People warn that you never talk about the family of a friend. It's dangerous terrain.
Yeah, yeah. When have I ever listened before?
Last week Tyrion at the Bilerico Project reported that Mitch Daniels is filming a TV ad in which Sam Carson, the son of Julia Carson, endorses Daniels in front of Julia's politically historic house on North Park Avenue.
(This is not the only head-scratching move made by a Carson of late. You may all recall that Julia's grandson, Sam Jr., threw his name in to run against Marion County Democratic Party Chairman, Ed Treacy, only to withdraw days later).
I'm reluctant to attack party "mavericks," since "independent" instincts can help keep a party "clean." But this isn't "maverick" for the better interest of the party. This is a foolishly naïve gentleman embracing the opposing team thinking he'll get something, and he's getting played in the process.
Governor Danielsalaam knows that getting ANY Carson to endorse him, in particular, in front of that house, is political kiting. Governor Danielsalaam wants viewers to believe that Sam Carson is speaking "for the family."
You now how I know this? Because Sam Carson, void of the name "Carson," is nobody politically. A Sam Carson ad would be the equivalent of Mitch Daniels filming an endorsement from his gardener, accountant, or bartender. They might be salt-of-the-worth people, but nobody will vote based on those endorsements. This means Daniels wouldn't put Carson, or the house, in a commercial unless it bears a strong "meta-message."
Okay, pay attention, class. A political ad has "the message" and the "meta-message." The message is what you read on the screen or what the person says. But the "meta-message" is the larger symbolic content in the ad. A guy in a wheelchair might say, "I support Mitch Daniels because he does what he says he'll do." That's the message. But the symbolic meta-message is identity politics driven, and it says, "Mitch Daniels treats people like me well because he cared enough to put me in an ad, and he'll do the same for you."
Political consultants play the meta-message game with gender, race, age, religion, region (city vs. rural), socioeconomic status (factory workers versus guys in suits) and sexual orientation as well, which is why many political ads look like commercials for the United Colors of Benetton.
The coup part of such a Carson for Mitch ad, if it airs, is that a large group of people who know Julia's house and see it as a staging point for progressive change might think Daniels must have been okay in Julia's mind. But this idea stands false. In no universe would Julia Carson endorse Mitch Daniels.
As a student of political tactics, I tip my hat to Governor Danielsalaam for this major coup. But I also don't mind telling him that he needs to take a shower once this airs because he just went gutter.
