By Loren Shimanek
Opinion Editor
The ad campaign, thus far, has been an assault on the senses with a lack of definitive resolution placed on the issues at hand. However, the reason why print and television ads are effective is due to the immediate scope of a candidate's image for public digestion. If ads were to be the "end-all" in campaigning, there would be less cautionary negotiation of text and more blatant image rendering. For example, mini press conferences that last a minute or so with visual aids where entire policies are written out and discussed at full length by the candidate. The issues, fortunately, are generously addressed and exposed in open forum situations, but it's the short information bits in the form of ads, that people attach to their general notion of a candidate's worth. In the most recent Edwards television ad, the former Senator triumphantly acknowledged his values not only as a statesman but also as a family man. His image is important because he is not as well-publicized than his fellow candidates; the effort Edwards asserts shows he is equally, if not more, concerned with image. Ultimately, this effort illustrates his awareness of voters' low attention span and sensory overload. In fact, in a Meet the Press show last week, a journalist attacked the Edwards campaign for being glitzy, or as I referenced the Kylie Minogue backed ad, "Edwards all up in the club." That type of reference, while discouraging on first encounter, actually ties in the post-modernist perspective that accompanies short, inadequate bursts of information: information which may be perceived as light hearted and delightful is compounded by individual experience based on numerous perceptions. Perceptions of what type of image a President may encompass. The liberating vibe of a dance floor song with nicely paced footage creates multiple sensations for each individual voter every time the ad is viewed. The process of interaction becomes more profound with real-life assessments of Edwards character or image.
Now... using the debate from the night before where Hilary and Barack engaged in a scandalous tit-for-tat about linguistic shortcomings, and the next day's many polls and media reports declaring that Edwards was the decisive victor... Edwards' image is rejuvenated. Of course not without being slightly marred by the other two candidates, who tend to grovel and wallow in each others' inadequacies. Edwards emerges confident and experienced. He realizes that he should not be involved in political spats of image when he is so far behind in delegates. Also, his mature stature amongst the other candidates shows his influential capabilities if given a fair opportunity to couple his image with a credible dissertation of issues. This coupling of image and message points to how convoluted ads, the media, and each social relation becomes when realistic provisions, such as a debate, allow for cognitive grounding. Back to the ads...
The Obama and Clinton ads were very self-aware in a different way than Edwards'. They knew that voters knew them; that the voters already had substantial information about who they were as candidates. The overarching message distinctive in Edwards' ad was that he wanted to get to know you. He may be the candidate that can fully embrace the "me" generation by telling a bit about himself so you can relate... the war, the economy, the issues that real people, not corporate lawyers or wishy-washy lobbyists, but real people, with real self-images, that want to share themselves with someone who cares. That someone is John Edwards or Ron Paul, if you're 20, and you've gotten a good laugh out of believing in the post-modernist dream. Until the libertarians rule the world by enslaving a continent like they once did in the 19th century, or do now, we shall all be wise to get behind someone who thinks free trade means expensive costs and big business means big government. John Edwards with image and message in tow will possibly be the best Democratic candidate, but only once people start looking with their ears and listening with their eyes.
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