‘Yo, move over. We need mo’ white folks.’ All joking aside, I think that this is typical for campaign events, not just for the Obamas. When we see quite some blacks sitting behind Hillary Clinton it’s because the event coordinators put them there. Same goes for quite some white people sitting behind Michelle or Barack Obama.
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Everyone, to the last man or woman, does this. And it’s not just about race either. Early in the race, the other candidates picked up on the fact that Obama, with is youth base, would have young fresh-faced young people smiling behind him, giving him an attractive backdrop to his speeches. Some media noted the difference, especially with Clinton’s retiree dominated backdrops, and almost overnight her backdrop audience got 20 years younger.
Even with race, not everyone counts. I’ve plenty speeches, and you can start to pick up on the trends of their choices:
- Blacks: Two kinds of blacks are acceptable, especially if there aren’t going to be many. You can have young black men or women, but they have to be well dressed. Guys especially will often have a shirt and tie on. The other kind is senior blacks, especially older black women who look like they’re dressed for church. A really great find is a black father wish his son, preferably if the boy is an older child or a young teen.
- Whites: Here it really depends on the crowd. There is no such thing as an unacceptable white really, but they will adapt. In PA they will be rugged workers, looking a lot like they came fresh out of the factory. Women who look a lot like the wives of those workers are also common. Older white people consistently show up more with Clinton than with Obama. White youth mostly (and in Obama’s case almost entirely) of the university cut. Bonus of course if they are wearing: A campaign shirt/a local sports shirt/ a local university sweatshirt.
Other factors come in of course. Being a disabled vet, if you are in a wheelchair, probably guarantees you a place in front of the camera, no matter whose campaign you go to, especially if you wear a service-specific shirt or cap. Interestingly clergy don’t make very prominent appearances at any of those backdrops.