Trailhead: A campaign blog.

Obama's Perfect Slogan

Barack Obama has always acted suspicious of his own popularity, as though he suspects that the ability to inspire adolescent worship is not, shall we say, presidential. He has a special word for the way he feels about himself when he sees thousands of otherwise dignified adults melting in real time: imperfect.

“Ultimately I am an imperfect vessel for your hopes and dreams,” Obama told a crowd in Ames, Iowa, exactly one day after announcing his candidacy. And again, in a Father’s Day speech yesterday at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago: “I say this knowing that I have been an imperfect father—knowing that I have made mistakes and will continue to make more.”

To be clear, Obama does not think he’s Mr. Perfect.

Of all the adjectives Obama could have tapped to summarizing his humility, imperfect falls on the flattering end. It’s much more “I am human” or “I am mortal” than “I make a lot of errors” or “I have flaws.” And it has strong constitutional credentials; the phrase “a more perfect Union” falls 12 words into the Preamble and shows up in the Federalist Papers. If you don’t buy this allusion, please refer yourself to Obama’s highly regarded speech on race relations, titled “A More Perfect Union.”

In that speech, Obama bestowed the highest possible praise on his former pastor Jeremiah Wright: “As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me.” A few minutes later, he turns the word back on himself: “I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy—particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.”

Again, at a “Compassion Forum” on April 13: “And, you know, pastors are imperfect. Certainly, the membership is imperfect. I, as somebody who is sitting in the pews as a sinner, is imperfect.” The Obama is not without original sin.

Michelle Obama picked up the baton a few days later at a Women for Obama event: “Barack, as I tease, he’s a wonderful man, he’s a gifted man, but in the end, he is just a man. He is an imperfect vessel and I love him dearly.”

In one word, the wordsmith in chief has neatly compressed the combined brand of his candidacy: He is extraordinary but humble, messianic but human, imperfect but constitutional.

I, for one, would like to see Obama supporters embrace this emblem. Rather than pollute flat surfaces with “Hope” and “Change,” let’s see them fill a room with signs that all read “Imperfect.” The rest of us should forgive Obama all his shortcomings. No one’s perfect.

Pounds

The presidential campaign—well, one in particular—has introduced a new greeting to the political world: the fist pound (also known as dap). Last night, we saw perhaps the most high-profile pound of all time, as Michelle and Barack Obama bumped fists on national television before he took the stage. (Video here.)

What’s hilarious is watching the formal, AP Stylebook-loving media trying to figure out what to call it. In an article about Obama’s body man Reggie Love, the New York Times called Love’s preferred greeting a “closed-fisted high-five.” Last night produced other assorted references:

“Taking a fist-pound from wife Michelle, Obama stepped to the podium Tuesday”—MTV.com

“Michelle Obama (L) gives her husband, Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Barack Obama, a knuckle-bump as a sign of support before he speaks to supporters.”—Monsters and Critics

“At 09:09:27 Central Time, Michelle Obama gave Barack Obama a pound in St. Paul, Minnesota.”—Lola New York

“I never realized how romantic and respectful and mutually appreciative and loving a frat-tastic fist bump could be. Could it be the new peck-on-the-cheek?”—The Frisky

“... Obama, who was joined on stage by his wife Michelle, with whom he shared a celebratory fist-bump.”—Reuters

“Obama, began with a loving fist to fist thumbs up with Michelle.”—Capitol Hill Blue

“Michelle is not as ‘refined’ as Obama at hiding her TRUE feelings about America—etc. Her ‘Hezbollah’ style fist-jabbing ...”— Commenter, Human Events*

“I loved that moment, when they touched their hands together like that.” --Commenter, bjkeefe

*Correction, June 10 2:40 p.m.: This article originally linked to Human Events without specifying that it was a commenter who made the " 'Hezbollah' style fist-jabbing" remark, not the columnist Cal Thomas, whose article was linked.

Barack's Not-So-Secret Weapon

One running sub-myth of the Clinton/Obama saga is that Obama is outnumbered. Hillary has Bill and Chelsea, the thinking goes, which gives her an edge on the campaign trail. She even had them touring as full surrogates in South Carolina. One of the campaign’s tensest moments came at the Myrtle Beach debate in January, when Obama snapped, “I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes."

But to say that Obama is outnumbered is to discount his wife, Michelle. She has been a strong presence on the trail, often revealing details about her husband and their relationship that bring him down to earth. Her oratory skills rival that of her husband, and her bold words have drawn admiration and scorn alike. And now it looks like she’s drawing crowds that compete with Bill’s.

Michelle Obama spoke to a crowd of 1,200 at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Monday morning. That’s not spouse numbers. That’s candidate numbers. (John Edwards regularly drew fewer than that in Iowa and New Hampshire.) More importantly, that’s former president numbers.

At a Bill Clinton rally at George Mason University, roughly 1,500 people showed up. Sure, Michelle was speaking at a highly pro-Obama historically black college. But George Mason is the second largest university in Virginia, and Bill is one of the most famous people on the planet. That their crowds are even comparable should say something about Michelle’s effectiveness as a surrogate. 

Assuming her crowds remain strong, Obama’s defenders can stop describing the race as a triple team. Three-on-two is more like it.