They may have attended Ivy League schools and practiced law and medicine, but on the road, no task is beneath a candidate in search of votes.
The mundane, absurd and even degrading duties of the campaign trail are all designed to capture the attention of the electorate. Occasionally, they can be deeds that are, er, downright unpresidential.
“You want to create a picture where people can say: Here is an ordinary person,” said Audrey Haynes, who teaches at the University of Georgia. “And you want to be in the news that night. So you are trying to do something that is different.”
John Kerry dazzled the crowds when he donned hockey skates and slapped the puck around with Boston Bruins stars. Kerry not only got points that day for his athletic abilities but he also successfully deflected attention from his tired and hoarse voice.
Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, tried his hand at ping-pong.
North Carolina Sen. John Edwards opted for the 10-Pin Bowling Alley in Merrimack, N.H.
“Bowling is supposed to be the working man’s way of spending leisure time,” said retired journalist Curtis Wilke, who covered eight presidential campaigns. “Can’t say I’ve seen a Republican in a bowling alley, but it’s required duty for Democrats.”
Campaign staffers usually think through activities and stake out the scenery to avoid embarrassing moments. But sometimes, staged events can backfire.
Gerald Ford choked on a tamale in 1976 because he didn’t know to shuck the corn-husk before putting it in his mouth.
Michael Dukakis, who had never served in the military, stuck an oversized combat helmet on his head and went to the General Dynamics plant in Michigan in a 63-ton M1 Abrams tank to prove he wasn’t soft on defense. Democrats blamed that photo-op for wiping out the Massachusetts governor’s chances of beating George Bush in 1988.
“Smart advance people know to prevent the candidate from being out in situations where they are going to look silly,” Wilke said.
But no one can predict an accident.
In 2000, Republicans George W. Bush and Gary Bauer faced off in a pancake flipping contest.
Bauer tumbled off the stage in mid-flip. His campaign soon followed suit.
