IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Candidate

  • Politics Are Funny

    The emails were really just used for “Fun woman talk” and the ‘“Unsexiest email ever to Bill Clinton”- Kate McKinnon impersonating Hillary Clinton in an Saturday Night Live spoof in March of this year.

    Beyond Bernie Sanders epic declaration “the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails”, McKinnon’s SNL spoof may be most well remembered moment in the Clinton email saga.

    McKinnon played Clinton in an SNL episode soon after the private email scandal first broke loose, while Clinton herself made a guest appearance on the show. In October Clinton made a second appearance on SNL taking full advantage of SNL’s comedic twist yet again. She tweeted after the show “A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for four more years of Kate McKinnon’s impression #citizens.”  Following the show, audiences began to see Hillary in a different light.  Previously, she had a reputation for being cold and dull.  Afterwards, audiences had a new respect for her and her ability to poke fun at herself, and make light of past situations she has been in.  Performing on SNL was helpful in Hillary’s branding, making her more relateable and “human” to the target audiences she wanted to reach as a democratic candidate for the 2016 presidential election.

    Screenshot 2015-10-29 17.56.31Clinton isn’t the first nor will she be the last politician to appeal to SNL’s satiric take on politics and the scandals that dominate campaigns and news headlines.  Presidential candidates alone who have recently made appearances or hosted SNL during their campaigns include John McCain, Chris Christie, George H.W.  Bush, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Obama and Hillary Clinton herself. The SNL dynamic provides an alternative and juxtaposed coverage opportunity for politicians whom we associate with stiff suits, stuffy press conferences and distant televised speeches.

    Politicians employ multiple strategies of branding themselves, often with formal news based media, and traditional advertising and campaigning efforts, but SNl proved throughout the years that politicians can also make their campaign worth a few good laughs. When politicians choose to go on a comedy show like SNL is a step further than being interviewed by John Stewart or Stephen Colbert. SNL’s audience includes people who follow politics but also includes a whole segment of people who don’t. Appearing on SNL is a way for politicians to reach these publics and show everyone that they have a personality beyond formal media interactions. This recent movement for presidents and presidential candidates to act on SNL started with Gerald Ford and has been successful in adding positive aspects to their brand, just like the changed perceptions of Hillary Clinton.

    Donald Trump and his quote of the day have become America’s latest source of entertainment, leaving some Americans wondering whether his campaign is little more than a publicity stunt.  Whether you are a Trump fan or not, November 7th is not an SNL episode to miss out on. Trump will be hosting SNL bringing his own Trump style “authenticity” to the table. With SNL delivering its witty and sarcastic take on politics, viewers may just want to stop, put the remote down and kick back for what promises to be much more humorous than yet another presidential debate.

    Donald Trump

    Aki Suzuki, Carey Poniewaz, Carey Shetterly, Lexie Trimnal, June Wilkinson

  • Running a Positive Campaign Can Be Done

    North Carolina voters faced a tough decision Tuesday when they went to cast their vote for the next governor of the state.  The two candidates for the 2012 election were republican, Pat McCrory, and democrat, Walter Dalton.  North Carolina has not had a republican governor for twenty years.  Voters who turned out to the polls on Election Day showed they were ready to end the GOP drought for North Carolina.  The state turned over the governorship and the power of the house to Republicans.

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    Back in 2008 Pat McCrory ran against governor Beverly Perdue but lost just shy of four percent.  McCrory and the rest of his supporters thought after the loss of the gubernatorial race his career in politics was over.  However, Pat McCrory decided to run again and this time he promised to run an only positive campaign.

    McCrory carried out this promise by making it a key factor in speeches, fundraising, and catching the attention of voters, republicans, democrats, and independents.  In his acceptance speech on Tuesday night which he gave at the Westin in Downtown Charlotte, he made it clear why he believed his campaign was so successful.  McCrory won over the Lt. Governor Dalton by  ten percent.  In his speech McCrory stated, “I think the two unique things we did, first of all, we ran a positive campaign.”

    During his campaign McCrory never ran one negative TV or radio ad against his opponent, Walter Dalton.  In every ad his campaign created he talked about what he wanted to do as governor of North Carolina, his polices, his issues, and his plan for the future of the state.

    With North Carolina being the tenth largest state in the United States McCrory did a fine job of running a positive statewide campaign.  It is rare you see only positive campaigns being run not only in North Carolina politics but in national politics as well.

    Wednesday morning at a press conference Pat McCrory celebrated his victory with the following statement: “You can win with a positive message.”  Maybe it is time that not only the state political parties but also national political parties take note of McCroy’s victory.  Positive campaigns help candidates and their message to be conveyed to all political parties.  McCrory won big on Tuesday, his positive campaign may just be the “Carolina Comeback” and the come back national politics needs.

    – Zachary Abramo, Meaghan Beam, Jessica Butner, Jackson Lane