We talk about politics here at the Cranach blog, being careful to keep the two kingdoms distinguished, but we don’t do politicking, in the sense of agitating for one candidate or another. But I wanted to show you this campaign video as a virtuoso example of the genre.
Ben Sasse is running for the senate in Nebraska. I have known him personally for a long time in different capacities, and he’s a good guy. He’s a Lutheran, and I’ve worshiped with him at Immanuel in Alexandria, where he attended when he lived in the D.C. area.
I know at least one of you will cringe at the exaltation of rural midwestern values, and I admit that some of the conventions of the genre–brilliantly realized in this video–can get kind of cheesy (the waving flags, the obligatory interview with the wife and kids, etc.). But Ben presents himself ridiculously well. As for his signature issue here, I am pretty sure he is (mostly) being ironic and metaphorical, but he’s got himself a clever slogan, one that voters will remember and that sets him apart from the pack in the Republican primary.