Revealing the Candidates
Pundits often say that a candidate needs to introduce himself to the public. Usually this means that the message isn’t working and it’s time to try another. Nevertheless, the gradual introduction of a candidate’s backstory to the voter maintains interest throughout the campaign.
Obama has done this in part with the attractive display of his family, including a set of grandparents, during the convention. His athleticism, in basketball if not bowling, also accentuates his vigor and common touch.
Unfortunately, the bulk of the backstory over time has been negative, from toxic Reverends Wright & Pfleger, “typical white” grandmother, a smoking habit, his radical though oddly undefined mother, a poverty-stricken Kenyan half-brother, the dismayingly angry wife, terrorist associate William Ayers, and real estate assisting crook Tony Rezko.
Some of this bad news could have been better handled. Using Reverend Wright as an opportunity to admit to his own ambivalence and past mistakes regarding race, Obama could have reassured many that he would not be simply the new and improved black candidate. His transformation might have become an example for the campaign, something definitely new and promising, a real conversation about race. Instead he feigned ignorance and gave an already forgotten speech, the standard response of the old politics.
Reaching out to his extended family would have shown humility and a good heart. Even recognizing his smoking habit could have been turned positively into a small but real struggle recognized and applauded by many. Obama apparently regards these topics as off limits.
Without positive testimonials about his background, without showing us what he has learned from his experiences, Obama has had to rely on static labels that have grown stale over the campaign. The effect is increasingly a crisis of confidence which accentuates his thin resume and lack of paper trail in positions that usually produce one. Without a satisfyingly fleshed out candidate, the hope and change voter looks in vain for accomplishments and specific programs.
By contrast, McCain has managed to explain his POW experience, family history (including adoptions), and health problems with more emotional depth and realism. This avoids the risk of the maverick being seen as mere troublemaker. By admitting error, such as his rule-breaking at the naval academy, the corruption surrounding the Keating scandal and his failed first marriage, McCain has defused much that could have hurt him. The net effect is the image of an imperfect but strong man who moves beyond errors and is right enough of the time to earn trust.
