In the movie "Miracle on 34th Street," there is a scene which I think is highly instructive to any candidate or campaign spokesman who wants to be effective.
If you've seen the movie, you'll recall the scene in which R.H. Macy, the owner of Macy's department store is on the stand. It goes like this:
The lawyer against Kris Kringle pointedly asks Mr. Macy if he really believes Kris to be Santa Claus.
Macy starts to answer, but when asked point-blank if he believes Kris is Santa Claus, Macy (who has employed Kringle to be around children as Santa, and realizes many children are rooting for Santa) envisions a newspaper headline that reads:
"Macy Admits His Santa Claus a Fraud"
Realizing the headline would make him look very bad, Macy says: "... He gives every indication ...", before he is cut-off by the lawyer. Then, after being asked point blank, and envisioning children looking up to Santa, he says: "I do."
A lot of political candidates would do well to take this lesson to heart. When a reporter asks you a tough question, before answering, imagine what the headline will be...
Having a Muskie moment isn't necessarily a bad thing anymore. Tears, once kryptonite to serious presidential candidates, today are more often seen as a useful part of the political tool kit.
Campaigns use music at rallies for two purposes. The first is to pump up the crowd, with exciting anthematic music designed to stir the soul and get the adrenaline flowing. (That, by the way, is the real reason U2 exists).
But the second is to underline the candidate's message. Bill Clinton did this famously in 1992 with the Fleetwood Mac song "Don't Stop" (Thinking about Tomorrow).
This WaPost article features two dance experts talking about the GOP candidate's body language:
... (Huckabee) moves his hand forward and brings his body's full weight along, his eyebrows lifting in perfect synchronicity. The message? "That all of him is invested," says Studd.
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