Public Appeal: The Universal Key to Campaign Success

It is undeniable that most things vary from political party to political party. However, interestingly enough I have recently had the opportunity to witness first hand a great component of politics that is consistent all along the left-wing to right-wing spectrum: the importance and craft of public appearance and speech making. Though varying both in their format and subject material, it is impossible to ignore the similarities between Governor Schwarzenegger's Special Election "Town Hall" forum and Senator John Edward's live-at-UC Berkeley speech on poverty.

The most striking aspect about the two performances (because they were both indeed precisely that, performances) was the politicians' similarity of approach despite their address of two rather opposite audiences. Both overwhelmingly consisting of supporters for the respective speakers, the audiences varied in almost every other way. However, the politicians hardly had to adjust. Unlike those present at the Governor's forum, Senator Edwards' audience was primarily made up of young college students, liberal and enthusiastic as possible. The prescription for such an audience? Jeans and an open collar, colloquial language, easy smiles, self-humbling jokes, references to his own younger years, and plenty of cliche-yet-inspiring emotional appeals. To cater to his older, more politically-savvy and supposedly less unquestioningly-supportive audience (a debatable supposition as it turns out), Schwarzenegger didn't stray far from the approachable and personable sincerity demonstrated by Edwards. He joked around with everyone present, even playing along with one audience member's attempt at a Terminator accent.

Given the campaign orientation of both appearances (the overt purpose of Schwarzenegger's was to rally backing before the impending special election, while there is merely speculation that the "Poverty Awareness College Tour" is preparation for a future campaign in Edwards' case) it is no surprise that both politicians catered to a broad majority opinion and thereby elicited very positive responses. Schwarzenegger glossed over true questions, sticking to fairly moderate mediations and popular promises. Edwards, rather arbitrarily, chose to speak on poverty, a fairly undebated issue and universal concern, guaranteed to provoke sympathy and patronage in any audience, especially one that is voluntary and predisposed to agree. Whether conservative or liberal; in the face of an impending Election or still unacknowledged as a candidate; addressing a broad, primarily middle-aged, and politically invested audience, or a crowd of college-aged left-wing enthusiasts, certain elements of public appeal are uniformly necessary. Even with the personal aim of uncovering these politicians' ulterior motives and manipulative tactics, I felt myself falling under their carefully constructed and convincing spells. Between natural human instinct, talented P.R. coaching, and meticulous monitoring of public perspective, politicians have discovered the key to campaign success. It is not a popular platform or a great council or good priorities. It is a public persona that is approachable, relatable, positive, and appealing to the majority. And both Senator Edwards and Governor Schwarzenegger, whatever their greater faults may be, have mastered it beautifully.