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Just what we needed; another demographic group de jour:
Just How Low Will They Go? With 'elitist' a choice slur, candidates are trying to win over the new 'It' demographic: 'low-info voters.'
Thirty-one-year-old Jin Chon is obsessed with televisiontalk shows. He starts each weekday morning with Barbara and the gang on "The View" and rarely misses his daily dose of Ellen and Tyra. Other favorites: "Entertainment Tonight" and "Access Hollywood," where he luxuriates in the latest gossip. For Chon, there are few things more rewarding than flipping on one of his must-see shows and finding they've booked his favorite celebrity guest: Hillary Clinton. That happens a lot. In the past year, she has been a repeat guest on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," swooned over "Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick (McDreamy) Dempsey on "ET" and copped to a weakness for "Dancing With the Stars" on "Access." The way Chon sees it, there's no such thing as too much Hillary. "She has a great sense of humor and is totally engaging and willing to do fun things that you'd be, like, 'Oh, no, she wouldn't do that!' " he says.
So right about now is when you'd be thinking: "Dude, honestly. Get a job." He's got one. Impressive title, too. Chon is press secretary for specialty media for the Clinton campaign. He's the man behind the dozens of fluff TV appearances Hillary has made. He also angles to get her positive coverage in celeb mags like People and Us Weekly, where she sat for a lighthearted feature in which she made fun of her dowdy wardrobe.
Barack Obama and John McCain are also hustling spots on shows that usually stay clear of politics. Obama danced with DeGeneres, hugged the weak-kneed hosts of "The View" and let slip this bit of news on "Good Morning America": he's going to get a dog. McCain schmoozed with Regis and Kelly and won a write-up in Us when Heidi Montag, the villainess from the MTV reality show "The Hills," endorsed him. (McCain said he was "honored.")
Politicians and presidential candidates have long submitted to ritual humiliation on "Saturday Night Live," and happily take their lumps from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. But that's different. Those shows are for the tiny portion of the populace heavy into politics. An appearance on "The Daily Show" is a badge of coolness in this self-conscious, New York-Washington media world: you have arrived.
An appearance on "Access Hollywood"? Not so much. And that's just the point. In a campaign where "elitist" has become a choice slur, the candidates are especially eager to win down-home credibility with this year's "It" demographic: "low-information voters." They are the opposite of Colbert's media-saturated, post-ironic followers. Overwhelmingly white and working class, low-info voters don't pay much mind to the hourly back-and-forth of the campaign, and don't obsessively check Google News for the latest poll results.
Most important to the candidates: many of these voters are, in campaign parlance, "swayable"—undecided and looking for a candidate to believe in. "People who most like [prime-time] entertainment programming don't strongly identify with being a conservative or liberal," says Marty Kaplan, director of the Lear Center on entertainment at the University of Southern California. They base their votes in part on the issues, but just as much—if not more—on how well they like the candidate.
That, by the way, describes most of us, no matter how high-minded we think we are in picking a president. Pollster and political scientist Samuel Popkin coined the phrase "low information" in 1991; he called it "low-information signaling"—the way seemingly trivial details have a big impact on political choices. Never mind the issues: the way you felt when you saw Hillary's perfectly timed near-tears or heard Obama's "bitter" line may be a better indication of how you vote in November.
Little wonder, then, that Clinton, McCain and Obama are spending so much time trying to signal how normal and Just Like Us they are in their quest to become the most powerful person in the world. To do that, the candidates are going lowbrow like never before.
Planning a trip? Take these travel tips from Clinton, courtesy of an interview she did with "Extra" last November: "You got to have layers of clothing," she advised. "You should also have a lot of water and some healthy snacks." Usually guarded with reporters, Clinton felt at ease enough to reveal that "given the variety of situations I find myself in every single day, pantsuits are a lifesaver." Feeling down about your do? Don't worry. So is the maybe-still-possible next U.S. president! Two days before the New Hampshire primary, "Access" aired a wide-ranging interview with Clinton in which she talked about how her girlfriends tease her because "I am, you know, hopeless when it comes to doing my own hair."
Here's a bit of "low-information signaling" that could definitely alter your opinion of Obama: he admitted he once thought Cher was "pretty hot." He said this in a February interview with People and yet still seems poised to win the Democratic nomination. Why didn't Clinton raise this in any of the debates?
It's easy—and fun—to lampoon snippets of these chats (the People interview touched on Iraq and health care—and even on the tabloid shows, the candidates often try to steer the conversation toward substance). But the candidates aren't looking to break news or debate policy proposals. "It's not the same audience that watches the Lehrer 'NewsHour' or reads Hotline or lives inside the Beltway," says Clinton spokesman Jay Carson. "In a country of 300 million people, that leaves about 299.5 million to reach out to."
He's got a point. Since Clinton declared for president, Chon estimates she has appeared on "ET" at least a dozen times. Chon points out that the show pulls in more than 7 million viewers a night (Stewart gets about 1.7 million), and that most of them are women, who make up "a huge bloc of our supporters … That was very important."
The candidates calculate that the exposure is worth any loss of dignity they might suffer among the high-minded for going tabloid. And the risks of coming off badly are low. Shows like "ET" and "Extra" generally aren't going to try to catch them in contradictions—or otherwise give them a rough time the way political reporters often do. For the most part, says Chon, "the interviews are positive." (So are reviews from staffers who handle the candidates. "We've worked with far more demanding C-list stars," says Us editor Janice Min.)
Rob Silverstein, executive producer for "Access," says people misunderstand his show's approach to politics: "It's not a matter of softball [questions]; that's absurd. Brian Williams isn't going to ask about their hair coloring. We will, because that's what our audience is interested in." Silverstein says there's value in getting politicians to open up about something other than politics. "If we can get them talking about themselves and being self-deprecating," he says, "you're seeing a different side of these people that you don't normally see."
That's what happened when Clinton appeared on "The Tyra Banks Show" in January and was surprisingly candid about her husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky. "I really had to dig down deep and think hard about what was right for me, what was right for my family," she said. "I never doubted Bill's love for me, ever … You're mad, you're really upset, you're disappointed."
Compared with Obama and Clinton, McCain has logged less time on the tabloid circuit, perhaps because he wrapped up the nomination early and hasn't had to pander as hard. His one appearance with DeGeneres, which the campaign hoped would be light and funny, turned uncomfortable when the host, who is gay, grilled him about his opposition to gay marriage.
Yet McCain seems to relish the absurdity of some of the stunts he's required to perform. In April, Obama and Clinton were a bit stiff reciting their lines on videos for World Wrestling Entertainment fans in South Carolina: "Hi, I'm Hillary Clinton. But tonight, in honor of the WWE, you can call me Hillrod." Obama gamely attempted to riff off The Rock's signature line: "Do you smell what Barack is cooking?" But McCain seemed positively delighted to be there. "Whatcha gonna do when John McCain and all his McCainiacs run wild on ya?" he asked. He even snuck in a bit of policy talk: "I'm gonna introduce Osama bin Laden to the Undertaker."
For better or worse, it's moments like these that get many people to tune in to the campaign. "I do think people feel badly that they can't tell you more about the economy, foreign policy, Iraq, who their representatives are," says Harvey Levin, executive producer of TMZ.com, a celeb-obsession Web site that is covering the candidates the same way it does movie stars. "They probably wish they could … but it's just so damn boring for them." Levin says sites like TMZ—which reported that Obama left an $18 tip on a $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon—demystify politicians and, ultimately, politics. "It's baby steps," he says. "If you can get people interested in the players, it's a step toward getting them interested in what the players do."
With Ramin Setoodeh, Holly Bailey, Jessica Ramirez, Richard Wolffe and Daniel Stone
Saw a "Republicans for Obama" bumper sticker today. It was on our neighbors' Hummer. Hmm. She is black and he is white.
Interesting world we live in!
Good for them, actually (well, apart from the hummer bit: at $4.00 a gallon I certainly wouldn't want to have to fill a thing like that up, and that's leaving aside the obvious environmental objections).
"It's baby steps," he says. "If you can get people interested in the players, it's a step toward getting them interested in what the players do."
Can we be any more infantilized? Grownups treated like idiots because we can't expect them to be informed and not act idiotically. Thomas Jefferson would be puking his guts out.
What do you think of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as Obama's running mate?
All you've got to do is choose love. That's how I live it now. I learned a long time ago, I can feed the birds in my garden. I can't feed them all. -- Ringo Starr, Rolling Stone magazine, May 2007
For all I know, Ringo might be a yogi disguised as a drummer! - George Harrison
Can we be any more infantilized? Grownups treated like idiots because we can't expect them to be informed and not act idiotically. Thomas Jefferson would be puking his guts out.
What do you think of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as Obama's running mate?
There are times when I want to puke my guts out, too. I suspect there would be a long line of us. Some days I think these people are getting more or less what they deserve; the bad news is that the rest of us are getting a belly full of it, too.
Joe Biden and Bill Richardson were actually my top two choices going into this, so if Obama picks him for VP I'd be a happy guy. He's a smart, likeable guy who would make himself very useful as vice president. But putting a Latino on a ticket with an African American would probably only accentuate Obama's difficulties with older and poorer white voters in the north east, so I imagine Richardson's more in line for a cabinet job than he is the vice presidency. Someone like Jim Webb from Virginia, or maybe Wesley Clark or Tom Daschle, would make more sense. But I like the optics of an Obama-Richardson ticket; I think the south west is where the future is for the Democrats.
Here's some happy news from Kenya. Do you think Obama can help retrieve America's sinking image in the world?
Obama revolution Updated on: Thursday, June 05, 2008 Story by: By Times team ....................................................................................................................................................................................
ECSTATIC celebration exploded in western Kenya and most parts of the country as international broadcasters announced the victory of Illinois Senator Barrack Obama as the presumptive presidential nominee for the White House race on the Democratic Party ticket.
Senator Obama, the son of a Kenyan immigrant Barrack Obama Senior, entered the annals of history as the first African American to win the presidential nomination of a major party in the United States.
As the news filtered through early yesterday morning, ecstatic and frenzied celebrations rocked Kisumu, Bondo, Kakamega, Eldoret and Mumias towns as residents poured into the streets.
President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga sent congratulations to the Illinois Senator for winning his party’s nomination and running a fantastic campaign.
At Obama’s ancestral rural home of Kogelo village, security was tight as hundreds of residents of Siaya District and other parts of Western and Nyanza provinces streamed in to congratulate his elated grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama.
In Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru , Nyeri and other urban areas, the news spread like a bush fire, with individuals congregating in small groups to discuss how the country would benefit from an Obama Presidency in the US.
The Kogelo homestead was a carnival of activity as gangs of local and international journalists jostled for interviews with "who is who" within the Obama family.
Obama’s grandmother, Mama Sarah, who had left the homestead early in the morning returned around 2.30 to a thunderous welcome from the overjoyed villagers who had thronged the home. Although visibly excited with the latest development, she declined to speak to journalists.
But after a two-hour long insistence by the journalists, Mama Sarah , through Obama junior’s uncle, Said Obama, described the victory as "the beginning of good things to come."
Mr Said told reporters: "Mama Sarah is excited with the latest development and only hopes that it is the beginning of the good things to come. She hopes that her grandson would fight all the way to the White House."
He said the family had stayed awake the whole night to monitor the nomination results through the Cable News Network (CNN).
"It is a dream come true. I remember the last time he was here he told us about the seriousness with which he had taken the campaigns. We now believe his words," said Said, an uncle to Barack.
Asked what they expected an Obama presidency would mean to their family and Kenya at large, Said quipped : "We are expecting nothing, but the historic part of it is what is important. We as a family are thrilled to be directly related to a man who has not only made a major achievement, but has also made history."
The news elicited spontaneous discussions of the possible infrastructural development the Presidency of Barack Obama would endow the region. Most touted was the elevation of the Kisumu airport and inland harbour into ultra- modern facilities courtesy of American aid.
"It is unbelievable! This shows that Kenya is a great place; a great country. God has blessed this country. Senator Obama is already the next US President," declared Bishop Beneah Salalah of the Anglican Church of Kenya Mumias Diocese who joined hundreds of local residents in celebrations in Mumias town.
The town is less than 30 kilometres from Alego Kogelo village in Siaya district, where Senator Obama’s father hailed from.
Political and religious leaders, professionals and residents put aside their political differences and held massive celebrations after learning of Obama’s victory in the early hours of the morning.
Most demonstrators said they saw God’s hand in Obama’s victory over New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and exuded confidence that he would go ahead and defeat the Republican candidate John McCain.
Kakamega Mayor Joe Serenge, who led hundreds of area residents in celebrating Obama’s victory on the town’s streets, said it was time for Kenyans and other Africans to unite over the rare achievement.
"We know he will go ahead and be elected President of the United States. The American citizens have shown that they do not see race or tribe in somebody but his or her leadership qualities. Africans should learn from this," said Serenge, who is also the Second Vice-Chairman of the Association of Local Government Authorities of Kenya (ALGAK).
There's more at the link above. I find it amusing that the Kenyans see Obama's nomination as the hand of God. The Bible thumpers over here will believe that their God-- which is the same one, isn't it?-- is behind their candidate.
All you've got to do is choose love. That's how I live it now. I learned a long time ago, I can feed the birds in my garden. I can't feed them all. -- Ringo Starr, Rolling Stone magazine, May 2007
For all I know, Ringo might be a yogi disguised as a drummer! - George Harrison
To tell you the truth, I don't like any of them. This has got to be the worst election year ever!!! People can say what they want about Bill Clinton, but Bill wasn't that bad of a president. And Bush...........can you say, "idiot"???? Anyway............whoever gets the nod to be Prez, the first thing that needs to be done is bring our men and women BACK HOME from Iraq.
Just discoverd i'm 4 month older than Obama it will be cool to see someone born in 1961 become president . That also makes him born in the year of the Ox like me , the other big political figure born in the year of the Ox was Mrs Thatcher should America and the rest of the world be scared ?
One Thing I Can Tell You Is You Got To Be Free Words Of Love
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^^^^
Evidently McCain took "going green" to mean he should stand in front of something green. I would have gone looking for a tree myself. This guy's way, way off his game, and that forced smile of his could actually be some sort of involuntary convulsion.
One Thing I Can Tell You Is You Got To Be Free Words Of Love
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The Veep guessing game is well under way:
Biden For VP? By Robert Novak
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Before multimillionaire Democratic power broker James A. Johnson quit as Sen. Barack Obama's chief vice presidential screener, the name that came to the fore in his internal discussions was 65-year-old, six-term Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware.
Biden, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, made a good impression in his losing bid for the presidential nomination this year. The downside on him is that he talks too much. But he provides expertise and experience in national security that Obama lacks and, as a Catholic, adds cultural diversity to the ticket.
A footnote: Presidential supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton who are possibilities for vice president include Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. The leading Clintonite for vice president, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, has definitively ruled himself out.
McCain's Non VPs Sources close to Sen. John McCain say the Republican presidential candidate likes the idea of Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman, re-elected from Connecticut as an independent in 2006, or former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge -- if he could get away with it. The political consensus is that McCain couldn't get away with either, and he knows it.
Lieberman, one of McCain's closest Senate friends, vigorously supports him for president and sometimes joins him on the campaign trail. However, Lieberman opposes Republican policy on nearly everything except Iraq, where he has backed the war effort.
Ridge, who served as President Bush's secretary of homeland security, is a generally conservative Republican except for being pro-choice on abortion. He was considered for vice president in 1996 and 2000, but was ruled out both times because of the abortion issue.
One Thing I Can Tell You Is You Got To Be Free Words Of Love
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I'll bet Ron Paul just got an idea. If I were Roger Ailes (president of Fox News) I'd throw my cell phone at a speeding bus.
Huckaboom Hits TV By Howard Kurtz
Mike Huckabee may have flamed out as a presidential candidate, but his glibness and humor did not go unnoticed.
The former Arkansas governor has signed a one-year deal as a political commentator for Fox News, where he will sound off on a variety of programs. A knowledgeable source says an announcement is expected soon.
Other cable channels had been pursuing Huckabee, who provided commentary on MSNBC during one of its primary-night broadcasts. Fox has given a platform to such former Republican politicos as Newt Gingrich and Karl Rove.
Huckabee honed his broadcasting skills during his years as a Baptist minister, and his underfunded White House campaign relied heavily on TV appearances, from his constant calls to MSNBC's "Morning Joe" to his stint playing air hockey with Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert. His first job, at 14, was reading the news and weather at a radio station.
The deal keeps Huckabee in the spotlight as he contemplates a second run in 2012, a tactic perfected by Pat Buchanan, who hosted CNN's "Crossfire" between presidential campaigns.
No word on whether the deal calls for Huckabee's band to play while Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity kick off their programs.
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it will be cool to see someone born in 1961 become president .
should America and the rest of the world be scared ?
