Barack Obama and Framing

Here's what Obama had to say on the issue of race:

"As the child of a black man and a white woman, someone who was born in the racial melting pot of Hawaii, with a sister who's half Indonesian but who's usually mistaken for Mexican or Puerto Rican, and a brother-in-law and niece of Chinese descent, with some blood relatives who resemble Margaret Thatcher and others who could pass for Bernie Mac, so that family get-togethers over Christmas take on the appearance of a UN General Assembly meeting, I've never had the option of restricting my loyalties on the basis of race, or measuring my worth on the basis of tribe."

This little story, while not particularly important, is an important example of what political strategists call "framing." Usually, when we experience framing today, we experience it in short soundbites, such as the phrase, "cut and run." That phrase is almost exclusively used to describe some kind of cowardly action, ergo, anybody who wants to end the war is a coward. This makes no sense but if enough politicans say it repeatedly it does not fall on deaf ears.

Obama takes some time to construct his frame. At first, it appears that he's merely talking about his family, in effect, personalizing himself to the voter. Towards the end of the story, he says he's never even had the option of choosing loyalties based on race. If the voter thinks for a momement that this might be dishonest, all they have to do is read the above passage. Only after constructing that narriative can he make a statement that he knows will be taken seriously.

While this is good speechwriting, this isn't a frame. The frame here is when he says "UN General Assembly meeting." This is pure genious. First, the phrase itself is funny, which means it is easier to remember. Second, it subltely suggests, "hey...I've been to a UN General Assembly meeting! I'm not too inexperienced to be President!" Again, Obama manages to find a way to make a statement that can't be accused of being dishonest because, in this case, he's not even outright saying it. Yet, this will be what people remember. It's very similar to when he said, "I've haven't taken a long time to learn the ways of Washington...but I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change." He's suggesting not only do the current people suck, but in fact his lack of experience is a GOOD thing: he hasn't been tainted and "learned the ways of Washington."

Bottom line: Obama frames well. Which is good. We haven't had a good framer since Bill Clinton. One of his best lines was, "I feel your pain." Of course, the unstated attack is, "And the other guy doesn't give a crap about you."