National candidates have always had to tread warily around certain statements and cultural themes. During the last 50 years, these "land mines" have remained relatively constant and are dominated by images and ideas from the 1950s.
As we begin to make the transition from Boomer candidates, and as we recruit candidates from more diverse backgrounds, it is inevitable that these themes are going to be challenged. It will be interesting to see if the Obama campaign will signal the start of change or the reasserting of tradition.
Americans have set expectations for their national candidates and they are expected to subscribe to common, idealistic, American themes. These include the flag, supporting the troops, belonging to a mainstream religious denomination, traditional family structure and gender roles, etc. Sometimes it seems like Americans want to see their candidates rooted in the stereotypical images of the 1950s.
Given that many Boomers were part of an assault against the norms and stereotypes of the 1950s, it seemed inevitable that when they became political candidates, they would have to confront their pasts. There was some movement, but also some push back.
Bill Clinton had to face questions about his views on the Vietnam War, his draft status, and his drug use. About the latter, he felt compelled to finesse the issue with his "I did not inhale" statement, showing how the cultural expectations still existed. George Bush admitted some alcohol issues but denied drug use. We have obviously made some progress as now Barack Obama feels he can admit to youthful drug use, and, so far, it doesn't seem like it will fatally hurt his electoral chances.
Hillary Clinton was the one who stepped on the land mine with her "cookie" statement. During the 1992 campaign, she made the following statement about life as Arkansas First Lady: "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession which I entered before my husband was in public life". There was a firestorm of protest, forcing Clinton to back off and lower her profile.
Most liberals and professional women took the statement as a matter of fact, not as anything controversial. It was something they said to each other all the time. But Hillary had violated a 50's meme and was accused of being an elitist and ultra feminist.
It could have been an opportunity to have a dialog about the changing role of women in American society and a reconciliation of the roles of working mother vs stay at home mom. Instead, the only lesson that came out of this event was: Don't ever mention fucking cookies!
Fast forward to the 2008 campaign. Now we have a female and an African American running for national office. Clinton is still dealing with some issues of sexism, but IMO, no one is seriously questioning her qualifications to run for President, and working women are now the norm. It is the Obamas who are walking the thin line.
Barack has heard some rumblings about his flag pin and flag etiquette. Although a Gen Xer, it looks like he is also going to have to face a 60s issue of his own because of his modest support from 2 former memebers of the Weather Underground.
However, as in 1992, it is the spouse who stepped on the first landmine. Michelle Obama made the statement: "And let me tell you something — for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country." For violating the "patriotism" theme, Obama set loose a firestorm that, while no longer raging, is still smoldering.
I don't know exactly what Obama meant, but, her statement represents a point of view that Americans need to come to grips with: Given the way America has treated African Americans throughout much of its history, there are some damn good reasons not to feel a whole lot of pride until recently. It would be nice if, as a nation, we could face the fact that some of our citizens might have some ambivalent feelings about their "American Experience" and we should learn and respect their journey. Unfortunately, it appears we are not going to have that discussion either.
There are other clashes looming between the traditional 1950's memes and the experience of black America. There is the dust up concerning Obama's endorsement by Louis Farrakhan and his membership in a self-described "Afrocentric" church. Farrakhan is a one-dimensional figure to most of white America, based on his past inflammatory and anti-Semitic statements. In the African American community, however, he has some respect for what is perceived as his refusal to temper his words or back down in the face of white condemnation.
There is also criticism from the right wing about the Afrocentric orgins of Obama's church and some of the statements of its founder, Rev Jeremiah Wright. Once again, it looks like the opportunity to have an honest discussion about African Americans' efforts to develop a strong cultural identity is going to be wasted, and, instead, we are going to see a series of "smoothing" statements. While I would like to see these discussions, it is probably unrealistic to expect them to occur.
We are going to see a war waged by the right wing against Obama, using the traditional memes as a framework. It will be a test to see if Americans have matured at all in recent years and a test in Obama's ability to maintain the universal appeal he has developed so far.
Most likely the Obamas will serve as transitional figures, having to suppress some of their background in order to remain within the current expectations. If Obama is able to win the Presidency, perhaps our nation will grow stronger and more diverse as their experiences help move us a little farther from "Baseball, Mom, and Apple Pie."