Someone might be the… like… first dude

© 2008 by Michael Swickard, Ph.D.

With Sarah Palin suddenly on the ticket, the media are scrambling to deal with something unlike anything they have previously seen. Not that the media in general are handling this well.

An example is the “concern” that Sarah Palin’s husband will be the “first dude.” Actually, Sarah is the VP candidate, so if elected her husband will be the “second dude.” And the “concern” that her husband cannot take care of the children, yada-yada-yada.

For the record, I was a stay-at-home dad in the mid-1980s. As a full-time writer working out of our house, it made sense for me to assume the home duties. They were awarded with these words, “These are your duties so long as I never, ever wonder if dinner is going to be on the table. If I have to wonder if you are doing the duties, then the house is still on my shoulders.” It was a deal I kept.

That is key for Palin. If she has to second-guess what her husband is doing with the kids, then it does not take the pressure off of her. Everything I see of him seems to say he is up for it. And, regardless of the protests, it is sexist to mention it since no one asked Bill Clinton how he was going to take care of Chelsea if elected. If the question is only for women, it is sexist.

What about the Palin effect? I wonder how many soccer moms in the last month have looked in the mirror and thought, “If she can rise up, so can I.”

Likewise, how many small-town dynamos, both male and female, have watched America embrace small-town values and have admired the Rachel Ray perkiness of Sarah Palin, and it has caused them to smile to themselves. I bet there are lots of small-town leaders in Flyover America who have been revitalized by Palin’s climb into national politics. In coming years I hope to see many small-town politicians emerge nationally who have not spent their entire life in politics.

Now I have a choice

Palin’s opposite number, Joe Biden, has spent pretty much his entire life as a politician in Washington, whereas McCain has been a Washingtonian since 1982. The question of being a life-long politician was why I was supporting Obama much of this last year. Now I have a choice of people on both tickets who have not spent their life in politics.

I want someone to go to Washington who understands what it is like to live in our towns, serve on our school boards and tell good jokes in our cafes. The politicians are a breed apart from us in speech and action since they live a life of privilege very remote from the life I lead.

History notes only one other time like this in American presidential politics. When Teddy Roosevelt was added to the second-term ticket of William McKinley, there was that same wide smile and exuberance that the American public found fascinating. Both Roosevelt then and Palin now have a good deal of showmanship in them. Most important, Roosevelt then and Palin now both seem to enjoy the moment more than we have seen with other candidates.

It was Roosevelt’s trademark, his smile and glasses, face scrunched up into a perpetual grin. That same grin may become Palin’s most recognized feature, her smile and eyes.

Likeability is key

As much as I like to talk policy, I realize that to the middle voters the most important attribute is likeability. Obama had that to himself a year ago, but now shares it with Palin.

In our media-rich world the central issue for many voters in national, statewide and local contests is attraction. Despite the debates and speeches, what actually happens is the voter choice often boils down to how much the candidate is liked personally. Bill Clinton was quite likeable. The attraction from the crowd was palpable when he visited NMSU in November 1996.

That Clinton had personal faults was forgiven by his fans in the way that NASCAR fans unconditionally root for Junior, Gordon or whoever. Beside simple attractiveness, there is also the celebrity effect. Candidates are often treated more like rock stars than people wishing to serve us, the people.

The days when an ugly gap-toothed fat man like 340 pound Bill Taft could be elected are over. Oddly, Taft was not only a president; he was later the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

In some ways what we have now resembles the television show, American Idol, where it does not necessarily matter who is the very best: It turns out that people become attached to one or another contestant and feel a personal fondness for them. Like our elections, winning it is arbitrated by who gets the most votes. By virtue of their vote total, the winner is declared the best.

Even our sports heroes have a likeability index that influences their viability as a commercial spokesperson. Regardless of how much success they have on the sports field, if they are not liked that much, their earnings are limited.

While the partisans will vote as they have always voted, the non-partisans now have a choice of candidates who are unlike most politicians. With Palin, this presidential season has gotten so much more interesting. The media can play “gotcha” all they want; the voters in Flyover America may just determine this election.

Swickard is a weekly columnist for this site. You can reach him at michael@swickard.com.