Politics
Friday, August 29th, 2008
at 12:22pm
It is widely understood and repeated that individuals don’t vote for vice presidental candidates, but rather for presidential candidates. The 1988 (vice) presidential race pitted well known, well respected Lloyd Bentsen against relatively unknown yet widely ridiculed Dan Quayle, with little consequence to the eventual outcome. While the vice presidential candidates will eventually fade from coverage, the do play a deeply important role which is often overlooked.
Selecting a running made not only offers a candidate an executive opportunity, it also allows him or her to refocus the campaign’s image. Discussions of Joe Biden or Sarah Palin will be framed in the context and qualities of his or her selector.
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Sunday, August 17th, 2008
at 4:22pm
While the repetition of kitschy anecdotes is a campaign trail hallmark, a truly engaging story, told by the right person, can captivate an audience and change the news cycle. John McCain appears to have succeeded in this regard, speaking last night with Pastor Rick Warren at the Saddleback Civil Forum. McCain’s powerful storytelling has dramatically colored the media’s reaction to the event.
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Friday, August 15th, 2008
at 11:23am
Much has been made of the Republican failure to capture the youth vote. The missteps here have to be understood in the context of internet politics. The successes of the Obama team’s online efforts are well known and documented. Driving home from a DC Tech Event just last night, a local entrepreneur commented on just how far behind Republicans are.
To a great extent, it is an image problem. When I mention the Republicans and the internet to my friends, a joke about a “series of tubes” is inevitable (still no mentions of Twitter from them yet).
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Friday, August 8th, 2008
at 4:25pm
The 2008 presidential campaign has seen some unusual fighting for the low ground. Remarkably, the major candidates have spent considerable amounts of time trying to convince their supporters and the media that he or she is the candidate with the smaller base of support and lower odds of winning.
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