Meet the Candidates...

I was pondering our conversation concerning the personal information of the presidential hopefuls. What is fact and what is just plain crap? Are they hiding anything and, if so, do we really want to know what it is? Do we have a right to know what it is, or should we be satisfied with whatever they choose to let us in on?

How much do we need to know about someone who wants to be the most powerful individual in the world?

I decided to go straight to the horses' mouths (no pun intended) and have a look at what they say about themselves. I visited their campaign websites and found each of their versions of an "about me" page. Each of the three major candidates had a video along side, or in place of, a bio. Here's what they want us to know:

Barak's Video
--Check out our cheerleader for hope in a 5 minute-long compilation of clips consisting of a relatively small amount of personal info. coupled with a healthy dose of his political background information. Be sure to spot those not-so-inconspicuous inspirational, of-the-people kind of images delightfully sprinkled in. Notice the other individuals in the video: their race, sex, apparent income group. There is a clear message being sent here...and I think it involves pompoms.

Hillary's Bio and Video
--Our favorite pimp took another route. While her bio. page doesn't ooze inspiration from every graphic, she helps us catch the high points by categorizing her life for us. How nice of her. Something I thought...neat...was a page she calls "The Hillary I Know" which exhibits the individual clips of about 40 people "who know her best". In each video, a different person gives their own personal account of her character, capabilities, and impact on their life. Senator Clinton lets others provide those personalized, intimate anecdotes you know you love to watch. But again, notice the individuals themselves and the nature of their stories. Dare we suggest that a common thread has been sewn throughout this message as well?

John's Bio/Video
--Finally, we have good old Johnny. What I like, and simultaneously dislike, is his straightforward approach. No beating around the bush here. No need to ponder over what he's trying to convey. He flat out tells you...at every opportunity. His message is literally written all over the page. Until now, I was blissfully unaware of just how many times it's possible to squeeze the words "courageous" and "service" into such a small space. Senator McCain's "about me" video was actually today's website intro.; yet, just in case you missed it, it accompanies his bio as well. Note the fun terminology and imagery we have here. And, as stated above, no need to ponder the underlying message--it's floating right on the surface for you.

I found these sites pretty informative; although no so much for the thing or two I learned of the candidates' lives. What was truly intriguing was everything in between the lines...or I guess in this case...between the pixels.