yearning for connection

Consistent with my daily routine of scanning diverse news sources, yesterday I read an editorial in The Washington Post debating the possibility of VP Joe Biden running for President of the United States. Yes, I find it fascinating…14,000 people running for the Rep’s… one waiting to be coronated by the Dem’s… and neither scenario currently, totally appealing.

But as the editorial weighed the prospects of a Biden candidacy, I stumbled upon this huge a-ha:

“In a lot of ways, Biden would be the true anti-Hillary. He is completely uninhibited, he is impossible to script — which makes him seem authentic — and he has a human appeal that everyone can relate to. Clinton, on the other hand, is running a surreal campaign that avoids crowds, media and spontaneity of any kind. She is protecting her lead in the most standard, unimaginative way possible. Compared with Clinton’s robotic, stiff approach, could having a reputation for occasionally saying the wrong thing and hugging too much work to Biden’s advantage in an era where voters want the real thing?

The Democrats appear to be yearning for an emotional connection with their candidate, which could explain the flurry of excitement surrounding the Bernie Sanders campaign. Sen. Sanders seems to have an outsize appeal, which could be a product of how his outside-the-box approach contrasts with the stale Clinton march. But whatever Bernie can do, can’t Biden do it better? Maybe Sanders’s candidacy has exposed the opening that exists for Biden in the Democratic primary. Maybe this is Biden’s moment.”

Friends, this post is not intended to address any aspect of partisan politics — nor to again aver the Intramuralist’s stated desire for ideas fresher than those hailing from a Clinton or Bush. What fascinated me in the above editorial was this line:

“The Democrats appear to be yearning for an emotional connection with their candidate.”

Let’s remove the partisan reference…

We want an emotional connection with our candidate.

We want an emotional connection with our President.

We want an emotional connection with our celebrities, sports figures, politicians, you-name-it.

My sense is we crave connection.

Years ago I remember laughing when ABC found unique success positioning their “Bachelor/Bachelorette” series as “reality TV” [insert big grin here]. I laughed further still at the vocabulary they added to our colloquial conversation.

..

• “I still feel great about Courtney because when I’m with her, I feel really connected to her.”
• “Thanks to everyone for hanging in there with me this season. We totally had a connection.”
• “I truly thought we had a connection, but I never seem to be anyone’s number one.”

Connection… connection… connection. We crave emotional connection.

It’s why many appreciated Pres. Obama singing “Amazing Grace” last weekend in Charleston; many connected with him emotionally. It’s also why many have not appreciated his leadership on healthcare; he has not cared about emotionally connecting with the majority of people.
It’s why the people of Cleveland root for LeBron James — because of the emotional bond they share, as he admirably returned to the city they love. It’s the same we feel with women’s soccer and this year’s national team — connecting with them — and their patriotism, as they represent us all.
A Joe Biden candidacy? The Intramuralist isn’t here to weigh the merits of any one candidate’s qualifications; we make no endorsements. But I will say this… as a man who often puts his foot in his mouth, a man who seemingly knows how to laugh at himself, a man who has made some major mistakes, and a man who knows deep, deep, recent sorrow — on a totally, nonpartisan level, I feel like we connect.

To me, that’s important… in reality… and not reality TV.

Respectfully…
AR