Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - mc-cain's campaign mgr: election not about issues

guy44 · 09-02-2008, 06:04 PM

As depressing as this may seem, I don't think this is the first time that Americans will vote with something other than the issues on their minds. FDR didn't let the public find out that he was wheelchair-bound because the visual would imply weakness - even though, of course, he won WWII. Although the effect of this is exaggerated, Nixon did look terrible on TV compared to JFK, and people noticed. JFK's wife, Jackie, also became incredibly popular and she was regularly trotted out as a political device. Ronald Reagan got his start in movies, and so did Ahnuld. Bill Clinton's biggest setback (well, after health care, anyways) had to do with a friggin' BJ. After the initial invasion of Iraq, Bush landed on an aircraft carrier in a flight suit and codpiece. And on and on and on.

So when McCain's campaign manager says that "This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates," I don't think he's so much admitting a secret campaign strategy as he is accidentally revealing the truth about political campaigns: they are only occasionally about the issues.

P.S. Although I do think, of course, that the McCain campaign (like every campaign) has internalized this idea and is trying to exploit it to its fullest advantage. I also think they are doing this more than most campaigns, and certainly more than Obama's, because they've flip-flopped on all the issues and are advocating a bunch of atrocious policies. But let's not pretend that they are unique.

09-02-2008, 06:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
guy44 Somnabulist Location: corner of No and Where	As depressing as this may seem, I don't think this is the first time that Americans will vote with something other than the issues on their minds. FDR didn't let the public find out that he was wheelchair-bound because the visual would imply weakness - even though, of course, he won WWII. Although the effect of this is exaggerated, Nixon did look terrible on TV compared to JFK, and people noticed. JFK's wife, Jackie, also became incredibly popular and she was regularly trotted out as a political device. Ronald Reagan got his start in movies, and so did Ahnuld. Bill Clinton's biggest setback (well, after health care, anyways) had to do with a friggin' BJ. After the initial invasion of Iraq, Bush landed on an aircraft carrier in a flight suit and codpiece. And on and on and on. So when McCain's campaign manager says that "This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates," I don't think he's so much admitting a secret campaign strategy as he is accidentally revealing the truth about political campaigns: they are only occasionally about the issues. P.S. Although I do think, of course, that the McCain campaign (like every campaign) has internalized this idea and is trying to exploit it to its fullest advantage. I also think they are doing this more than most campaigns, and certainly more than Obama's, because they've flip-flopped on all the issues and are advocating a bunch of atrocious policies. But let's not pretend that they are unique. __________________ "You have reached Ritual Sacrifice. For goats press one, or say 'goats.'"