Americans like to know that while politicians are interviewed by major publications and TV personalities, and meeting national and foreign leaders, that actually at the end of the day, they’re just like any other American. Remember that George W. Bush was favored in 2004 because many Americans said they felt like they could have a beer with him. They felt like he could relate to them on a personal level; he had that “likeability” factor.  

 

What is interesting I think though is how the candidates are using their relationships with family members in their campaign strategy to connect with the everyday American.

 

Just go to Barack Obama’s campaign site and the splash introduction page – the first page you see before clicking to access of the actual site – is not a photo of himself alone looking particularly presidential; it is a photo of him and his family sitting on the ground in a park with his daughters around him and his wife next to him. It’s a sweet photo, and one that strikes that personal, and important note within all Americans – “family is important to me.”

 

  

He did have an interview with People Magazine about what life is like at home for him and his wife, raising their two young daughters in the spotlight, and “That even on the campaign trail, this is a brood almost like any other, with set routines (chores!), boundaries ($1 allowance!) and playtimes (movie nights!).” Again, showing that he’s just like you and your family.

 

 

 

On McCain’s site, he has some family photos (albeit most in black and white), but they are part of the photo gallery, not the first page. Family life is much different in the McCain household, so he won’t get interviews like that either. While McCain’s children are older and prefer to stay out of the limelight, his 23-year old daughter Meghan keeps a blog about following her dad and mom on the campaign trail. And relating to the younger crowd could help McCain; she says that she reads Perez Hilton and shops at Target. So, McCain’s daughter is really ike any other.

 

 

However, no other family member is dissected more by the media than the wives of McCain and Obama. After all, one of them will become the next First Lady. New polling discussed by the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza interestingly shows that while Michelle is more widely known and present on her husband’s presidential campaign, she was also less favored than Cindy, who is less visible on her husband’s campaign. Americans polled who were unable to provide sufficient information about Cindy McCain still favored her over Michelle Obama (maybe it’s because of those comments she made earlier this year though…)

 

 

So apparently it’s ok for a little mystery…

 

I have not forgotten about the last family member – the baby (or babies)! Obama has mentioned that win or lose, he will get his daughters a puppy after the campaign (and you can (of course!) vote on the one you think they should get). However, if pets could vote, they’d vote for McCain. An AP-Yahoo! News poll “found that pet owners favor McCain over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, with dog owners particularly in McCain’s corner.”

 

One of the survey respondents said, “I think a person who owns a pet is a more compassionate person — caring, giving, trustworthy. I like pet owners,” said Janet Taylor of Plymouth, Mass.

 

Taylor and others would probably feel comfortable with McCain considering he’s almost got a zoo, including: Sam the English springer spaniel, Yorkshire terriers Lucy and Desi, Coco the mutt, turtles Cuff and Link, Oreo the black and white cat, a ferret, three parakeets and a sea of saltwater fish.

 

Americans like to know that their politicians are just like them, being able to relate to them on a personal level. Everybody’s got a bit of wacky in the family – even the presidential candidates. And Americans want to know just how wacky the families are. (remember Rudy Giuliani’s family drama? Or the worry over Bill Clinton’s role in Hillary’s campaign?) It would be a mistake to underestimate the power the family has in how Americans determine who to vote for.

 

It’s all in the messaging again. Family matters.