Politicians pander. Duh. To ingratiate yourself among the common folk, by doing the everyday stuff the everyman does, is a campaign stratagem as old as kissing babies’ foreheads. It works on occasion (Bill Clinton playing his saxophone on “Arsenio Hall” made him appear youthful) and fails spectacularly at others (John Kerry windsurfing). We recount some recent pandering moments along the campaign trail.
Obama
Situation: Sen. Barack Obama, who was a high school basketball star, participated in a “3-on-3 Challenge for Change” in Kokomo, Ind., and played in a pickup game with the University of North Carolina basketball team. Then at a rally at Indiana University, he proclaimed, “We are going to take the bowling alley out of the White House, and we are going to put in a basketball court, and we’re going to bring some Indiana basketball to Washington, D.C.”
Interpretation: Indiana and North Carolina are basketball-crazy states, and the campaign has picked a good time to unveil this sportier, ergo more-regular-guy image of Obama.
PANDER-O-METER: 3 out of 5
McCain
Situation: After feasting on smoked chicken and pork ribs at Little Rock’s vaunted Whole Hog Cafe, Sen. John McCain inquired about the restaurant’s spicing. “Is that a trade secret, your dry rub?” asked McCain, as reported in Reuters.
Interpretation: McCain is known for his grilling aptitude. He recently held a barbecue event for reporters at his Arizona home.
PANDER-O-METER: 1 out of 5
Clinton
Situation: At a rally in a minor-league baseball stadium in South Bend, Ind., Sen. Hillary Clinton went with the “Baseball is America” analogy. According to Reuters, she said: “We’re going to hit some of those balls out of this stadium and out of our country stadium because we’re going to go to bat and fix America together. We are going to go fight for America, we’re going to round the bases, we’re going to score a lot of runs and we’re going to feel really good about the home team, the American team, the team we’re all a part of.”
Interpretation: Swiiiiiiiing and a miss.
PANDER-O-METER: 3 out of 5
McCain/Clinton/Obama
Situation: All three candidates appeared on WWE’s Monday Night Raw, the venerable professional wrestle-fest on the USA Network. A few choice lines, first from McCain: “I’m gonna introduce Osama bin Laden to The Undertaker.” Clinton: “You need a president who will go to the mat for you.” Obama: “Do you smell what Barack is cooking?”
Interpretation: The candidates try to appeal to a young, male, steel-chair-to-the-forehead crowd, an audience 3 million-plus strong (it’s the top-rated show on cable). Still, though, the candidates probably had no clue what they were talking about.
PANDER-O-METER: The meter explodes.
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