Barack Obama and the Granny Factor

I say right from the outset that I’ll do my best not to fall into the cynic trap in writing this piece so I’ll do it from the point of view of a hard-nosed campaign manager whose only thoughts are victory. The ‘Barack and his grandmother’ factor cannot be ignored. First thoughts might have been that he was risking everything by going off to visit a sick relative at a critical time in his campaign for the presidency. Initial campaign analysis signalled it as a big risk. Dropping out of election addresses in Wisconsin and Iowa, both states crucial to his success, was not a good plan. His absence from the nightly TV news would be a disaster. Then thoughts of the sympathy factor crept in – poor Barack with his ill granny. That will probably balance things out.

The Race Card and The Golden Oldies

There will be those who think what a nice chap he is, going off to visit his ailing grandma when he is so close to victory, putting her first. These could be offset by those who felt he might only be doing it for that reason. A big plus is that coverage of his visit to her sick bed will remind everyone that she is white, thus softening the reluctance of middle-American whites to cast their vote in his favour.

But the big gain will be the winning over of the oldies. Suddenly grannies are in the news. They have relevance where previously there was none. Basking in the shared sunshine now bestowed upon them, they will think Barack such a nice boy for caring about his gran as florists, nationwide, report a flood of sales aimed at elderly relatives. Meanwhile, a Republican strategist looks dolefully upon all this and registers the possibility that it could tip the balance in the crucial Sunshine State. After all, Florida is where most Americans go to live out their twilight days.