Recently Saturday Night Live announced that they
would be having Donald Trump on to host their show. Just a few weeks before
Hillary Clinton made a guest appearance on the same show for a skit featuring
an impersonator talking with her. When Stephen Colbert first premiered his show
the media obsession with Trump’s campaign was a central point of how his late
night show wasn’t just another political pundit, but also served as a criticism
of the entire establishment. So in what way can we evaluate popular culture
melding into politics and how does this have real campaign impacts?
[1]Trump on SNL
[2]
Trump being on the famous weekly sketch-based comedy
TV Show is important for evaluating the impact popular culture can have on the
rest of the process for a few important reasons. The FCC has long had rules in
place that allows opposing candidates to take advantage of these instances of
popular culture meshing with political communication through their ‘Equal
opportunities’ right. This measure was put in place to avoid the perception of
the media unfairly taking sides in political races and allows candidates to
have free air time equal to that of the original candidate’s[2].
This is particularly important as it would allow Kasich who just registered for
New Hampshire’s GOP Primary earlier today to take advantage and gain free air
time on New Hampshire televisions[3]. For more information on the
details visit Politifact’s cited article, but the important factor is that the Kasich
campaign has shown an ability to boost their ratings in this region with
television ads previously will be getting more free air time.
Kasich in Pop Culture
So how is Kasich perceived in popular culture?
Generally he is still struggling with the same issue he has been in debates and
national polling – low recognition. Tonight John Kasich will be appearing on
the Late Show with Stephen Colbert and will attempt to buck this trend that is
evident in his continued low polling percentages. Previously Governor Kasich
appeared on an interview segment with Seth Meyers on Late Night with Seth
Meyers*. This interview is probably the biggest non-debate audience Governor
Kasich has been able to reach easily and will be most indicative of popular
culture’s reaction to his campaign and the image he attempts to project during
this time.
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Governor John Kasich on Trying to Be Reasonable at
the GOP Debate - Late Night with Seth Meyers[4]
Takeaways
After watching this interview it becomes ever clear
that Governor’s Kasich is perceived generally the same across types of
communication. Meyers asked questions surrounding Kasich’s low polling numbers,
why Kasich was different than in 2000, what separates Kasich from the pack, and
Kasich’s strategy during the debates. This does just what Kasich is looking for
allowing him to spout on and on about his upbringing, values, and motivations
for declaring a candidacy for president. Kasich deflects the question about
polling, uses his upbringing as a way to identify with the audience, and his
values to separate himself from the pack and clarify his strategy during the
debates. Only time will tell if this traditional way of addressing his campaign
faces will lead to long-term success, but he appears to be doing an effective
job right now.
Citations and Annotations
1. Gajewski, Ryan. Kate McKinnon and Hillary
Clinton in a still from Saturday's 'SNL' premiere. Digital image. The
Hollywood Reporter, 3 Oct. 2015. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/snl-premiere-hillary-clinton-cameos-829287
2.
Sanders, Katie. "PolitiFact Sheet: Does Donald Trump's 'SNL' Appearance
Trigger Equal Time for the Republican Field?" Politifact. Tampa Bay Times,
21 Oct. 2015. http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2015/oct/21/does-donald-trumps-snl-appearance-trigger-equal-ti/
*This
article highlights that interviews do not count towards the equal opportunity
clause and would not be considered a right for other candidates to appear on
these same networks Governor Kasich does.
3.
"John Kasich Files for the New
Hampshire GOP Primary Ballot." Video blog post. Kasich For America, 6 Nov.
2015. https://johnkasich.com/blog-posts/john-kasich-files-for-the-new-hampshire-gop-primary-ballot/
4.
Kasich, John, Gov. "Governor John Kasich on Trying to Be Reasonable at the
GOP Debate - Late Night with Seth Meyers." Interview by Seth Meyers.
Youtube. Late Night with Seth Meyers, 22 Sept. 2015. Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIaGf5OD8uA
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