As the Washington press corps swarms around Obama's diplomatic whirlwind tour, the Man in the Street is becoming a very popular guy.
Street interviews occupy a special place in the establishment press. The charmingly gritty quote from the cab driver cursing the occupiers, the wistful ruminations of the medical student who dreams of going abroad--such snapshots add color and dash to an otherwise drab media landscape of dismal economic indicators, dry death tolls and wonky policy debates.
But it might be best not to read too much out of these exported soundbites.
Example: The New York Times recently reported that the Iraqis have fallen for Obama. A handful of interviewees from different areas "expressed broad approval for him personally."
"Saad Sultan, an official in an Iraqi government ministry, contended that Mr. Obama could give a fresh start to relations between the Arab world and the United States...." 'Every time I see Obama I say: "He’s close to us. Maybe he’ll see us in a different way," ' Mr. Sultan said. “I find Obama very close to my heart.'
"Race is also a consideration. Muhammad Ahmed Kareem, 49, an engineer from Mosul, said he had high expectations of Mr. Obama because his experience as a black man in America might give him more empathy for others who feel oppressed by a powerful West. 'Blacks suffered a lot of discrimination, much like Arabs,' Mr. Kareem said. 'That’s why we expect that his tenure will be much better.' "
(The Obamania stops short, however, on the issue of withdrawal, where the interviewees seem to fear that his proposed pullout plan would be too hasty.)
In sharp contrast, the Christian Science Monitor reports today that throughout the Middle East, everyday people react to Obama largely with shrugs:
"Senator Obama's campaign may have launched groundswells of hope, ardor, and optimism at home and in Europe. But at the start of his closely watched trip to the Middle East, the all-but-certain Democratic nominee is little known in the Arab world, and has yet to generate widespread interest or enthusiasm."
The Times also took a more subdued tone today with a piece that quizzed people throughout the region about the presidential race:
"one point [Israelis and Arabs] may now agree on: If elected president, Senator Barack Obama will not fundamentally recalibrate America’s relationship with Israel, or the Arab world."From the religious center of Jerusalem to the rolling hills of Amman to the crowded streets of Cairo, dozens of interviews revealed a similar sentiment: the United States will ultimately support Israel over the Palestinians, no matter who the president is."
The Associated Press quotes a law student in Gaza:
"I doubt [Obama] can make any significant changes in our lives. He has a very tough mission regarding Iraq and regarding the American economy, so I don't think he will have time to help us, even if he wants to."
Global pollsters, while perhaps more scientific, only add to the confusion. The Pew Global Attitudes Project, which conducted public surveys on five continents, reports that in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan, both Obama and McCain score relatively low "confidence" ratings compared to European countries, though Obama appeals somewhat more to the Egyptians and Lebanese.
Snatches of Middle East public opinion might be fun to read, but offer little clarity on what's actually happening in those often misunderstood societies, and might end up confusing us about our own electoral decisions.
Could it be that people in that region share the diversity of American voters--that they hold political views that are ambivalent, evolving, even contradictory at times? That doesn't fit neatly into the tokenism of man-in-the-street reporting. But on the campaign trail, maybe reporters find it more convenient to try to imagine what's going on in the public's head, rather than informing it.