When you're running for office, one of the most important keys to victory is seizing the initiative, and building momentum from it. Bill Clinton, one of the great politicians of the last 30 years, knew this well. In 1992, trailing in a three-way presidential race, he took a gamble, and accepted an invitation to appear on "The Arsenio Hall Show".Late night TV then was in a state of flux: Johnny Carson had just given way to Jay Leno, and David Letterman had switched to CBS. Arsenio Hall's syndicated program had been building a surprisingly large audience for a few years: it was hot, hip, and diverse. Its younger demographic seemed a natural fit for Clinton, whose campaign was trying to woo these voters back to the Democratic Party.
On June 3, 1992, he stood confidently on stage with Hall's house band. Wearing black shades and toting a saxophone, he ripped into "Heartbreak Hotel" (a trademark song of his idol, Elvis) and "God Bless The Child". He got generally good marks in the press for his playing. But, even better, the image that he projected, that of a young, likeable, charismatic guy, made an impact, and moved his poll numbers.
Of course, emotional appeal and image are only good for so much. Everyone remembers the saxaphone, but not what he said. In his interview with Arsenio, Clinton chatted about race relations and poverty, and his plans for the country. He won the White House with 43% of the popular vote that November.
The 2008 presidential primary campaign is now underway. All of the major party candidates are barnstorming the early states, debating, raising gobs of money, and trying to stand out from the pack. I don't know if any of them sing well or play an instrument (John Edwards on electric guitar? Mike Huckabee on keyboards?). But showing that might just help give them an early edge.
From a VH-1 special, some highlights of Bill Clinton's appearance:
UPDATE: This was the main Guest Blogger post on August 17:
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