I suppose calling our political campaign season Kabuki Theater is a bit of an insult to that Japanese Cultural tradition. Nonetheless, like the Japanese version, ours is also a highly stylized dance-drama with lots of makeup. The kanji characters for Kakuki can be translated as sing, dance, skill, but an alternate translation could also be bizarre theater. Somewhat apropos, I think.
I was going through the archives over at Iconic Photos and came across this post of the Muskie moment.
Senator Edmund S. Muskie was the clear frontrunner in the 1972 Democratic presidential primary, when he committed a gaffe now known among politicos simply as the “Muskie moment”. In one of the classic meltdowns in campaign history, Muskie broke down and cried in front of reporters after allegations that his wife drank too much and swore in public. Muskie tried and failed to convince the voters that they weren’t tears, but melted snowflakes running down his cheeks.
Here’s a guy who is the front runner for the Democratic party nomination, and he crumbles when confronted about the boozing and cussing of his wife. Instantly reclassified as a paper-alpha by his crying and his inability to keep his wife in check while in a public venue.
The Quintessential over at Iconic photos got me thinking. So, as we gear up for our mid-term elections this fall and the beginning of the 2012 presidential campaign season in January of 2011, I thought I’d review some of the biggest gaffes or moments when a politician’s carefully crafted image came tumbling down.
First up the Nixon/Kennedy debates. Over half the voting population said these debates influenced their decision. I’ve heard that if you were just listening to the debate, you would have thought Nixon ‘won’, but watching the debate you’d have thought Kennedy ‘won’. Nixon looked uncomfortable and he sweated, a lot.
Next up the Reagan/Carter debate. After the debate Ronnie walked over to Carter who stood at his podium like a frightened deer in the headlights, not knowing how to react (H/T Talleyrand).
In the run up to the 1988 election, Michael Dukakis took a ride in a tank. Emphasizing his diminutive stature.
Finally in the 2004 primary season, Howard Dean let out a scream while rallying the troops after the Iowa caucus.
In one fell swoop, he came across as a deranged lunatic. I can remember watching the rally live on the news that night and literally laughing until my guts hurt. I knew immediately his campaign was over. Done. Gone. I called some of my friends who were Dean supporters, and being the cruel bastard I can be at times, asked them if they realized it was over for Dean. They denied it and told me he would make a comeback. The clip was played repeatedly for the next week, it was mocked on late night, on talk radio, just about everywhere. Over.
