Just How Low Will They Go?

That, by the way, describes most of us, no matter how high-minded we think we are in picking a president. Pollster and political scientist Samuel Popkin coined the phrase "low information" in 1991; he called it "low-information signaling"—the way seemingly trivial details have a big impact on political choices. Never mind the issues: the way you felt when you saw Hillary's perfectly timed near-tears or heard Obama's "bitter" line may be a better indication of how you vote in November.

Little wonder, then, that Clinton, McCain and Obama are spending so much time trying to signal how normal and Just Like Us they are in their quest to become the most powerful person in the world. To do that, the candidates are going lowbrow like never before.

Planning a trip? Take these travel tips from Clinton, courtesy of an interview she did with "Extra" last November: "You got to have layers of clothing," she advised. "You should also have a lot of water and some healthy snacks." Usually guarded with reporters, Clinton felt at ease enough to reveal that "given the variety of situations I find myself in every single day, pantsuits are a lifesaver." Feeling down about your do? Don't worry. So is the maybe-still-possible next U.S. president! Two days before the New Hampshire primary, "Access" aired a wide-ranging interview with Clinton in which she talked about how her girlfriends tease her because "I am, you know, hopeless when it comes to doing my own hair."

Here's a bit of "low-information signaling" that could definitely alter your opinion of Obama: he admitted he once thought Cher was "pretty hot." He said this in a February interview with People and yet still seems poised to win the Democratic nomination. Why didn't Clinton raise this in any of the debates?

It's easy—and fun—to lampoon snippets of these chats (the People interview touched on Iraq and health care—and even on the tabloid shows, the candidates often try to steer the conversation toward substance). But the candidates aren't looking to break news or debate policy proposals. "It's not the same audience that watches the Lehrer 'NewsHour' or reads Hotline or lives inside the Beltway," says Clinton spokesman Jay Carson. "In a country of 300 million people, that leaves about 299.5 million to reach out to."

He's got a point. Since Clinton declared for president, Chon estimates she has appeared on "ET" at least a dozen times. Chon points out that the show pulls in more than 7 million viewers a night (Stewart gets about 1.7 million), and that most of them are women, who make up "a huge bloc of our supporters … That was very important."