Perception is reality. Political success often depends on how things are framed — on making sure your story gets told in the best possible light (instead of the worst.) That’s what my latest column in The Week is all about: The good, the bad, and the ugly ways the Republican presidential nominee could be portrayed in 2016.
Was Chris Christie a scrappy middle-class kid who worshipped Bruce Springsteen or a former lobbyist George W. Bush affectionately called “Big Boy”?
Should we think of Marco Rubio as the son of a bartender or as a “wheeling-and-dealing” Miami politician?
Is Jeb Bush the beneficiary of a political dynasty or a loving father married to a Mexican immigrant?
The answer, of course, is … All of the above!
But which will become the dominant narratives?
In many ways, that’s what candidates will be fighting about. What is more, Republican voters should keep this all in mind when making their choices — lest they end up with another easy-to-demonize Gordon Gekkko nominee.