Superficials & Symbolisms: On "Obama Crush" and "Hillaryland"
Let's talk superficials. Because superficials matter, and so do symbols. They speak to our emotions, and to our unconscious. And emotional reactions are natural human instincts, just as much as is rational thinking.
(Photo at right: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Citizen Neal Ross lamented on June 10 in a letter to his small town newspaper:
"People need to put aside their emotional reasons for voting for presidential candidates. They need to get out a copy of the Constitution and see what authorities it grants the president,... and then see what the candidates are saying about their plans for America."
I'm with you, Mr. Ross. Most of us are with you. But sadly, it doesn't happen that way... emotions matter, too.
And by both accident and design, the 2008 campaigns of the two leading Democrats, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton, are rich in emotional outreach to voters.
I think symbolism and superficials are working well for Obama. I believe that Hillary's campaign has recently been hurt by superficials and bad symbolic choices, yet her "gatekeepers" seem to think things are just dandy...
"Obama Crush" vs. "Hillaryland"
Take, for instance, two recent visual superficials that neatly define the candidates.
"Obama Crush," of course, is the wildly popular YouTube video that features 3 minutes of a shapely, sweetly seductive young woman crooning "I've got a crush on Obama."
The senator's campaign staff had zilch to do with "Obama Crush", and the senator has wisely stayed mum about it. But the Obama camp must secretly be pleased about this playfully witty video that's been viewed by more than 1.5 million YouTube fans.
"Obama Crush" cleverly frames the senator's charisma and sex appeal... traits that helped propel John Kennedy to the White House 50 years ago. Traits that would be a big boost today for anyone seeking public office.
In contrast, the much-discussed Washington Post article on June 21, Gatekeepers of Hillaryland, featured a photo of 11 middle-aged women, all in understated business dress, all but one with smooth, brunette bobs, all smiling coolly at the distant camera. Reports the Post:
"Once seen as a tight little sorority, today the group -- happily self-described as 'Hillaryland'-- is at the center of a front-running presidential campaign.Never have so many women operated at such a high level in one campaign, working with a discipline and a loyalty and a legendary secrecy rarely seen at this level of American politics.
Older and tougher, they have formed a closely knit Praetorian Guard around Clinton that plots strategy, develops message and clamps down on leaks... "
Secretive. Older. Tougher. Disciplined. All female Praetorian Guard.
Uh... hello??? This, obviously, is not the way to appeal to the broader American electorate. And as I've asked before, can someone really win by appealing to only one gender and excluding the other?
To me, the Hillaryland photo smacks of the politico version of the Stepford Wives. Or perhaps the female counterpart to Richard Nixon's coterie darkly described by Woodward and Bernstein in "All the President's Men."
To a certain segment of women, this frosty, Vogue-like photo may be appealing. To a significant chunk of Americans, it may feel scary, boring or offensive in its exclusivity and homogeneity. Or all of the above.
Contrasting Other Obama-Hillary Symbols
Sen. Clinton's staff ran a popular pick-her-campaign-tune contest. Choices offered were fun, smart and half-hip, and included cuts from Smash Mouth, Lenny Kravitz, Tina Turner, U2, Jesus Jones, Sting and the Dixie Chicks.
Whose cut was selected? Celine Dion, the ultimate songstress of bland for middle-aged females visiting Las Vegas. Bill Lamb, About.com's Guide to Top 40/Pop aptly described it as:
"...a minor Celine Dion hit, 'You and I,' that was most prominently used as a theme song for Air Canada's emergence from bankruptcy. I'm already nostalgic for Fleetwood Mac's 'Don't Stop,' the song that carried Hillary's husband to the White House."
Hillary and Bill then announced the tune choice in a too-cute spoof of HBO's "The Sopranos." I don't know anyone in the western U.S. who regularly watched "The Sopranos," and frankly, most younger families I know disconnected HBO, a pricey R-rated cable channel, long ago. The Clinton skit held an "inside-the-beltway" tone that meant little to most Americans.
Meanwhile this week, Sen. Obama selected 4 under-$100 contributors to his campaign to have dinner with him in D.C. in July, and discuss their concerns. Who did the Obama camp select?
- A young Louisiana mother whose husband is serving in Iraq
- A New Yorker who works at a food bank, and who founded a non-profit to teach civics to kids
- A female firefighter and reformed Republican from Florida
- A young Nevada miner taking his first plunge into politics "because I realized that politics affect my children's future."
Winning the Battle of Symbols and Superficials
Symbolism. It matters. Big time. And so do the superficials.
Hillary Clinton is a candidate of great substance. She's diligent, prepared and super-bright, and she knows her stuff. Hillary is usually the smartest top-gun in the room.
Barack Obama is brilliant, wise, and a quick-study, but he's admittedly still a work-in-progress.
But the senator from Illinois is besting the senator from New York in the important battle of symbols and superficials. And that could make all the difference in garnering the 2008 Democratic nomination for the presidency.
Related Reading
Hillary Clinton in 2008 Info Center Hub
Barack Obama in 2008 Info Center Hub
Washington Post, June 20, 2007: Gatekeepers of Hillaryland
Los Angeles Times, June 22, 2007: Hillary's tone-deaf campaign
Comments
I support fully our beloved Senator Barack Obama. He is the only candidate that deserves our vote, in honesty. He is clean, intelligence, has a vision and is the only hope for us all, regardless of socio-econimic level. He has consistantly shown much care and responsibility in all issues, unlike Hillary Clinton who is a worn out candidate that has learned the bad ways of politics. She already had her chance for do something good for us for many years, but she has been boring and won bad chemistry with most voters. She will be a Bush like president or worse because she is also sold out to big business & corporations, no question about it. All her empty promises to only be elected are deceiving. I have followed her position and her husband’s all alone and I, alone with my many friends, would never vote for her (them).
You know I’m a big Hillary cheerleader, so perhaps it’s my bias; but when I looked at the photo of the Hillaryland women, I felt proud of their accomplishments and drawn–on a very sentimental level–to the sort of sisterhood that inevitably forms when such a large group of women come together for a common cause. I was delighted to hear that they’ve incorporated a group yoga practice into their campaign, and found the profiles of the women involved only solidified my cheerleader status behind their campaign for Hillary. I thought that story only humanized Hillary and her people more when they talked about how difficult it was to be part of the staff in the West Wing during the whoe infidelity scandal. It was nice to see that addressed as not just a scandal, but something a group of very professional women dealt with on a very personal level.
After eight years of GWB, it’ll be outstanding to see someone in the White House who exudes a fierce intellect–something both Barack and Hillary do–and who is easy on the eye. But I have to disagree with you on your comments about the Stepford Wives. The Sopranos comment shocked me, too, since I’m the only person I know who wasn’t glued to the Sopranos these last however-many years. I guess it’s good to know I’m not the only one who never watched the show.