Bruce Hardy, assistant professor in the department of strategic communication, explains why politicians pose for pics at local eateries.
What local fare a politician eats, and how they order it, can impact their campaign.
Photo by Courtesy of Matt Rourke/The Associated Press
Why do politicians always pause on the campaign trail for a photo-op at a local watering hole or luncheonette?
That s the question PhillyVoice reporter Brandon Baker, SMC 14, posed to Bruce Hardy, assistant professor in the department of strategic communication.
Hardy said the food photo-op phenomenon has to do with the connection between a community and its cuisine. By showing they can eat like the locals eat, candidates can make themselves look like one of the people. Or, as Hardy put it in the Q&A, coming to Pat s and Geno s and saying whiz wit, as opposed to Swiss cheese makes you look like you actually understand Philadelphia.
But the attempts at edible empathy can also deliver a dietary defeat. From former Republican presidential candidate John Kasich eating his pizza with a fork, to President Barack Obama complaining about Whole Foods stores in a state that didn t have any, examples abound of politicians who flub their food choices.
There s this sense of I m out of touch, Hardy said. And that's why you always see the candidates coming into local bars, drinking beer. Coming into Philadelphia and getting a lager, that kind of thing. Connecting with people that way.
In addition to the interview in PhillyVoice, Hardy was also quoted on Time magazine s website, talking about Donald Trump s response to recent national tragedies.
