You would think the "beer buddy" school of politics would have worn thin by now, but the lesson to be learned from the George W. Bush election and presidency has not yet sunk in. Two Los Angeles Times reporters recently wrote personal front-page accounts of their search for the "real" candidates throughout this campaign season).
One came away bored by the "real" Obama, and the other became disappointed in the formerly press-loving McCain once one of his articles led to a policy of limited access. What in the world do they expect? In this highly scripted race, it's understandable that these reporters would seek a genuine connection to the men who would be president. But, someone needs to remind them that Americans live in a world far too focused on people's private lives, and that coverage of presidential candidates should focus on, yes, the issues--as colorless as that may be. It is telling that when the journalist covering Obama did catch him in an unguarded moment after a morning workout, looking "thin" and "rather vulnerable," the thought he came away with was, "Is he really ready to take on the toughest job on the planet?" By any standard, in this age of "gotcha" politics, candidates need to measure their words, actions and reactions to a nauseating degree; but by virtue of who he is, Obama needs to do so even more. And, why shouldn't McCain be more guarded? No good deed goes unpunished, and the Straight-Talk-Express could only derail and crash by engaging in off-the-cuff back and forth with the folks who live and die by the forever-defining one-liners that make good headlines. (It is revealing, however, that Obama always recognized the press for what it is, and stayed at a distance, while McCain only retreated once he and his campaign viewed the media as hostile to them.)
Note to political journalists: Your job is not to look for the human element in the politicians you cover--we can read about that in the interviews they give to Vogue magazine--but to discover your own humanity as you go about doing your work. When pols want to kick back and be real, they do it with family and friends, not you. Sorry. And while some bemoan Obama's careful debating style and lack of zingers (Come on! Show us your best right hook! I admit to sometimes harboring this evil wish), the polls told us again and again that Americans now want the focus to remain on how these guys will govern (nothing like a financial meltdown to help shift priorities). In the end, your job is to report on the candidates' approaches to government and the important decisions they make. Let's face it, like the many real racists that exist out there in the world, it's not what they really think that's important, it's what they do that matters most.