{"id":25,"date":"2016-03-08T19:34:24","date_gmt":"2016-03-08T19:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/campaigntrail\/?p=25"},"modified":"2016-03-08T19:34:24","modified_gmt":"2016-03-08T19:34:24","slug":"voting-for-authenticity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/campaigntrail\/2016\/03\/08\/voting-for-authenticity\/","title":{"rendered":"Voting for Authenticity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in September, the New York Times<\/em> published a story<\/a> on Hillary Clinton under the headline \u201cHillary Clinton to Show More Humor and Heart, Aides Say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with several other publications, it reported that Clinton would begin to make a bigger effort to bring spontaneity and humor into the forefront of her campaign; from then on, she would begin to make a bigger effort to appear genuine to the American public and give them the one thing they crave the most in a candidate: authenticity.<\/p>\n

But Hillary\u2019s \u201chumor and heart\u201d were then arriving at a post private e-mail scandal moment. Reports surfacing about her private messaging account and her delay in responding to the issue made voters doubt just how trustworthy she was.<\/p>\n

And, as it turns out, authenticity didn\u2019t seem to do the trick when it comes announced by a \u2018I will now proceed to be authentic\u2019<\/em> disclaimer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think authenticity is sticking to who you are, sticking to your values, following through on what you promise. I think that makes a person authentic. Not changing your story to appeal to others,\u201d said Ashley Ruiz, a 20-something New Yorker.<\/p>\n

For many, a lack of authenticity is something that puts Hillary at a real disadvantage before her main competitors \u2014Donald Trump in the Republican Party and Bernie Sanders in the Democratic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think she does want what\u2019s in the best interest of the country, I just think she\u2019s done a great job at tarnishing her reputation by really going with whatever is the hot topic for progression and change,\u201d said Chadwick Prima, interviewed in Union Square.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she first ran, she said gay rights are not something you should go forward with but now she\u2019s like, \u2018Yeah, I believe in gay rights!\u2019 So it really comes down to, she\u2019ll say what it really comes down to get elected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Voters are not blind to that, in Hillary or any other candidate. They have become hyper-sensible of candidates\u2019 genuineness (or lack thereof) and allow that specific trait to influence their vote \u2014even if it means, it seems, compromising policies they believe in.<\/p>\n

People seem to not be as interested in reading presidential hopefuls\u2019 resumes as they are about looking at them and thinking they are someone to believe in.<\/p>\n

It is a trend, writes Erica J. Seifert, author of Campaigning for Authenticity<\/em>, that became increasingly important in the late twentieth century. After Vietnam and Watergate, which played a huge role in breaking down the public\u2019s trust in their government, voters began to look for different qualities in their future leaders.<\/p>\n

They no longer wanted the most prepared candidate, at least not if they could have the \u201cauthentic candidate.\u201d Votes begin to skew towards the candidates who could successfully showcase a satisfactory set of \u2018authenticities\u2019: approachable language and dress, self-disclosure, and anti-elitism.<\/p>\n

The rise of soft news and television talk shows then allowed for the demand of a candidate that was relatable and accessible, while the social media boom now has only amplified the yearning for the most genuine and authentic character.<\/p>\n

But while some voters allow the authenticity question to heavily weigh in as they consider their candidates, others are more skeptical of the real benefits of authenticity. After all, how will that truly help in running the country?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the tough part is a president can only get 60% of what he wants done because Congress will prevent them from doing the other 40%, because it\u2019s just not plausible to get that many people on board,\u201d said Chadwick Prima. \u201cIt\u2019s great to be authentic but it\u2019s what\u2019s plausible of getting done. And if it\u2019s for the right reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, many seem to be detached from the election process as a result of a loss of faith in the institution and in their politicians. Now, if they\u2019re not to believe in any of them, they might as well simply be able to believe them.<\/p>\n

That seems to be the approach for leading Republican candidate Donald Trump: hotheaded and outrageous statements, which no matter how unfounded, people will perceive as genuine precisely because they are so hotheaded and outrageous.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that he is not a career politician I think is appealing to a lot of people, also to me,\u201d said Josh, interviewed at Columbus Circle, about the GOP\u2019s candidate\u2019s standout qualities. \u201cAnd he is very no-bullshit, you know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Most New Yorkers are not quick to praise any of Trump\u2019s policies, but often eager to admit that they admire his frankness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the American people appreciate that a lot,\u201d Josh said. \u201cBut I also feel that Bernie Sanders is the same way; he\u2019s very honest, he has his opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n

This election is bound to prove just how appreciative the American people can be of a candidate that seems genuine and true to both what they believe in and what they say they believe in.<\/p>\n

For Bernie, his authenticity has yet prove its impact on voters, with less authentic Hillary (at least to the public eye) still on the lead. For Trump, however, running on authenticity has yielded its results.<\/p>\n

And if Trump\u2019s lead so far is any indication, and if the people are truly voting on an instinct powered by their candidates\u2019 perceived authenticity, it seems clear that the White House will sooner be occupied by an effective and persuading demagogue than an experienced politician.<\/p>\n

It is both the danger and the recompense of presidential runs in a time that grants us so many different tools to get to know candidates more \u201cpersonally;\u201d the danger of politics in the time of live streaming, of Twitter, and whatever other resources \u2014many real-time\u2014 that allow us to measure the level of authenticity in candidates more closely.<\/p>\n

Politics become, again, a popularity contest, and the realest<\/em> will win.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back in September, the New York Times published a story on Hillary Clinton under the headline \u201cHillary Clinton to Show More Humor and Heart, Aides Say.\u201d Along with several other publications, it reported that Clinton would begin to make a bigger effort to bring spontaneity and humor into the forefront of her campaign; from then … Continue reading “Voting for Authenticity”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVoting for Authenticity - Image Authenticity and Momentum on the Campaign Trail<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/campaigntrail\/2016\/03\/08\/voting-for-authenticity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Voting for Authenticity - Image Authenticity and Momentum on the Campaign Trail\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Back in September, the New York Times published a story on Hillary Clinton under the headline \u201cHillary Clinton to Show More Humor and Heart, Aides Say.\u201d Along with several other publications, it reported that Clinton would begin to make a bigger effort to bring spontaneity and humor into the forefront of her campaign; 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