Can You Be Real With Me?
Governor Gretchen Whitmer's recent "encounters" with Trump present a lesson for any Democrat looking to run for office.
Governor Whitmer’s recent encounters with Donald Trump were bad optics, sure, but that’s not what really matters. Optics are like sand castles on the beach in this contemporary media environment. They draw attention for a minute until the next news story washes them away. Also, let’s be honest, unless you are an avid political sicko, er, enthusiast, then you might not ever see the bad photo being shared on social media and/or in group threads. So, it’s not the thing that matters but what the thing represents.
Whitmer’s presence in the Oval Office while Trump signed an executive order and then hugging him a few weeks later before being invited to speak at an event with him is not about the optics. It’s the fact that in those moments, Governor Whitmer did not demonstrate the political deftness to understand what was happening, how it would play out, and then how to respond accordingly. She seized up. More to the point, and worst of all, she seemed like a “regular politician,” which is to say an inauthentic person. She will say one thing about Donald Trump on MSNBC and then go about “political business as usual” in front of cameras.
Nothing is worse in politics than being considered “a regular politician.”
This is not a new thing, even though we all like to pretend everything happening to us is novel. One of the biggest factors in the very lengthy 2008 Democratic Primary is that Obama seemed “new” and Hillary Clinton was “more of the same.” The words “new” and “more of the same” can be translated to “real” and “fake.”
One of Warren Buffett’s guidelines for investing is to remember that you are buying a business, not a stock. Stocks can go up and down from quarter to quarter, but if you are buying a solid business, then in the long run, you *should* come out ahead. I think the same can be said about politicians. Every day brings a variety of trials, tribulations, and successes that are subject to numerous twists and turns beyond a politician’s control. People understand that and will cut you slack. The trouble comes when they don’t trust you to be authentic.
Whether it’s politics, celebrity, podcasting, sports, or anything else, authenticity is the coin of the realm. Basically, if people like the “cut of your jib,” then they will roll with you. If you are a politician but are authentic, people don’t even care if you change your policies. Being open to new ideas is seen as a feature. Being seen as a “flip-flopper” based on prevailing public sentiment is seen as a bug.
So, for instance, this picture did John Kerry no favors back in 2004.
The politicians that think quickly on their feet are authentic. They can see what’s happening in front of them and respond honestly because they aren’t doing strategic calculations in real time to figure out how the situation will play out with focus groups.
I’m a first-wave millennial, so forgive both the previous references to the 2004 and 2008 elections and this third one, but remember this moment with Senator John McCain?
John McCain was put in the unfortunate position of carrying W. Bush’s baggage and running against Barack Obama. Still, even in the heat of the election, I think you would be hard-pressed to find somebody that didn’t deeply appreciate this moment. John McCain was authentic. This moment was sprung on him, and he was able to respond because he was always authentically John McCain.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have Donald J. Trump, who, despite everything else, is authentic.
We are a long way from the 2028 Democratic Primary, but look at the Democrats that are getting attention. Mayor Pete, Cory Booker, AOC, Bernie, and Mallory McMorrow aren’t hitting because they are good at social media and being on podcasts. They are being authentic. The problem with Chuck Schumer, Brian Schatz, and others is that people don’t trust them and it’s because they sound like politicians.
The 2024 Election was not about podcasts; it was about authenticity. Every election is about authenticity. I mean, yes, there are other factors, usually the economy, but the thing behind all the things is authenticity.
Even worse is that this interview with a “friendly” outlet like Crooked Media doesn’t come across as authentic. Whitmer sounds…like a politician. As I watched this convo with John Favreau and Whitmer, I locked in on her eyes to see if she was reading the screen. I mean, the camera angle doesn't help. It looks like she is reading from a prompter. You don’t even need to watch the video! It looks like she is referencing a prompter here! Again, silly optics, but when you are dealing with an authenticity problem, doing something as simple as moving the camera to eye level and in front of you makes it seem like you are having a conversation, not a PR rehab exercise.
To be fair, maybe Gretchen Whitmer has no interest in running for elected office again after her term. Still, this whole episode isn’t really about her. So much hand-wringing has been done about the Democratic brand, but the answer is as simple as the lesson we teach kids in kindergarten - be yourself, and people will like you for who you are. Or, you know, at the very least they won’t despise you for being fake.