B E A R I N G S  | campaign 2000

The Fluff and the Fanfare

Bush’s appearance on Oprah was great for the candidate, but what did the public learn?

by Anthony A. Cupaiuolo

Bush really did well. He held his own. He’s great in that kind of setting.

These and other laudatory comments about Gov. George W. Bush do not refer to how he answered hard-hitting questions from a Mike Wallace or Tim Russert but rather how he did on Oprah. The comments emanated from political correspondents as well as Republican icons including former presidential candidate Bob Dole and New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici, who sang Bush’s praise on Don Imus’s show.

Please be assured they were not joking. They were sincerely effusive in how Bush handled such hardballs as “What is your favorite sandwich?” Answer: peanut butter and jelly on white bread — prompting cheers and nods of approval from mothers of small children across America. How about this nail biter, “What is your favorite fast food?” Answer: Tacos. Well, that should build up the Latino vote.

My question is: How do you screw up on Oprah? Be the second presidential contender to forget to give her a kiss? Tell her your favorite meat is hamburger and stress your connections with the Texas beef producers?

Granted, Bush didn’t get a perfect score. In response to what is his favorite song, he initially replied “Wake up Little Suzie” by Buddy Holly, but then corrected it by noting that it was really The Everly Brothers who were responsible for that late 1950s blockbuster hit. Coming from Texas, as did Buddy Holly, for Bush to make such a mistake is far worse than not knowing the unpronounceable name of a prime minister of an obscure country.

But what can we really take from Bush’s appearance on Oprah? Needless to say, discussions about substantive issues were noticeably absent. When asked about what he knows for sure, Bush replied “That there is a God.” “That I’m sitting here talking to you.” “That I love my wife.” Bush discussed why he stopped drinking at age 40 with his wife’s encouragement and said that he resented the assumption that he was only running for president because of "his daddy.” According to Bush, if his name was George Jones, then he would have been a country singer. I guess this was supposed to be amusing. (Note to Country Music Awards Association: Bush as presenter in 2001?)

Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the interview was how Bush responded to Winfrey’s probing question about his being overwhelmed by self-doubt. Referring to his prep school days before Yale, Bush stated: “I remember thinking how brilliant all the other kids were. Eventually, I realized smarts are not only whether or not you can write well or whether or not you can do calculus, but smarts also is instinct and judgment and competence.” In other words, I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer (that’s Al Gore) but I’ve got other good qualities that are more important.

It is truly pathetic that in the midst of a hotly-contested Presidential election an appearance on an afternoon talk show not known for piercing political insight could attract so much attention, from a flattering picture on the front of The New York Times to the lead-in story on network news. The story’s appeal reflects not only the media’s hunger for information, but also the need to balance the pro-Gore stories (of which there have been plenty as of late) with pro-Bush ones. 

In the long run, however, I don’t get how this is supposed to help Bush, other than the obvious pandering to women voters. Certainly an appearance on Oprah gives him access to millions of viewers on more or less his own terms. But Bush has never had to worry about whether he could connect with voters on a personal level. Charisma and personality are two traits that are generally at the top of the list used to describe Bush, whereas Gore is generally described as “wooden” and “phony.”

Richard Nixon began it all when he shouted, “Sock it to me” on the 1960s hit show Laugh-In. It was to show that Tricky Dick, who was rarely seen without a dark suit, actually had a lighter side. Gore’s appearance on Letterman was intended to present him as a regular guy and not just a boring nerd. But we already know that Bush is a regular guy. What we need to find out is whether he has the experience, the knowledge and the commitment to work hard that we expect of our President. Those answers won’t come from an appearance on Oprah, no matter how high the ratings.

Dr. Anthony A. Cupaiuolo is a professor of public administration at Pace University.

Related Sites
- From the Washington Post, a picture of Bush planting a kiss on Oprah’s cheek along with the story "On Oprah, Bush Displays Retooled Approach."
- "From Mr. Gore’s appeal to ‘waitress moms’ to Mr. Bush’s hourlong appearance today on Ms. Winfrey’s show, women are central to the strategies of each campaign," Katherine Q. Seelye writes in The New York Times. The story goes on to explain the "marriage gap" in this year’s election — most single women support Gore and most married women, particularly those under 50 with children in the home, support Bush.