BAGnewsNotes

The BAG Prepares For The Second Coming (Of Obama-Mania)

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Back in the cold of January, when Alan Chin was up in New Hampshire shooting for TheBAG, he and I had absolutely no clue whether, come fall, the Obama story -- still electrified at that moment by the post-Iowa buzz -- was going to play out more like this or this.

Fast forward two months, and Alan (having spent another overnight on the lip of the Ohio primary, developing film) sends me the shot above as part of a basket of pictures.  Of course, I dismissed it immediately.  "And what didn't you like about the Kennedy-esque one?" Alan asked the next morning from a roadside Bob's Big Boy somewhere, I think, between Columbus and Cleveland.  And in phrasing it that way, he pegged the source of my problem, knowing that, as dramatic an image as he had recorded, it in no way reflected how a struggling Team Obama had given up the pep rally in favor of the townhall.  (And so, this is the "more representative" pic I went with.)

But today, today.

Today, just 24 hours after the results from Indiana and North Carolina, at the moment at which the Democratic race apparently reached its tipping point, I saw as quick and dramatic a flip in the visual tone as I've ever seen before.  For the past few week, Obama has been largely portrayed in tandem with his controversial former pastor, or with not the friendliest looking white blue-collar workers, or standing alone on both the literal and metaphorical "other side of the tracks."  Looking at the images flying off the wire the past few hours, however, it seems suddenly like none of those other moments and picture were ever made.

So, before turning the focus to the return of Obama-mania and the visual media's tilt-on-the-dime purification, glorification and idolization of the man who just a few days ago was fighting the shadows, I felt (although it's hardly a digitally-appropriate description) like dusting off that Ohio image.

Our Man in Ohio (March 08 - Alan Chin on the campaign trail for BAGnewsNotes)
Our Man in New Hampshire (January 08 - Alan Chin on the campaign trail for BAGnewsNotes)

(image: ©Alan Chin. Westerville, Ohio, outside Columbus. March 2, 2008.  Used by permission)

Our Man In Ohio #5: Taking It To The Bank

This is the last in a 48 hour series of Ohio primary dispatches from photojournalist and BNN Contributer Alan Chin.

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In Hillary's triumph, this old hall gives the moment an historical feel, the confetti conjuring a ticker tape parade, or even a convention balloon drop.

In a bold, if largely overlooked statement, Bill Clinton -- though thanked by name -- was, for the first time, completely erased from a primary evening.

The spotlight on this TV producer -- stoic amidst the emotion -- speaks to the stark contrast between two beasts feeding off of (and, on) each other, one being big media, and the other, the contemporary presidential juggernaut.

In spite of the celebratory mood, the victory speech was tough and mocking.  At one point, Clinton parroted her opponent's "narrative of hope" by talking in near-rhyme.  At the conclusion, the Obama call-and-response "yes we can" was refashioned into "yes we will."  Or, was it: "yes she will?"

The intensity of emotion and the release of energy was apparently nothing that could be gleaned through television.

Clinton was awe inspiring -- perhaps, with an emphasis on the awe.

(image: ©Alan Chin. Columbus, Ohio. March 4, 2008.  Used by permission)

Our Man In Ohio #4: Hillary Pre-Dawn

This is the fourth in a 48 hour series of Ohio primary dispatches from photojournalist and BNN Contributer Alan Chin.

It's just grind-it-out campaigning, perhaps a little easier with the candidate sensing momentum.

The Clinton campaign, keeping its head down and focusing on the growing blue collar concern about the economy, decides late Sunday night to add a visit to the Toledo Chrysler factory, getting the jump at 4:30 the next morning.  Without knowing she was coming, workers at the shift change are clearly taken aback, and flattered.  As Alan comments, "It's how people react at a surprise birthday party, or when they suddenly see a movie star.  It's clearly an 'oh wow' moment."

Overall, though -- in spite of this shot that conveys a plant tour -- the whole event (from first step-off, to first step back on the bus) lasts just 10 minutes.

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In the blur of a photo op, it's hard to capture much of the feel of the gritty, day-night, florescent life of the workers inside, turning out 800 cars per day.  You get a piece of it, though, in the shot of the goggled man getting down to business while the campaign entourage passes him by, and in this lonely shot of the entrance once the workers are inside.

Oh Waiter, Two Martinis Please... (David Burnett)

(image: ©Alan Chin. Toledo, Ohio. March 3, 2008.  Used by permission)

Our Man In Ohio #3: One Of Our Own

This is the third in a 48 hour series of Ohio primary dispatches from photojournalist and BNN Contributer Alan Chin.

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Perhaps race is a sensitive subject to discuss in the campaign because it isn't supposed to matter.  Or, perhaps it is delicate talking about black pride in Obama out of caution not to detract from, or conflict with the pride so many women feel for Hillary.

What is unmistakable, however, is the engagement of black audiences with the candidate.  In many newswire photos of late, one can see black boys transfixed while listening to Obama.  One can juxtapose those images with the statistics, reported last week, that 1 in 100 Americans are in jail, including one in fifteen African-Americans, and one in nine black men between the ages of 20 and 34.

The metaphor that one generation evolves from standing on the shoulders of the previous seems relevant here, as is the fixed attention of the young man with the decorated letter jacket, getting a look at Obama in his own high school field house.

One Percent of All American Adults are Incarcerated (Crooked Timber)

(image: ©Alan Chin. Westerville, Ohio, outside Columbus. March 2, 2008.  Used by permission)

Our Man In Ohio #2: Looking Secure

This is the second in a 48 hour series of Ohio primary dispatches from photojournalist and BNN Contributer Alan Chin.

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In light of the story last week that Obama's security might be somehow deficient, there seems to be plenty of eyes around him outside Columbus  -- at least seven pairs right here.

Obama's Security -- A Little Too Much Hush (BNN)

(image: ©Alan Chin. Westerville, Ohio, outside Columbus. March 2, 2008.  Used by permission)

Our Man In Ohio #1: Beyond The Phrase

This is the first in a 48 hour series of Ohio primary dispatches from photojournalist and BNN Contributer Alan Chin.

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In an effort to challenge the charge he lacks substance, Obama has shortened his stump speech and conducted more townhall meetings.  This event on Sunday at Westerville High School, with an extended Q and A session, lasted 2 1/2 hours, whereas most of Obama's New Hampshire appearances, more like pep rallies, ran about half-an-hour.  Alan tapped this image specifically for the way Obama slowed the pace and tempered the energy.

Of course, if a photographer was looking for something "Kennedy-esque," those opportunities were still there.  But, as Alan reports, such a shot would not have been reflective of the character of this event.

Democrat Clinton says Obama lacks substance (Reuters)
Our Man In New Hampshire (Alan Chin primary coverage 1/08 - BNN)

(image: ©Alan Chin. Westerville, Ohio, outside Columbus. March 2, 2008.  Used by permission)

John Edwards: Parting View

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Yesterday, I had my say on the Edwards withdrawal.  Today, I want to share this photo by Alan Chin taken at the announcement in New Orleans on Tuesday.

Chin writes:

The scene was cold, and the ground wet and muddy. The Habitat For Humanity staff and volunteers were expecting Edwards to make a "major speech on poverty," as had been billed, but instead he came to throw in the towel. He did so with a certain dignity and eloquence: "It’s time for me to step aside so that history can — so that history can blaze its path."

Having covered him often and having been here so often, I was impressed, despite my usual cynicism, with the deliberate choice of both beginning and ending his bid for the Presidency amidst houses still destroyed from Hurricane Katrina.  By the contemporary standards of American political life, he had run a decent and spirited campaign.

I invite you to open the image and really look at it.  I find it a fitting portrait and parting view.

The weathered look not only contradicts the ascribed pretty boy aura, but seems to capture the edge of a weariness guaranteed to descend after unplugging from of the perpetual adrenaline rush of the campaign.  I have to also say, he looks like he really gives a damn, above and beyond any shallow debate regarding any need or reflex to continue to look like he does.

I think there are a several other elements here that are also powerful, which I leave to you to excavate.

(image: © Alan Chin.  Ninth Ward of New Orleans, La.  January 30, 2008.  Used by permission)

Our Man In New Hampshire #8: A 50 State Race

This is the last in a 72-hour series of New Hampshire primary dispatches from photojournalist and BNN Contributer Alan Chin.

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Here is a dedicated link to this series.

Obama Cautions Voters About His Lead Position (The Caucus)
Obama Bolts Ahead of Clinton in New Polls (The Caucus)
From a Big Boost for Obama to a Sharp Blow (NYT)

((All images © Alan Chin.  Nashua, New Hampshire.  January 5, 2007  Used by permission.)

Our Man In New Hampshire #7: The Chelsea Factor

This is the seventh in a 72-hour series of campaign dispatches from photojournalist and BNN Contributer Alan Chin, with an extra dose of post-election analysis by The BAG.

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Alan Chin filed two sets of Clinton photos with BAGnewsNotes leading up to last night's New Hampshire primary.

Interestingly, one group was from the first day, and the other, from the last day of the campaign.  I understand that there are advantages and disadvantages in looking at these with the results already in, so please excuse the Monday (or Wednesday) morning quarterbacking.

If one can use the Chin pictures as a representative sample, there are a couple deductions to be drawn.  First and foremost, as compared to any of the other candidates, it seems the Clinton campaign maintains very tight control over access.  About half the supply Alan captured offered a vantage similar to the one above.

What I was most interested in thinking out, however, given Alan's set, was what happened between last Saturday, after the Clinton campaign had been battered in Iowa, and this Monday, the day before Hillary's poll-trashing New Hampshire rise from the ashes.

Based on the material on hand (which included no emotional roundtable discussions nor any mid-debate depiction of hurt feelings), I would have to say that the difference -- over and between those two days -- was primarily familial.

In addition to the sign-toting women at Saturday's sparsely attended campaign rally at the Nashua airport, Bill Clinton was a primary presence.  (I elaborated on the problematic nature of this -- just like much of the media did -- way back on Friday at The BAG.)  Peculiarly, Alan's sequence catches Bubba in the pose of a field general, as if reprising his charge to the bridge to the 21st Century.

In comparison, Alan's best image from election eve day was the shot above from a rally for canvassers in a Manchester parking lot.  (Bill, by the way, was not in attendance.)

When you include the woman pushing out the platform, the image provides the sense that the campaign is now totally infused with girl power.  More significantly though, we see Chelsea  -- like a beacon -- visually aligned with that platform.

If Alan Chin, rather than moving on to the Edwards campaign, had continued to follow Clinton that day, I'm convinced we would have an elegant and larger body of evidence that Chelsea, rather than Bill, had become the campaign's new inspiration (not to mention, its co-star).

Falling back on the visual media, however, you might check out this image which I set aside on Saturday, thinking it not only captured a powerful solidarity between mother and daughter, but between mother, daughter and the spirited representative of a key demographic.

Skipping to first thing Monday morning, look at this shot from a NYT Hillary Road Show (taking note of the announcement-like caption).  Also, consider the expansive gesture in this Reuters photo from the same event Alan photographed above; and also this shot after the event which the NYT chose for its "Final Push" slide show.

The defining image, however, has got to be this one from Monday evening's final campaign event, revealing a tearful candidate simultaneously celebrating her own voice and the family circle's new secret weapon.

Last Up: Election Night At Obama Central

((All images © Alan Chin.  Concord, New Hampshire.  January 5, 2007  Used by permission.  linked images: Hillary/Chelsea canvassing:  Brian Snyder/Reuters. Manchester, New Hampshire January 6,2008.  Hillary/Chelsea with college student: Elise Amendola/A.P. Clinton campaign bus. Durham, N.H., January 5, 2008.)

Our Man In New Hampshire #5b: Mill Worker Mission

This is the sixth in a 72-hour series of campaign dispatches from photojournalist and BNN Contributer Alan Chin.  These shots were taken between two events, one Saturday and the other Sunday.


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Meetings in the round --with everyone sitting close, on the same level -- has been a hallmark of the Edwards campaign.  Come the last day before the primary, however (and, potentially, JE's last day of presidential viability), the circle is more compressed than before.

On the phone, Alan confirms the intensity, and adds a few details.  The audiences at the two meetings are primarily working class people.  Also, the candidate is traveling with the largest entourage on the trail.  It includes his father and mother (second photo); the family of Nataline Sarkisyan, the woman who died because her Insurance company wouldn't approve a liver transplant; and James Lowe, who couldn't speak for 50 years because he didn't have the insurance to correct a cleft palate.

As part of the presentation, many of these people offer testimonials.

Because of the intensity of the images above, I almost didn't include these last two (and I wonder about the effect if I hadn't).  With Edwards -- if strictly for the fact he's a politician (leaving aside, for one thankful moment, any other baggage) -- one can be powerfully pulled between man and message.

Next Up: Hillary

(All images courtesy Alan Chin.  Concord, New Hampshire.  January 5, 2007  Used by permission)