-
Escaping the Identity Trap
Dahlia, I'd just been typing up a post in the same spirit as yours, inspired by David Brooks' column today about the "identity trap" the candidates have gotten themselves into. Maybe it's a good moment to invite suggestions for how they could escape, since mere hand-wringing about the situation—virtuous though it makes us feel—is going to get old fast. I wonder if humor might offer a way out. Remember Reagan's deft neutralizing of the ageism that stalked him during the 1984 campaign? "I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign," he joked in the second debate. "I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." Maybe Obama and Clinton could try out a variation. "We want you to know that henceforth, we won't make race or gender an issue in this primary season," they could say in the debate tonight. "We'll save that up for the general election, when we won't hesitate to exploit, for political purposes, our opponent's aura of white male privilege."
Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum
What did you think of this article?