Glamocracy is coming to the USA

Making any form of prediction about American politics at the moment is probably best avoided. Still, it looks like the youth vote could be a decisive factor; as many unders 30s turned up to the Iowa caucus as senior citizens, and Hillary and the gang are taking notice. But how do candidates engage with voters half their age?

The answer, as ever, comes from Glamour magazine. Alongside blog posts like “Why, Britney, Why?” and advice on matching your nail colour to your BlackBerry, they’ve launched an election blog, Glamocracy. Primarily written by five young women from a variety of backgrounds and political allegiances, they’ve also invited all the presidential hopefuls to contribute. Hillary was said to be so keen, she contacted them before they got in touch with her.

Other guest bloggers who’ve accepted the invitation are Obama and McCain, all keen to show the personality behind the politics. The posts are all remarkably similar, paying tribute to the women in their life and reflecting on their role as a parent, child or spouse.

Less successful is Mitt Romney who appears to cut and pasted an old speech on healthcare reform. Perhaps it’s just as well; how his particular brand of conservatism sits alongside articles on the joys of not marrying is not immediately clear. Indeed, with a measly 12 comments to his post, Mitt hasn’t quite struck the same chord as Glamour.com’s other token male, Mike Cherico, the “edgy English teacher” looking for love in all the wrong places. Should Team Romney want hints on connecting with the under 30 female audience, perhaps the Governor needs to open up. Cherico is honest to a fault describing his “”unhealthy weakness for six-foot-tall, babealicious women.”