Joe Klein on Barack Obama the 'Game changer'

For the second week in a row Time Magazine columnist Joe Klein touches on presentation in politics, this time with a more confessional tone. I've commented before on how Barack Obama is running a symbolic candidacy ironically by shunning symbolic political rituals (flag lapel pins, pandering), something Klein described previously as 'low information signaling'.

Its been accepted over the years that its fair game for a Presidential candidate to be judged on peripheral and otherwise trivial character traits. In 2004 John Kerry was deemed not presidential because he "seemed French", went windsurfing and only pretended to be a war hero. On the other hand George W Bush was seen as a macho warrior and someone you could have a beer with.



In wrestling, wrestlers are not judged by their arsenal of moves but on how they captivate the audience with their charisma. In politics, policy issues are secondary in the presentation of a candidate. Campaigns and debates are carnival like affairs that woo voters, powered by the candidates' charisma and the advancing of a person's narrative.

In the May 19, 2008 edition of Time Magazine Joe Klein writes on Obama's "game changing" strategy that asks voters and the media to rethink how they view and digest political theatre.

The Game Changer.
Barack Obama has refused to play by the old political rules. He's about to be rewarded for it...

Joe Klein continues confessionally

In retrospect, it was easy to see that Clinton was desperate, willing to say almost anything to get over. At the time, she just seemed strong, certainly stronger than Obama on Meet the Press ... at least she did to me and many members of my chattering tribe. And our knee-jerk reactions — our prejudice toward performance values over policy — could infect the campaign to come between Obama and John McCain, just as it has the primaries...

Klein concedes that politics may always be about 'show'

Politics will always be propelled by grease, hot air and showmanship, but in the astonishing prosperity of the late 20th century, we allowed our public life to drift toward too much show biz, too little substance. Yes, the low-information signals — the bowling and tamale-eating — are crucial; politicians have to show that they are in touch with the lives of average folks. But a balance needs to be struck between carnival populism and the higher demands of democracy, and as a nation, we haven't been very good lately with the serious part of the program...

Read Joe Klein's piece on "Obama - (The) Game Changer"
Read Joe Klein's previous piece on 'low information signaling'
Read my previous post "Obama - A 'no symbol' symbolic candidacy"
Go to Joe Klein's bio

American Pundit Fighting finally has some competition

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Consider me flattered. It looks like there's another Political Wrestling federation on the block, the 'BCEW'. Otherwise known as Buckland County Extreme (Political) Wrestling.

'PCW Political Championship Wrestling' banner

Technically American Pundit Fighting focuses on the Punditocracy. Using wrestling as an analogy to deconstruct the psychology and presentation of modern punditry. Though I can only speculate, BCEW looks a bit more like 'Fantasy wrestling' not unlike 'fan fiction' for non wrestling fans. I'll let The BCEW's 'About' section speak for itself:

BCEW combines political satire and professional wrestling. Written in the style of Paul Heyman and the old ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling), BCEW is Political, Hardcore, Extreme, Wrestling or PHEW- which coincidentally is also an accurate description of the current state of American politics...

BCEW is set up similar to your typical pro wrestling show except that instead of the good guys vs. bad guys (or 'face' vs. 'heels') it's the left vs. right.

I must say I've been waiting for some competition. It'll allow me to set up a feud and become an authentic Wrestling Commissioner by being obnoxious and combative. For a site like mine that focuses on Politics with a Wrestling analogy you'd think it would be more satirical and irreverent, instead it's been all too earnest and more like media studies. This is not altogether bad, but this new competition might just be the catalyst to bringing a more 'humorist' approach to the site.

Expect some changes in the future, particularly the inclusion of me - Jim Stark as an animated character. I plan to write more personal pieces for the APF. In wrestling terms it will be like when Vince McMahon emerged from behind the commentators desk, morphing from his role as an impartial observer to becoming a prominent in-ring persona, the villainous Chairman of the WWE.

Like McMahon, expect 'Commissioner Stark' to have an epic feud with the denizens of BCEW. Wrestling fans will know what happened to WCW and ECW, the upstart rival federation of the WWE. The competition in the marketplace elevated the quality of all the brands, captivating the mainstream and enjoying immense popularity. Whilst the competition initially threatened the WWE's dominance both competitors were ultimately crushed then bought out. Expect the same of BCEW. Though there was eventually a downturn in popularity with the lack of competition I can worry about crossing that bridge later. There federation doesn't even have animated characters and art like we do.

Game on!

Go visit the competition, BCEW or Political Championship Wrestling
Go to the Wiki page on Fantasy Wrestling

The Democratic Primary: How should Barack and Hillary finish it?

Whilst Barack and Hillary split the last two primaries, Obama's better than expected thumping in North Carolina and Clinton's close victory in Indiana have many speculating she will suspend her campaign sooner rather than later. After a turbulent few months for Obama - dogged by his association with controversial former pastor Jeremiah Wright and doubts raised by his inability to close out Clinton, it finally looks like things are winding down. Only one question remains; How will the two end it?

After a rancorous Democratic Primary, it is crucial that things be resolved in a way that strengthens the party. The loser must be allowed to exit graciously. Wounds that were opened must be addressed and healed. The party needs to unite around the winner to generate as much momentum to take into the general election.

In a previous post I spoke about Aura. In wrestling, a wrestler's value hinges on how they gain and preserve their Aura. As there can only be one winner, the trick is in managing defeat in a way that allows a wrestler to preserve their aura. In this way both contenders regardless of how they fared can come out of the match strong.

In the May 7 edition of PBS Newshour, Mark Shields and David Brooks offer their suggestions for how the Democrats should end their feud:

Mark Shields

...understand this. What Hillary Clinton is going through right now is reality setting in. It's painfully public and publicly painful. It's the implosion of all her aspirations, all her ambitions.

And this is a time for the Aretha Franklin approach, R-E-S-P-E-C-T, on the part -- respect on the part of the Obama people. They shouldn't be taking victory laps. They shouldn't be gloating. They should give her time.

David Brooks

Well, I guess, from the Hillary Clinton camp, I would say harvest a few wins -- presumably, she will do quite well in West Virginia and Kentucky -- but not attack Barack Obama and just begin to have the conversations across the campaigns...

And, really, it's -- that's the way to do it. Just have a gracious campaign. Take a few victory laps, make the points you want to make, and thank the people who have been supporting you -- and she's run an incredibly resilient campaign -- but never attack.

And, if you do that, I think you will see a lot of the psychology -- and I personally believe there has been a lot of harm done to the Democratic Party. I think the polling reveals that in spades. But if you have a gracious few weeks of -- take a few victories, I think you will begin to heal that.

Read the entire transcript of PBS Newshour's Shields and Brooks.
Listen and Download the discussion

Barack VS Hillary is the meeting of two formidable and popular competitors, both with loyal supporters. It was never going to be easy deciding between two worthy and equally matched candidates. A matchup of epic proportions, not unlike the legendary clash between The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. For the sake of their Party, Democrats must hope that the fight between Hillary and Obama ends the same way the wrestlers ended theirs.

VIDEO: The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan finish
with the "respect angle" at WrestleMania VI

(skip to 2m40s if you're not interested in the wrestling)

The Telegraph UK lists 'The most influential US political pundits'

The Telegraph UK listed their 50 most Influential US political pundits, no surprise there was a large representation of APF Pundits who made up a quarter of the list.

As with all 'best of lists', it's not always apparent how the list was decided upon and structured but in any case it's a good primer on the punditocracy. No list of this nature can escape charges of 'notable ommissions'. Reader 'Frank' notes "For you to have ommitted Ann Coulter distorts the poll and negates the whole effort". The APF submits the absence of Hugh Hewitt as another glaring ommission.

What's most noteworthy about the list is the "cute" ranking of Stephen Colbert (#11) just above "Papa Bear" Bill O'Reilly (#12), the pair placing just outside the Top Ten. Surely a slick ploy to bait Stephen Colbert into referencing the list on his show. Stephen has been known to make hay of any mention he gets in the media. A recent segment had Stephen continue his faux feud with Korean Pop Star 'Rain', who bested Colbert once again in 'TIME's 2008 Most influential people' list. Rain finished 2nd, one place above Colbert in the online international poll.



The placement of Colbert and O'Reilly outside the Top Ten is somewhat baffling. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton made an appearance on Stephen Colbert's show on the eve of the hotly contested Pennsylvania Primary. The 'Colbert effect' so influential that John Edwards - no longer a contender for the Democratic nomination, even made an appearance. Bill O'Reilly on the other hand snared an exclusive one-on-one with Hillary Clinton, with a McCain interview to follow. With that said, all three Presidential contenders did feel it necessary to appear on a Wrestling show. A case proving the ability to secure important guests isn't the only measure of influence.

Read the Comedy Central Insider's take on the list
View the list of The most influential US political pundits
View The 2008 TIME 100 Finalists

George W Bush, Hillary Clinton and Bill O'Reilly

Q: What do George W Bush and Hillary Clinton have in common?
A: Bill O'Reilly has told both of them that they are like him.

Hillary Clinton Sits Down With Bill O'Reilly

O'REILLY: ... And it's a personality run, which is why before Reverend Wright derailed him, Barack Obama had some momentum because you're a more polarizing personality than he is. Would you agree with that?
CLINTON: Well, I...
O'REILLY: He's perceived as a nicer guy?
CLINTON: Well, I've been around a long time. You know, I bear a lot of the scars...
O'REILLY: Yes.
--snip--
CLINTON: This is the way our system is. They take shots at me. You know when I started running in New York people didn't think I could win. And then I came back and won with 67 percent of the vote.
O'REILLY: Look, you've done...
CLINTON: And the reason is...
O'REILLY: ...in New York.
CLINTON: ...because I reached across party lines. I'm the one with the record of bipartisanship.
O'REILLY: But you're a more polarizing personality. You're like I am. And I hate to say that, with all due, but you are. And Obama's such a nice guy. And that's what this is all about.

The O'Reilly Factor. May 1, 2008

Read the full transcript of O'Reilly's interview with Hillary

VIDEO: Factor Exclusive with Hillary Clinton

Bill O'Reilly's Exclusive with George W Bush

O'REILLY: When people criticize me, I think I'm the second most criticized person in the country. You're first by a large margin, but I'm second.
BUSH: Yes?
O'REILLY: I get really furious, especially if it's dishonest.
BUSH: Yes.
O'REILLY: But you don't — you're different than I am. You're more philosophical. See, I'm sitting there going oh, if I had this guy's neck, you know.
BUSH: Well, I'm not as big as you are...

The O'Reilly Factor. October 20, 2006

Read the full transcript of Bill's Exclusive interview with President Bush

VIDEO: Bill O'Reilly talks about the haters with President Bush 

Joe Klein: The "shrinking" democrats and low-information signals

In the most recent issue of 'Time Magazine', Joe Klein writes about the Democratic Primary battle and "low-information signaling". Though I'm not familiar with the term, the language of 'low-information signaling' encompasses what this blog is about. Though politics has serious implications on things like infrastructure, foreign policy and society the media and voters often base their political judgment on trivial matters.

Joe Klein on 'The Incredibly Shrinking Democrats'

Yes, yes, the bulk of the sludge was caricature, and some of it, especially the stuff circulating on the Internet, was scurrilous trash. But there is an immutable pedestrian reality to American politics: you have to get the social body language right if you want voters to consider the nobler reaches of your message. In his 1991 book, The Reasoning Voter, political scientist Samuel Popkin argued that most people make their choice on the basis of "low-information signaling" — that is, stupid things like whether you know how to roll a bowling ball or wear an American-flag pin. In the era of Republican dominance, the low-information signals were really low — how Michael Dukakis looked in a tanker's helmet, whether John Kerry's favorite sports were too precious (like wind-surfing), whether Al Gore's debate sighs over his opponent's simple obfuscations were patronizing. Bill Clinton was the lone Democratic master of low-information signaling — a love of McDonald's and other assorted big-gulp appetites gave him credibility that even trumped his evasion of military service.

The audacity of the Obama campaign was the belief that — the low-information politics could be tossed aside. That assumption hit a wall in Pennsylvania.

Joe Klein, April 24, 2008. Time Magazine

For more on "Low-information signals" find Samuel Popkin's book on Amazon "The Reasoning Voter: Communication and Persuasion in Presidential Campaigns".

Read more about Author Samuel Popkin



Here is the Product Description from Amazon.com

The Reasoning Voter is an insider's look at campaigns, candidates, media, and voters that convincingly argues that voters make informed logical choices. Samuel L. Popkin analyzes three primary campaigns—Carter in 1976; Bush and Reagan in 1980; and Hart, Mondale, and Jackson in 1984—to arrive at a new model of the way voters sort through commercials and sound bites to choose a candidate. Drawing on insights from economics and cognitive psychology, he convincingly demonstrates that, as trivial as campaigns often appear, they provide voters with a surprising amount of information on a candidate's views and skills. For all their shortcomings, campaigns do matter.

New Profile: Andrew Wilkow

I'm proud to announce the latest Animation Profile - Andrew Wilkow. It's a bit of an innovation from previous profiles. You will notice a toggle on the bottom left corner that will allow you to view Andrew in two different outfits, 'Suit' and 'Street' in keeping with Andrew's unique personality. I've also revamped the accompanying Republican logo to reflect Andrew's "younger" look.

In the near future expect to see new animations with a stable (team) of APF pundits. The first stable incorporating Andrew Wilkow shoulder to shoulder with Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. At this stage the tentative title for the stable is "The Freedom Alliance" though I'm open to suggestion. Your comments welcome below.



For fans of Andrew who'd like to promote his show. Email me below to get the code to have these animations featured on your site or myspace page:



Read my profile and interview with Andrew Wilkow here