Barack’s lottery winners

Are these dinners an opportunity for Obama to connect to his voters or a chance to spin his image as a populist?

Topics: BagNewsNotes, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Michelle Obama, Washington, D.C.,

Barack's lottery winners
This article originally appeared on BagNewsNotes.

On top of running a fundraising lottery for dinners with the President (I’m sure you’ve been getting Michelle and Barack’s emails), the White House has been prominently using the ensuing sit downs for photo-ops. The latest event took place a few days ago at the Mintwood Place restaurant in D.C.’s Adams Morgan neighborhood. Whereas, on the surface, it’s heartening to see the Obamas hanging with wildfire smoke jumpers and assistant high school principals, as if one of those chairs might be filled (for $25 or so) by you or me, I’m wondering about the larger symbolism.

BagNewsNotes Isn’t what we’re seeing here, in fact, mostly the product of brilliant marketing, with the president (or Romney) engineering the perception of populism and participation? More seriously, by having people pay for the opportunity, isn’t the campaign also emulating and forcing the public to (literally) buy into the plutocratic game where citizens (those with the real wealth) are expected to pony up to get (the real) attention of elected leaders? Looking at the photo again, how much is the scene a democratic act, a lighthearted strategy for engagement, a concept to say that the little guy helped build the bank, one more reinforcement of the lottery society, and/or a vehicle to model for the American electorate the concept of “pay to play”?

 

Click for full size

And then, I happened to notice this single photo from the evening that the White House happened to publish on Instagram. In contrast to the wire photos presumably taken of the Obamas and the lottery winners before the dinner started, everyone sitting there with a glass of water in front of them, the Instagram shot shows the Obamas in isolation enjoying their meal in what otherwise (there’s no caption) looks like an intimate meal.

Not to make too big a deal out of it, I also wonder what kind of message this snapshot is supposed to communicate, given that the whole point of the event involves the Obamas breaking bread with Joan and Jane Q. Public.

 

Click for full size

(photo 1: Pete Marovich-Pool/Getty Images caption: President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have dinner with three winners of “Dinner with Barack and Michelle” fundraising contest on August 20, 2012, at Mintwood Place in Washington, D.C. Voters will go to the polls on November 6 to decided if Obama will be re-elected for another four years.)(photo 2: @barackobama / Instagram.)

Michael Shaw

Michael Shaw is a Clinical Psychologist, an analyst of visual journalism, and a frequent lecturer and writer on how politicians and the media frame political imagery. He founded BagNews in 2003. Follow him on Twitter @BagNewsNotes.

Next Article

Featured Slide Shows

Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Comments

5 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>