Sexualizing the VP Candidates

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan has 6% body fat. And the reason why anyone cares is because photos of him flexing and running bare-chested keep surfacing.

Paul Ryan (on right) with P90X creator Tony Horton

When Time named Paul Ryan runner-up in its 2011 Person of the Year issue, it featured the Wisconsin Congressman in a series of beefy work-out shots. Stories about Ryan's physical stature bring to mind the relentless sexualization of Sarah Palin during the 2008 election. There were stories about her hair, her glasses, and even the height of her heels.

The 2008 election cycle had many cries of sexism, not only with the Palin fascination, but with its coverage of Hilary Clinton from her colorful blazers to her campaign tears. In 2008, it seemed like the media was targeting the female candidates with its sexual coverage. However, the Paul Ryan camp seems to be championing the sexualization of the VP hopeful. It's proven that "sex sells."

After reading a Slate article requesting some Paul Ryan-porn, it seems that at this point, America expects their politicians to be a little bit sexy. More here.

Race-baiting Their Way to November

It seems that slavery metaphors are still relevant in 2012. The presidential campaign trail is hot with rhetoric evoking sentiments of the Civil Rights Movement and the pre-Civil War era.

First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) gala on Saturday, September 22, 2012. Just as a Southern Baptist preacher is certain to reference fire and brimstone on a Sunday morning, Michelle Obama addressed race at the CBC Gala. Well, she did more than mention race. Some might call it race-baiting. Some might call it pandering. Others might simply call it tailoring her message to her audience.

During the speech, she likened challenges to Voter ID laws as modern day marches:

“This is the march of our time — marching door to door, registering people to vote. Marching everyone you know to the polls every single election...”--Michelle Obama

Not that there is anything to disagree with about registering people to vote, but given the forum of the remarks and other references to the Underground Railroad, the explicit message is that this election is about race.

The Chicago Sun-Times printed a transcript of her speech.

This is not the first time a Democrat used race-baiting on the campaign trail.

Back in August, at a campaign stop in Danville, Virginia, Vice President Joe Biden told the crowd that, "He [Romney] is going to put y'all back in chains."  The Obama campaign clarified that Biden's remark was about how repealing financial institution regulations would affect consumers.

"He is going to let the big banks once again write their own rules, unchain Wall Street. He is going to put y'all back in chains."--Joe Biden

Maybe this was just another instance of "Crazy Joe" inserting his foot into his mouth.  Remember when he described then Senator Obama as articulate and clean back in 2007?

Democrats are not alone with the evocations of race while on the campaign trail.

Governor Romney could not let Donald Trump's birther herring fly away, when he proclaimed, "No one's every asked to see my birth certificate[!]" Certainly his mention of a birth certificate is a racial code word. He claimed he was making a joke.

Don't forget, the Romney-Ryan team was sure to float Ryan's dating history right after he was announced as the vice presidential pick. Ryan dated a Black woman in college. We're still not sure how this is relevant to the ticket. Perhaps, it's the old standard, 'well I dated a Black person, so I can't be racist' sentiment. Check out "The Root's" take on "Does Paul Ryan's black ex-girlfriend really matter?"

Many of the issues facing America have racial implications, but the concern is that politicians are interjecting racial code words into partisan politics to instigate fear and distrust.