In the introduction to his May 2 column, David Books shows the breadth and impact of metaphors in the U.S. presidential campaign:
“What sort of thing is a presidential campaign?
- Maybe a campaign is like a courtship. A candidate’s job is to woo the electorate, to win the people’s affection with charm, familiarity and compassion.
- Maybe a campaign is like a big version of “American Idol.” It is a contest over who is the most talented. In this mode, a candidate’s job is to endear himself to the people in the audience with likability and then wow them with his gifts.
- Maybe, on the other hand, hiring a president is like hiring a plumber. Voters aren’t really looking to fall in love with the guy; they just want someone who will fix the pipes. The candidate’s job is to list the three or four things he would do if elected and then to hammer home those deliverables again and again.
- You could make a case that most campaigns are a little of all three, though the proportions vary from year to year. In 2008, Obama ran an uplifting campaign that was part courtship and part “American Idol.” Richard Nixon, who lacked such charm, ran workmanlike, plumber campaigns, no pun intended.
- So far, though, the 2012 presidential campaign is fitting into none of these categories. It’s being organized according to a different metaphor. This year, both organizations seem to visualize the campaign as a boxing match or a gang fight. Whichever side can hit the other side harder will somehow get awarded the champion’s belt……”
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/david-brooks/david-brooks-courtship-or-war-in/article_24a5c104-1128-5a38-a844-1a085b109757.html#ixzz1twFOuCMO