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Giving Obama a Female Voice
Obama has three
new ads launching in Arizona, Missouri, and North
Dakota, two of which feature Sen. Claire
McCaskill and Gov. Janet Napolitano.* (Both available here.)
The ads are timed to build support (and name recognition) for
Obama in these critical states in the week running up to Super Tuesday. Putting
Obama’s message in the mouths of surrogates whom voters will recognize isn’t a bad
idea, given that many people still think Obama is an anti-American
Muslim cousin
of Saddam.
But one directorial choice surprised me: Neither ad features
Barack Obama’s voice. Instead, they have McCaskill and Napolitano narrating
over images of the senator. Not an obvious move, given
what an aesthetic asset Obama’s smoke-enriched baritone can be.
That said, having a woman’s voice instead of Obama’s
might be deliberate. Obama won the women’s vote in South
Carolina and Iowa.
But Hillary’s appeal to that demographic, particularly white women, could be
one of the greatest obstacles facing Obama in big Midwestern and Southern
states. Being introduced to Obama by a female governor—rather than some
faceless male narrator—sets a different, potentially more appealing tone.
*Correction: This article originally identified Sen. McCaskill as a governor.
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