Editorial: Obama Too 'hip' With Veep Announcement

This story was written by Editorial Board, The Daily Gamecock

Texting isn't just for teens anymore - Barack Obama is keeping mum about his running mate until sending out a mass announcement to his supporters.

By breaking with the traditional press conference, Obama has secured hours upon hours of speculation and suspense - just what the doctored ordered following a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll that found his lead over McCain slipping.

As far as playing the political game goes, this is a solid move for Obama. Republicans and Democrats alike are eagerly awaiting this announcement, but Obama treads a dangerous line between cool and flippant by using texts and e-mails to convey such an important message. While grabbing the spotlight is key in today's fast-paced political environment, this is a presidential election, not an episode of The OC.

Obama's great edge comes with young voters; even in his defeat of fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, Obama maintained a strong connection with America's youth. While he has promised to bring change to Washington and avoid political games, he shouldn't try so hard to be "young and hip" that he gets away from his promise to speak directly to his supporters. If he knows who his choice will be, why can't he go ahead and just say so?

Text messaging, however mainstream it has become, still remains a very casual communication method. No one would text a potential employer or professor. It's great to see Obama is willing to try new things and go the extra mile to reach out to voters, but in this case it may be better to take a more dignified and straightforward route.