Obama’s public image keeps Hawaii link distant

His campaign aims to maintain an image of authority, forgoing the leis and aloha shirts

» Obama nets $1.3 million

STORY SUMMARY »

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign is keeping the candidate away from much of the typical Hawaiian vacation imagery -- hold the lei and aloha wear.

It's a strategy that appears based on political reality, as the 50th state gets bashed on the mainland as too "foreign" to be a presidential destination.

---

FULL STORY »

At his homecoming rally fresh off the plane in Honolulu, Sen. Barack Obama didn't wear a lei -- the typical sign of welcome for visitors to Hawaii.

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign is keeping the candidate away from much of the typical Hawaiian vacation imagery -- hold the lei and aloha wear.

It's a strategy that appears based on political reality, as the 50th state gets bashed on the mainland as too "foreign" to be a presidential destination.

He hasn't worn aloha shirts, either, instead favoring his customary casual wear: solid-color shirts and khaki pants. When he weighed in on the Russian-Georgian conflict, he added a black windbreaker despite the warmth.

Every image counts for a presidential candidate, and his campaign handlers don't want to give critics any photo fodder that could be used against him. Hence the choice of clothes that convey a look of authority even in casual mode.

"He might not want to offer the opportunity to be classified as a beach party guy," said Bernie Burson, a vice president of the Association of Image Consultants International who is based in Eugene, Ore. "A presidential candidate needs to convey at least some air of gravitas. We always tell clients, 'If you want to look authoritative, you put on a jacket.'"

Along with the well-known concern over not appearing to indulge yourself during tough economic times, there may also be an effort by his campaign to downplay the Hawaii angle on this vacation.

"It may have something to do with not wanting to look too frivolous or exotic," said Neal Milner, a political analyst at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. "It may also have to do with the fact that it's important to him to have this kind of image that transcends any particular culture or place."

The campaign's caution appears well-founded. Even without Hawaiian imagery, just the idea of coming to the 50th state -- or being from Hawaii -- can raise hackles. On ABC's "This Week," Cokie Roberts questioned Obama's visit, saying it "has the look of him going off to some sort of foreign, exotic place."

"He should be in Myrtle Beach if he's going to take a vacation at this time," she added.

The assertion, which she repeated later on National Public Radio, caused consternation here.

"We're confused by her sense of geography," said John Monahan, president of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. "Aside from the fact that Sen. Obama was born and raised here, he really is just one of the millions of Americans who choose to vacation in the islands and know that it's part of the United States. That's one of the advantages. No passport is required and a dollar is dollar here. ... Sen. Obama or anyone else can do business worldwide, 24/7, while in Honolulu."

Since he arrived in Honolulu on Friday for a week to recharge his batteries, Obama and his family have toured the island, barbecued with friends, played at the beach and picnicked at Ala Moana Beach Park. He has also stopped by his grandmother's apartment every day for a visit.

"If he had gone someplace else, people would be asking, 'Why didn't he go home to Hawaii, why didn't he go see his grandma?'" said U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie. "Her home is a couple of blocks from the hospital he was born in, from the school he went to. Honolulu is a little town. It's not some sort of exotic locality."

But some see his upbringing in Hawaii as a potential tool to be used against the candidate. A March 2007 memo surfaced this week from Sen. Hillary Clinton's former chief strategist, Mark Penn, advising her to play up her American credentials as opposed to what he described as Obama's "weakness -- his roots to basic American values and culture are at best limited." Clinton did not heed the advice.

Still, local observers were dismayed by Penn's attitude. U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said that 50 years after statehood, Hawaii's patriotism and American-ness should no longer be questioned. The sentiment was echoed by Gerald Kato, associate professor of journalism at the University of Hawaii.

"You would think that in this day and age, such Neanderthal ideas would be way past," he said. "I guess in politics, anything goes. ... They want to tar Obama with being sort of exotic, out of the mainstream, as if he's not really from America. You can do that with words and with pictures, I suppose. The campaign is trying to be very cautious."

Milner said Republican candidate John McCain is much more easily categorized by the American public with words like "war hero" and "renegade." Obama is tougher to define, Milner said, because he represents something new: a post-civil rights, multiracial candidate with a strong black identity who grew up in Hawaii.

"It's very important for him to identify his special qualities as a strength," he said. "Obama has this very subtle and exciting way to define himself. It is just novel, and it makes it a lot more complex for people."

Added Kato: "It's really interesting that a guy from Hawaii has to be very careful about going too far in promoting the idea that he's from Hawaii."

Despite the concerns of his image handlers, Obama showed some local style when he went to a movie theater to take in "The Dark Knight" and then out to dinner. His choice of footwear? Rubber slippers.