Looks Like A Runaway

It’s hard to see a toss-up in these faces. The man in the center of the top picture, with the blue sweater, sets the tone: I find his expression very touching. I read simultaneously hope and reserved skepticism. Remove him, however, and the signs of suspicion and doubt are strong in others as well.
But the awe transforming the faces of the two women for Obama is beautiful to behold. It makes me teary. Their faces put me in mind of Martin Luther King’s glorious “I have a dream” speech: “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” Their expressions inspire me to vote Obama.

I see that contrast, too, PTate, and wonder what was going on while the pix were taken. I imagine Obama was being charismatic and Hillary was being – Hillary.
I wonder also about the gender differences in these pictures, as well. The audience in the top photo are mixed genderwise, but they seem full of skepticism – about a woman’s ability to lead, perhaps? OR a WHITE woman’s ability to understand and work for these constituents? I think Hillary’s “in” with the black population in our country has a direct link to her husband’s ease and ability with black Americans. I’ve heard it said that Bill was the first black President and really have no reason to doubt it. He “understood”, as far as I could tell.
The second picture is more worshipful and again does this have something to do with gender? These older women are swept off their feet by the charismatic young man. Is Obama the black JFK or, even better, the black Bill Clinton?

Here’s my take:
The skepticism I see in the first photo, is not troubling to me. I view that as an attribute of thinking people. This gives me the impression that the opinions of the people in photo one are more relevant and valid (and there seem to be a lot of them crowded in there to hear Hillary). It makes me want to find out more about Clinton’s platform.
Maybe I’m too cynical, but the two women in photo two, with their reverent, beatific gazes suggest a blind, unconditional love – not a thoughtful analysis of Obama’s message. Thus, I have less respect for their opinions and this image does not make me want to learn more about Obama’s platform. This image suggests to me that Barack Obama’s appeal is sentimental rather than reasoned.

In the first photo, the eyes of each are not focused on the same things. I think they are just waiting. Some are listening, or looking, but the others are distracted by the cameraman,perhaps, or lost in inner thoughts, regardless of their skin colour.
Perhaps an unfair comparison, as the first photo shows a group, while the second, only two people who are totally focused..

Visualize Hillary or Obama expressing this concept
“I for one believe that if you give people a thorough understanding of what confronts them and the basic causes that produce it, they’ll create their own program, and when the people create a program, you get action.” Malcolm X

This NYT article is really old news. A statewide poll was taken in Alabama on March 6 after the Selma appearances by both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, which showed Clinton leading the Democratic pack.
“The Clintons and Obama attended Selma’s voting rights celebration last Sunday, and the poll, which was completed after that appearance, indicated Sen. Clinton benefited more from it than Obama, Johnson said.
“In the new poll, Clinton led among black voters. The only group where Obama finished first was among those ages 18-24.”
http://www.nbc15online.com/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=9255aa50-f15a-478b-8a07-e69d6eb4a66a&rss=218
Other polls may show a toss-up, just not in Alabama.
I was fascinated by the *videos* of Clinton’s and Obama’s speeches in Selma. Both pandered shamelessly to their audiences and adopted a bad Southern accent and fire-and-brimstone *affect,* but the Alabama poll and the audience reactions indicate that Clinton did a better job of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmIGA4vV-3U&mode=related&search=
Not surprisingly, Clinton has received more criticism in blogs and the press about her performance, even though Obama fudged a few key historical details for his speech.
Obama’s new media nickname, the Messiah, goes well with the photo above. See Slate.com’s Obama Messiah Watch:
http://www.slate.com/id/2159871/

The top photo is kind of weird.
I count 9 black faces, 6 white faces, and one asian/indian?
Whassamater, NY Times? Could not find a black crowd?

Looking at the photos, I was immediately struck by the hope and dreams in the faces of the women. Like there will be light again and they will be something within their reach.
The top ones I felt they looked bored. Some looked lost in thought. But, there was not a sign of hope or dreaming there. Like what they will heaar is going to be the same promises and they expect nothing more or less.
The women look like they expect better for their lives.

In the top photo, at first I thought they were sitting, and the man in the blue-and-white sweater was almost on top of the women on either side of him. But I guess they’re actually standing; they look like they’re waiting for her to arrive or something. Oh – the caption says that they’re standing in the hallway listening to her. But the ones in the front row seem to be leaning against some kind of barrier… so maybe the looks on their faces are partly because they’re straining to see or hear her?
Let me say first that I’m not black, so this could be completely wrong. But I think that many blacks will hesitate before voting for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama, no matter how much they liked her husband. We looked at one set of photos where the people held up a blackboard where they had written a few words about how they felt about Obama, and quite a few of them made reference to it being about time, his being the first black president, etc.
I don’t mean to imply that blacks would vote for any idiot just because he or she happened to be black too – but Obama is also intelligent and appealing.

Shades of Kerry?
In the top image we have a crowd of skeptics. The three figures on the right side (blue sweater, black hat, plaid shirt) dominate the impact of the image – the man in the sweater is in front, and the two others are the only ones looking into the camera. All three look less than satisfied. The crowd is clearly milling about – people with no common theme or direction. None of the people in the picture is smiling. The campaign sign is held low (or tacked to the barrier) covered, and lost in shadows.
In comparison, the Obama shot is more of a close-up. The sign is held high, the two figures that are in focus are centered. Both women are looking at the same thing that’s off camera. The one on the left is raising her sign (showing the full name), and the one on the right is clearly the happiest looking person in these two pictures.
Clearly, these pictures are much more favorable to the Obama campaign.