by Andrew Malcolm
Does the name Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff ring a bell?
College student. Iowa. Hillary Clinton forum. Question planted with young woman by Clinton staffer. Global warming. Big controversy over campaign ethics and behavior. Lots of denials that it's regular political behavior. Yeh, right.
Well, guess who ran into her the other night? Barack Obama. He was holding his own campaign forum at Grinnell College, and to get in a little dig at his opponent without seeming to be mean he made a passing reference to the night's questions not being "prearranged."
The young college crowd erupted in cheers and began pointing to the front of the room. "Is this the young lady right here?" a surprised Obama asked. "Oh, my goodness. I didn't know she was going to be here. I'm not going to call on her."
Now, a cynic who knows how these political performances are carefully planned by advance people and audiences often screened might suspect that Gallo-Chasanoff's presence was not an accident, even if Obama didn't know she'd be there. It does make a wonderfully convenient reminder of a major Clinton embarrassment a month ago. But to think that would not be in the spirit of Christmas and charity.
True to his word, Obama did not call on the young woman. But he did chat with her afterward, according to CNN, teasing her about "causing all this trouble." She asked Obama if it's possible to achieve a high level in national politics but not compromise your personal morals.
"You don't have to compromise who you are," the candidate told her. "You have to make compromises, but not your core values."
Andrew Malcolm writes for Top of the Ticket, the L.A. Times' political blog.
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Comments
Politics is in large part theater, and Obama is very good at it.
Posted by: John Chuckman, Toronto, Canada | December 6, 2007 8:49 AM
I wonder why the LIBune ignores reporting the young woman who mysteriously appeared at every Ghouliani event on the East Coast and asked the same question at each different event about the viability of Social Security? The New York Times reported it and even had a picture of her wearing the same sweatshirt bearing the name of a university, presumably her alma mater, at different campaign stops.
Posted by: john | December 6, 2007 10:52 AM
"Politics is in large part theater".
Right on John Chuckman! It's ALL in how it's presented. And the performance you give will, to a great extent, determine your vote, OR public opinion in general.
It is, of course true with campaigns. But it is even more true with public opinion. All sorts of facts on any given topic are technically true. BUT the ones the media chooses to use and, even more important, how they use those facts to create an opinion in a persons mind, actually does shape and mold public opinion. It is VERRRY effective!
Take for example Americas preoccupation with big powerfull cars. Most all of us have known long ago that our oil adiction is getting our country in trouble. Yet for years we have been bombarded with "driving big cars aggressively and fast is cool. It is masculine, it is the way Americans drive.
Read ihe underlying message on virtually all the car ads on the TV. Read Jim Mateja's current review of the Ford Focus.
He says:
"It's no speed merchant. Gets you going, keeps you going, but YOU'LL FOLLOW, NOT LEAD".
If you think that a constant barage like this has no effect on your behavior, THINK AGAIN!!!!
It gives us a SUBLIMINAL CHOICE.
And choice is what those with all the power offer those with no power, to project the illusion of freedom!
Posted by: Bob | December 6, 2007 11:25 AM