American Madness

There’s some more interesting analysis of the minutiae of the 2008 Presidential Election, with the NYTimes Campaign Stops blog calling on branding expert* Brian Collins to analyze the effectiveness of Gotham as Barack Obama’s preferred font.

With that said, though, there’s an oxymoronic quality to Gotham, which is why I think it’s become so popular. It has a blunt, geometric simplicity, which usually makes words feel cold and analytical (like Univers), but it also feels warm. It’s substantial yet friendly. Up-to-date yet familiar. That’s a tough hat trick.

Reminds me of our previous analysis of candidate branding, Vote Coca Cola In ‘08.

There’s some good logo analysis at 37 Signals and at Presidental Brands 2008.

* I don’t know when it became acceptable to stop giving criteria when calling someone an expert. Clearly, this guy knows his design, but why not introduce his background to us? Instead, the NYTimes includes a link to Wikipedia. The NYTimes is supposed to be the paper of record. Even if I’m just reading a NYTimes blog, I’d like to know that they bothered to find out whom they were talking to. A wiki link makes me think that this expert’s bona fides were not necessarily independently established by the Times as they should be.

Casey Knowles, the little girl seen sleeping in Hillary’s despicable “who do you want answering the phone at 3am” ad is now nearly 18 years old (the ad used old stock footage from Getty) and she has been campaigning for Obama! (As reported by CNN.)

Casey Knowles:

“I mentioned that we should make a counter ad, me and Obama, against Hillary,” she said. “They thought that was really funny. They actually might take me up on it.”

And, forgive me, but I just can’t help but include this one:
(more…)

“It’s hard to draw conclusions about her management style, because she is, in fact, not the manager of her campaign.”
- Hillary Clinton senior adviser Harold Ickes

The New York Times does a great job with this morning’s article on the Clinton campaign’s utter lack of direction or leadership.

I’m really really really tired of the press carping on Obama’s lack of experience. It’s the quality of the experience, dummies! The junior senator’s campaign has been a model of efficiency. Senator Clinton’s has been a mess.

(more…)

After American Madness’ veer to the left yesterday, I felt a little rebalancing was in order. As the only registered Republican on the masthead (I believe), it’s nice to see how the other side is thinking. Believe it or not, when I’m not thinking about money (GREED!), and corporations, and my investments, and war, and guns and not believing in luck, and the best way to pull on my bootstraps, I like to read. I even read the New York Times sometimes, even though my vast right wing masters at Fox News say I shouldn’t. And we all know I only do what I’m told by Fox News.

Today, I read in the Financial Times that Canada is pissed off at us because a couple of Democratic gas bags believe populism and protectionism is the surest path to economic glory. Based on the loud rhetoric, trade has taken jobs from hard working Americans (read: Ohioans) and given them to not-so-hardworking foreigners. The biggest target of their wrath is the evil North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). You know, the free trade agreement signed between Mexico, the US and Canada by one head of the Billary duo.

Both Clinton and Obama have vowed to revisit and renegotiate NAFTA once the drape measuring is done and they assume their seat on the Oval Office throne. Obama has said he “would immediately call the president of Mexico and the president of Canada (hey Barack: Canada doesn’t have a president, it has a prime minister) to try and amend NAFTA, because I think that we can get labor agreements in that agreement right now.”

And to think, he is the level-headed one. “We will opt out of NAFTA unless we renegotiate it and we renegotiate on terms favorable to all Americans,” sayeth Clinton. (more…)

[ This opinion piece appeared in the Wall Street Journal on February 20. It is reprinted here with the permission of author Betsy McCaughey Ross, a former lieutenant governor of New York, currently serving as an adjunct senior fellow at the Hudson Institute (the original "think tank"). ]

On March 4, voters in the Texas Democratic primary will choose between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The battle is shaping up to be a health-care Alamo. Twenty five percent of people living in the Lone Star state are uninsured, according to the U.S. Census. That’s the highest rate of any state.

Sen. Clinton has issued the challenge, telling Sen. Obama “I’ll see you in Texas.” She promises to provide health coverage for “every single one of the nation’s 47 million uninsured,” and she accuses Sen. Obama of offering a “band aid” solution that would leave about a third of those 47 million uncovered.

(more…)

In her column in today’s New York Times, 2/23/08, “A Bad Year to be a Mallard,” Gail Collins quotes several of the current and former candidates regarding their liking for hunting:

“I’m pretty sure there will be duck hunting in heaven, and I can’t wait.”
— Mike Huckabee

“I’ve been a hunter pretty much all my life.”
— Mitt Romney

“I’ve always been a rodent and rabbit hunter. Small varmints if you will.”
— Mitt Romney, amending the record once it was pointed out that he had never had a hunting license.

“Maybe he can get out his small varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his yard.”
— John McCain

(more…)

The Guardian reports that Obama receives backing of Obama (Obama Japan, that is).

As the race for the nomination heated up, the town’s tourism office received a stream of calls from locals wishing Obama well. On Super Tuesday, supporters nervously clutched photos of Obama as they watched the results come in at their makeshift headquarters in a hotel, whose lobby is currently home to a large portrait of the candidate.