Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
Mollie Hemingway, Ed. ·
December 22, 2011 at 3:37pm
Nine-year-old Ari Garnick asked GOP candidates in New Hampshire the question everyone wants to hear them answer. If they could be any superhero, which superhero would they be? (Via Ben Domenech's Transom newsletter.)
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Aug '10
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
Isn't there a guy in the Fantastic Four who can stretch and bend himself to deal with any situation?
May '11
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
Aquaman. Why? Naval supremacy. Shaft would be a close second but I don't know if he qualifies as a super hero. Is Richard Roundtree still alive?
Edited on December 22, 2011 at 4:00pmRe: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
I think Iron Man's experience as Secretary of Defense would serve him well.
May '10
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
Flip-flopper! That kid changed his answer.
On a related note (I hope I don't spoil the fun), it seems to me that America has a soft spot for vigilante stories. John Wayne and John McClane are perhaps the most quintessentially American of movie heroes. In fiction, vigilantes represent a preference for justice over order, individual judgement over bureaucracy, and ingenuity over rule-books. What do you think?
Needless to say, my favorite superhero is Batman. He strives for justice in spite of the system and the culture around him (though with respect for law), accepting no credit for his good deeds and patiently enduring the scorn he receives for helping people.
Jun '10
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
Superman is a good, safe answer. Responds only when needed; despite strength avoids the cult of personality; shy around girls (esp. Lois Lane).
Santorum's Incredibles answer was pretty good.
Great kid--he stood right up and asked his questions. The White House press corp could learn from him to ask straightforward questions.
Edited on December 22, 2011 at 4:12pmAug '11
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
I have a soft spot for the Caped Crusader but mine has to be Captain Marvel (Shazam).
May '10
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
Man, Herman Cain is likable in that clip. Santorum too.
Apr '11
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
tabula rasa: Superman is a good, safe answer. Responds only when needed; despite strength avoids the cult of personality; shy around girls (esp. Lois Lane).
Santorum's Incredibles answer was pretty good.
Great kid--he stood right up and asked his questions. The White House press corp could learn from him to ask straightforward questions. · Dec 22 at 7:11am
Edited on Dec 22 at 07:12 am
Agreed. Huntsman's Spiderman was the only sub-par choice, although Paul's refusal to answer is way, way worse.
The trouble with choosing Batman or Iron Man is that you probably don't know if any of their dark character sides will become a campaign problem. Even if Newt had known Martian Man-Hunter, he would have been very foolish to have suggested him (even if he wasn't such an eccentric choice to begin with).
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
James Of England
tabula rasa: Superman is a good, safe answer. Responds only when needed; despite strength avoids the cult of personality; shy around girls (esp. Lois Lane).
Santorum's Incredibles answer was pretty good.
Great kid--he stood right up and asked his questions. The White House press corp could learn from him to ask straightforward questions. · Dec 22 at 7:11am
Edited on Dec 22 at 07:12 am
Agreed. Huntsman's Spiderman was the only sub-par choice, although Paul's refusal to answer is way, way worse.
The trouble with choosing Batman or Iron Man is that you probably don't know if any of their dark character sides will become a campaign problem. Even if Newt had known Martian Man-Hunter, he would have been very foolish to have suggested him (even if he wasn't such an eccentric choice to begin with). · Dec 22 at 7:15am
The Spiderman answer was revealing, though.
I think Santorum wins this one, personally.
Mar '11
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
Ron Paul's favorite superhero is The Grinch, apparently. What? Superhero? Don't bug me, kid.
Me, I'd like to be Green Lantern. I'd use the ring to create a giant hand to slap the other candidates.
Edited on December 22, 2011 at 4:26pmMay '10
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
Superman is the obvious choice. He fights for "the American way." So I award no points for that answer.
Had these been Democrats, hearing anyone answer Superman would have been a surprise for that same reason. ;)
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
That seriously bothered me! And then I realized I was getting bugged by a 9-year-old.
Jun '10
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
Totally agree. Cain really engaged the kid. Romney wasn't half bad one-on-one with the kid, but Cain wins hands-down..
Santorum was a bit stiff, but his answer was really good (bringing the family into it--and it's obvious he really spoke from a sense of belief).
Mar '11
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
tabula rasa
Santorum was a bit stiff, but his answer was really good (bringing the family into it--and it's obvious he really spoke from a sense of belief). · Dec 22 at 7:38am
Santorum gave the ideal answer to win Iowa caucus votes, but if the question is which superhero you would actually choose to be (as opposed to which superhero you most admire—Mr. Incredible or Batman gets my vote there), aren't Romney, Perry, and Cain speaking for all of us? Why not be Superman and be able to do everything? (And how come none of the media talent that's busied itself coming up with offbeat questions for the candidates came up with anything as engaging as this kid?)
Apr '11
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
Ben Domenech
James Of England
tabula rasa:
The Spiderman answer was revealing, though.
I think Santorum wins this one, personally. · Dec 22 at 7:19am
They were all pretty revealing answers. It's the best "Boxers or Briefs" question I've seen in a long time. I agree with you that the Santorum answer was by far the best, if only because he did, after some time furiously wracking his memory, remember that the superhero he was looking for was "Mr. Incredible".
None of the Superman answers were really looking for upside; they saw a question that no one would care about if they gave a great answer, but that would be all over the news if they gave a bad answer. eg., not to pick on your choice, Iron Man as a Mitt choice, bringing up the super rich thing, womanising (if a suitable hook comes up), alcohol/ Mormons being weird, and the times where Iron Man became a quasi-villain, fighting Captain America in their patriot act parody.
I did think it was cute that several of them were unsure if Superman was still about.
Apr '11
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
True, Super Man does fight for truth, justice, and the American way, so it is a safe answer, but supper man is also supper lame...why not pick Captain America who is equally lame...Bat Man is also to easy of a choice. Sure he is cool but he is also popular thanks to certain recent fantastic movies...this I think is a test of a candidates true nerdy cred. Can they name some one both cool and slightly obscure...props on Captain Marvel Ceasar, that is true nerd right there....
I personally can't think of the heroes I really like I read comics for the Super Villains. I guess the super hero I like most as a character is the Tick. Sure he is dumb, but he has a good heart and is nigh invulnerable. It is also a really funny series, cartoon, and comic...
May '10
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
tabula rasa
Santorum was a bit stiff, but his answer was really good (bringing the family into it--and it's obvious he really spoke from a sense of belief). · Dec 22 at 7:38am
What I liked about the Santorum answer is that it was obvious he had seen that movie with his kids and though it was a little saccharin it was sincere and engaged rather than deflecting.
Can't believe Newt didn't go with Professor X...
Jun '10
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
Isn't it amazing how a simple question like that gives you a glimpse of someone's personality and how they engage with real people?
I'm not suggesting that we make our decisions on that clip--but I learned a bit more about each of them.
May '10
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
I am so pumped for Romney to answer "Batman" at a later date, if only to check out Prawn's post and James of England's spirited, detailed defense. :-)
Apr '11
Re: Iowa, Schmiowa. Who Wins The Superhero Primary?
I think Huntsman's answer was the best if only because it was clearly a choice without political consideration. He picked Spidey because Spidey is cool. I'm also a little surprised Newt didn't explain to the kid why "frankly, Martian Manhunter is a poor choice of superhero" for various historical reasons. Has anyone else stumped Newt like that?