:43, Stephen Colbert asked her: So if you're President, if you're president ...
Hillary: [over-talking] Yes.
Colbert: aaand, aand, and the banks, and the banks are failing, do we let them fail this time?
Hillary: Yes. Yes.
Colbert: We let them fail this time?
Hillary: [over-talking] Yes. Yes. Yes.
Colbert: Wow!
Hillary: Yes. Yes. First of all, under, under Dodd-Frank, that is what will happen because we now have stress tests and I'm going to impose a risk fee on the big bank if they, if they engage in, in what risky behavior. But They have to know, their share-holders have to know - that yes, they - will - fail. And if they're too big to fail, then under my plan, and others that have been proposed, they may have to be broken up, because if you can't manage it, then it's more likely to fail.
During the 5:56 segment, as Mrs. Clinton said her last "... Yes ...", (she spoke eight yeses consecutively)she displayed a somewhat-less-than-full-alpha variation of the "Pistol Steeple". Note that her index fingers are separated and pointing parallel - but not touching. In the full version (projecting more alpha) of the pistol steeple, the index fingers (forefingers) remain parallel, but they touch. This modestly down-regulated version of it here, is nuanced and is one example of an alpha-beta hybrid - although this signal still remains relatively high alpha.
The pistol steeple is a high-alpha nonverbal. As with most alpha signals, those who use them have a strong tendency to over-use them - and nowhere is this more prevalent than with politicians during an election cycle. Thus whatever amount of authority, assertiveness, rapport and goodwill those who display it have achieved - its over use will backfire - projecting arrogance with strong condescending and patronizing emotional tones. Mrs. Clinton however, only used it for a second - and therefor did not fall to such foibles on this particular occasion.
When the pistol steeple is used more judiciously, it will act to "shoot down" another person's proposal/idea/plan - or as it's used here, as a nonverbal exclamation point. Hillary Clinton's use of it with this issue indicates that her suggestion to let the banks fail the next time-around - is a very sincere one.
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3357: Justin Bieber leaves/walks off the stage in Oslo
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3264: Hillary Clinton, Likability, Perceived Trustworthiness and Body Language
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3287: Hillary Clinton, Email Servers and Crisis Management - Body Language
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3258: Hillary Clinton speaks out on "inaccuracies" of private email controversy
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3127: Hillary Clinton's Press Conference and a Body Language Down-regulator of Sincerity
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2749: President Obama, Ukraine's Interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and an Alpha-Beta Hybrid
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3267: Jeb Bush, Emotional Dissonance and Body Language
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2827: Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy - She was the Alpha, He was the Beta
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