For the Record: Words can hurt you
Words. They can be a candidate’s best friend or worst enemy, depending on how stupidly they were strung together and how adeptly campaigns are at spin and damage control. Consider:
Clearly, we missed the context cues
Ben Carson said on Meet the Press that he “would not advocate putting a Muslim in charge of this nation.” Then, when everyone freaked out, the GOP's No. 3 candidate channeled his inner Donald Trump, saying his comments were taken out of context. Why? Because people don’t understand the words that are coming out of his mouth. “It seems hard for people to actually hear English and understand it,” he told reporters. Oh, and to clarify, given that we all must have misheard: Even though he said “Muslim,” he was only talking about Muslims that refused to reject Sharia law. And he extends the philosophy to anyone who puts their religion above the Constitution.
Take that, glass ceiling
Way back in August (which is like the Paleolithic Age for politics), a woman vs. woman matchup in the general election seemed unlikely. The main stage in the first GOP debate was filled with dudes. But with Carly Fiorina now tops in USA Today’s Republican power rankings, the choice in 2016 could plausibly be between her and Hillary Clinton. Clinton, still the top Democrat, has the edge in that matchup, based on multiple opinion polls, but her lead over Fiorina is shrinking rapidly. Cue the talk about what to call the First Husbands.
Does anyone really heart the Gipper?
Would Ronald Reagan have a chance in today’s Republican Party? Late-night host Stephen Colbert posed the question to GOP candidate Ted Cruz, noting that Reagan – who many consider to be the founder of the conservative revolution – signed off on a tax increase and immigration reform that would have a snowball's chance in the current Congress. Cruz said he disagreed with Reagan on those issues, praised his work to help the economy and, like any adept politician, changed the subject. Well played, sir. But that didn’t really answer the question, now, did it?
And finally, honesty in politics
He’s Honest Gil Fulbright, and he approves of “whatever my marketing team has put into this message.” OK, so he’s not a real candidate (though that case could be made for half of the yahoos actually in the race). Fulbright is filmed with dramatic camera angles that “can make me look like a president” in a video from Represent.us, a group that is working for campaign-finance reform. Fulbright explains his use of buzzwords and fake slogans before getting to the heart of the matter: Raising billions to get elected, promising to reform the system and then screwing over voters once in office. It’s hilarious and filled with truthiness, given the ever-expanding role super PACs are playing in campaigns. Every candidate has one. Many are raising more money than the candidates themselves, and the lines that are supposed to exist between them are growing ever more blurry.