I hate to say this, but Obama needs to eat a Big Mac with one hand...

[WCGreen]

Maybe while driving a pick-up through Iowa.

This is what he needs to be an ordinary guy.

Seriously, Obama is a wonderful candidate, an articulate speaker who can mesmerize even the harshest critics with his charismatic oration.

But McCain might be on to something with his he's not one of us bull shit. Obama has to step down into fray and make people feel like they want to actually hang with the dude.

The problem Kerry and Gore was no one wanted to hang with them.

It's sounds silly but look at how the Goper's continue to hang on to power.

On good thing about all of this is not many people who are not swilling metamucal would want to hand with McCain.

My advice, stop at a Burger King, A Wendy's or Mikey D's and grab a burger.

Bill Clinton showed the people he was one of us.

Obama needs to do the same.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

1. I must be weird because I have no interest in "hanging" with any Republican. nt

[WCGreen]

7. Well neither do I...

But we ain't the one's he needs to convince.

[Richardo]

2. They'd just make fun of him for using a napkin.

It's a lose-lose situation - he just needs to be himself and screw the pandering. Everyone can tell when it's forced and fake.

[CTyankee]

44. Yup. I remember when John Kerry went hunting in cammo...

it made even me laugh...

[Egnever]

3. While i dont buy into the elitist crap for a second

I don't think stopping for a big mac would hurt him.

[proud patriot]

56. Big Mac attack

I get those every now and again

[supernova]

4. I think Obama is doing just fine on that score

He's doing very well just being himself and not trying to market himself in an inauthentic direction just to say he can relate to ordinary voters. I actually think more people have respect for him doing that.

[WCGreen]

9. Then why are the tracking polls geting closer...

[Kierkegaard]

24. Because the powers that be want them that way.

[xxqqqzme]

38. Bingo!

the whorporate needs something to talk about after 6:15 every morning.

The current WH squatter, is supposedly there, because the corporate media told us everybody wants to have a beer with him.

I hope this country now sees how disastrous it is to have a bumbling ,wash out coke head and a white knuckle drunk running the country.

[supernova]

27. Because more people are starting to pay attention

to the race, not just us political junkies. It always tightens up around the conventions.

[Thrill]

5. And McCain is one of 'us'?

[WCGreen]

74. Did I say that...

she how misconceptions start. You infere what you want to when I make a statement...

People infer what they want when Obama does something.

[AllentownJake]

6. Bill Clinton was the kind of guy who enjoyed McDonald's

Obama isn't and if he tries to do phony things...he looks like a phony.

Kerry and Gore tried the McDonald's route and instead of looking like regular guys they looked ridiculous.

I think he does fine going to diners and Bars and talking to people. He doesn't look like a phony when he goes there he looks like a regular guy. No need to endorse Fast Food Corporate America.

[WCGreen]

11. Well you gotta practice...

He adept enough to figure out how to eat a Big Mac with one hand...

[AllentownJake]

20. I think he's fine

in the Diners and Bars.

He looks good in those appearences and he's with regular people there and he's comfortable.

Let Obama be Obama stop trying to make him into Big Dawg.

Big Dawg only got 43% of the vote his first time winning Obama needs to do better than that.

[Patchuli]

94. I agree. The man orders PBR!

How more down to earth can you get than Pabst Blue Ribbon beer?

[depakid]

8. I know you're speaking figuratively... but

you really could find other imagery...:puke:

Especially seeing as how the big dog just underwent a quadruple coronary bypass....

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. I know he can do it...

Everywhere he goes, the crowds are there, greeting him...

Perhaps you're right about this...

It certainly couldn't hurt, now could it?

It would make him less scary to those who are afraid of him for whatever reason...

[rox63]

28. He could get a couple of Happy Meals for the girls while he's at it

I dunno, it probably can't hurt, as long as he doesn't make a habit of it.

[Franks Wild Years]

12. McCain the multi-millionaire

...hobbles about spewing this bile and all and sundry in the media turn a blind eye. It's institutionalised mind control, it's fucking pathetic and shows just why the US has some way to go before it can join other great nations of the world as a true democracy.

[islandmkl]

13. personally, i don't want the person who can single-handedly (to some degree)...

start World War III to be hanging out with me...

too much chance that i might be a bad influence...

[WCGreen]

14. good point...

[LWolf]

15. Does he need to let "sauce" slop all over his shoes, while

he talks with his mouth full, too?

[WCGreen]

16. Nah, just a one time thing...

[peace13]

17. I think a lot of people want to hang with Obama.

Folks who eat at Burger King don't have the energy to keep up with Obama. He goes at full tilt and has no margin for error. Who cares what the man eats? He plays basketball and loves his family. What more can you ask for? Well if he practiced yoga that would be good with me but most folks would be non plussed. He needs to be himself.

[Maine-ah]

18. I don't want a president that's an "ordinary guy"

[WCGreen]

19. Neither do I....

But a lot of other people seem to feel that way...

[blondeatlast]

21. The RW Noise idiots went after him for wearing jeans while riding a bike.

don't worry about the RW Noise Parrots--mock them. They really are that stupid and out of touch--and it works damn well at the water cooler.

[Alter Ego]

22. You forgot the "sarcasm" tag.

[WCGreen]

32. And here I though these lines would suffice...

Seriously, Obama is a wonderful candidate, an articulate speaker who can mesmerize even the harshest critics with his charismatic oration.

But McCain might be on to something with his he's not one of us bull shit. Obama has to step down into fray and make people feel like they want to actually hang with the dude.

[Alter Ego]

33. I suppose so, but my bullshit detector was put through the wringer

during the primaries...I guess you'll have to be a little more obvious. :P

[Danger Mouse]

23. McCain isn't 'one of us' either. He's far wealthier than Obama.

Anybody stupid enough to believe that Moneybags McCain is somehow a 'regular guy' is too deluded to be worth fighting for.

[Mass]

25. Thanks for accepting the media narrative... So cool to be part of the problem.

If he stops at a Wendy's to eat a burger, he will taxed as phony, whether he does that or not on his own. This is what happened in 00 and 04. Do you actually think that people would have wanted to hang out with Bush rather than Kerry and Gore if they had depicted Bush and Kerry or Gore honestly.

Do you think the media would paint Obama honestly. And McCain for the matter. McCain is NOT one of us, Obama is.

[WCGreen]

30. I know that and you know that....

But the survey says...

The race is tightening up and that is the problem.

[Mass]

36. May be start by not believing the polls. It will be a serious progress.

They are not exact science. They can be either flawed or biased.
2/ Do not take anything for granted. Show people that Obama knows his stuff.
3/ Show how McCain is out of touch again and again.

The rest is gimmicks that will not work. The media will make sure it does not work, just as they did in 2000 and 2004.

In addition, eating a BigMac will do nothing because the subtest of "not one of us" is not the same than Gore and Kerry, it is "he is a black man, be very afraid" and it gives the idea that he is a rap star, a basketball player, ...

[CTyankee]

48. You are right, it is code word for race, just like "arrogant" and

"presumptuous."

[RethugAssKicker]

26. I think this is alot of BS stupid shit !

I'm interested in one thing....and one thing only..
his stance on issues...

Americans...Geez !

[WCGreen]

29. You and I are...

But those people out there are building an impression about the candidate that they will use to guide them on how they vote.

[hisownpetard]

31. Should he stick his pinky finger out while eating this strategic hamburger? I mean, don't leave us

hanging here, without specific instructions.

[glowing]

34. Well, when the floods in Iowa and Midwest were raging, Obama grabbed a shovel

and helped sandbag for a while.. What did McCain do? Attend Bush's Birthday party or something else equally stupid?

[treestar]

35. Challenge the idea that the President must be "one of us."

Ordinary people should not be President. We don't want an ordinary person as President. We want one of the smartest people - our elite (a good word as applied to the elite on intelligence and ability).

[demokatgurrl]

43. Definitely not. Read a good old book about that....

called "what it Takes" by Richard Ben Cramer. It's about the 1988 election but still very relevant and very informative. REading that, you come away with the feeling that it takes some special "IT" to be President.

But of course, I read that book before Dubya. Now I'm not so sure. But let us all hope Dubya was an anomaly, not to be repeated.

[CJCRANE]

37. I have a feeling that McCain could out-Big Mac

Obama any day of the week. That doesn't make McCain more of a "regular guy".

[demokatgurrl]

39. Do you really want to hang out with McCain?

And is he really "one of us"? I don't know about you but I am not married to a beer heir, earning a fat Senate salary while collecting disability.

I never got that thing about bush being someone you'd have a beer with. I think he'd make me spit my beer out.

[ieoeja]

40. He had a hotdog a couple days ago.

I would be surprised if he doesn't stop off somewhere for a bite once or twice a week. And it is often reported.

This is where the New Yorker article was really helpful (or would be if people read all 14 pages of it). One of the bits about Obama is that he spent his time in the state capital hanging out with Republican and Democratic lawmakers from rural areas than with his fellow Chicago Democrats. Not really surprising given that he was not raised in the big city environment.

This was one of the things that helped him pull off the Iowa upset and all those large territory, small population victories. He connects really well with rural audiences.

But then he shifted tactics and started focusing on getting out the vote in the cities. I believe that has been a mistake and do not understand it. That is not how he won this primary. It is not how he won the Illinois Senate primary (where he actually did better in the southern half of the state than the northern). I hope he returns to form before much longer.

[loyalsister]

98. He was hitting rural MO hard the past few days

He even stopped at some diners. There's some good video in the first two.

KOLR10: Obama makes impromptu stop at Ozarks restaurant
http://ozarksfirst.com/content/fulltext/?cid=41791

P-D Political Fix: Obama makes unscheduled stop at Lebanon cafe
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2008/07/obama-makes-unscheduled-stop-at-lebanon-cafe/

Obama tries to show Missouri concern for small-town issues
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073002929.html?hpid=topnews

Missourinet: Obama pleased with tour of rural Missouri; Audio of interview with Walsh, speech in Union
http://www.missourinet.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=775CE8C2-C72D-7AE6-7D7BCE941055FB8A

Joplin Globe: Obama outlines economic plans
http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_212211517.html

SNL: Obama sees southwest as key to state
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080731/NEWS06/807310378/1007

SNL: Supporters inspired by Obama's appearance
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080731/NEWS01/807310366/1007

[Whisp]

41. Bill Clinton was acting when he was showing he was one of us.

the Clintons are not 'one of us' - they have 110 million bucks in the banks and don't have to worry about health care or if they will be homeless next month.

he was 'acting'
so I'm not so sure I want Obama to start that crap - it shows for it's phoniness.

[JoFerret]

95. You don't think Bill really liked Krispy Kremes

and always thanking the guys in the band?

There is no such thing as "us" but it seemed very clear when Bill was being himself and when he was doing the necessary pandering.

Same with Obama. Clinton was a very smart good old boy politician. He had a natural touch at the fish fry. Obama is a very smart college professor politician.

[Cha]

42. Would a fucking hot dog do for you?

[WCGreen]

76. It's not a chilie dog...

Forget about it...

[Cha]

92. He looks good eatin'

it though.

[book_worm]

45. And then loudly belch afterward.

[Political Heretic]

46. Right. Because there's nothing faker than a "looky I'm eating a Big Mac" photo-op.

There's PLENTY of media out there of him being himself, which INCLUDES doing every ordinary thing the rest of us do... eating hot dogs, playing with his girls, riding bikes, shooting hoops.

It doesn't matter how obviously "regular guy" he is if the media doesn't choose to embrace that narrative. And ridiculous, completely staged PANDERING is the exact mistake candidates of our past have made and ended up looking ridiculous for it.

[bigwillq]

47. No corny photo ops, please.

I don't find Obama to be the most exciting person but I think he is doing ok. I think he IS relating to most Americans and I would rather see him continue behaving as he is rather than doing some corny photo op to make him seem "like one of us"

[Bluenorthwest]

49. For what it's worth...

While visiting my area during primaries, Obama stopped for pizza once and ice cream another time. Much was made of both stops, I even heard who paid (Barack) with what (cash) and if he tipped (yes, and well) not to mention the kind of ice cream and the fact that he went coneless, with a cup. Mint chip, by the way.

[IndependentDem]

51. do you think that won him any votes? n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

52. Probably, yes

It was humanizing. People talked about it. The take would have been different if an aide had paid or a credit card used. This is Oregon where candidtes rarely visit so the local snaking and speech making were certainly well looked on.
I think the OP has a point, but I also think Obama does that sort of thing pretty often. Hot dog up thread, mint chip. I think his family food area is well served. And I do think it helps.

[IndependentDem]

53. Cool. thanks for your opinion and perspective.

:hi:

[WCGreen]

66. That's the whole point...

I can't believe supposedly with it people can't get their hads around the idea that most of the people in this country want to somehow identify with a candidate to make them "their" candidate.

It not's policy papers that does it, it's that human touch, the idea that they share some of the same American Experience we all do.

[IndependentDem]

50. Obama is one of us. period. n/t

[Jersey Devil]

54. Yeah, he should ride a mechanical bull in Tx and shoot some elk in Alaska

Just what we need, another president people feel comfortable having a beer with.

[jakem]

55. yeah. and he should piss in an empty soda bottle when he is on the highway, so he doesnt gotta stop

[Name removed]

57. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[otohara]

58. Seriously?

is that how you talk to people to their face?

[Independent_Voice]

59. Better yet...

Put in an appearance at Tom Harkin's annual BBQ in September...chomp on some ribs, lick his fingers, and take a swig of beer...

[AlCzervik]

60. That would look so staged and fake so are you suggesting that's what "Ordinary guy" wants?

[TwilightGardener]

61. Idi-fucking-otic. Never pretend to be what you're not. That's when you get

Kerry with a shotgun attacking poor geese. Obama is one of us. I have much more in common with him and Michelle than I do with a 72-year-old mentally confused millionaire son of an admiral.

[WCGreen]

64. Eating a big mac is not pretending to be a big game hunter...

Besides, I bet Obama has downed a few Macs along the way.

[TwilightGardener]

65. It would look contrived. If he wants to, he'll do it, but people know

when somebody is doing something they don't normally do, and it looks patronizing and phony.

[AlCzervik]

67. totally. "Hey look, i'm obviously pandering here, huh, ya like that?" Maybe get him one

of those "Hard Werk!" shirts Bush has, huh?

[PlanetBev]

62. Maybe he should drink beer, eat Doritos and fart into the sofa

How about getting a double-wide trailer and getting one of those rugs with Elvis or Jesus on it?

This country is so fucking embarrasing...

[jane_pippin]

63. I like him just fine being himself. And what's more, why is it so bad

to have a candidate not pander to all that fake-ass nonsense for once?

I don't want that staged crap. I was sick of it when they made Al Gore wear Khakis, sick of it when they made Kerry go hunting or talk sports or whatever it was they did...it's SO transparent. Why not let him be himself?

And frankly, maybe instead of forcing a candidate stoop to the lowest common denominator, shovin' bic macs down his throat and not talkin' that faincy cuz that's what the people who don't even pay attention to politics in the first place allegedly want, maybe instead of that, is it so wrong for a candidate to inspire people to more in life than eatin' beer nutz and rentin' up movies at the liberry? That sort of insulting pigeonholing can be left forever in the dustbin that is the GOP playbook as far as I'm concerned.

Maybe it's not the end of the world to have a candidate who eats well and exercises, and teaches his kids the value of a dollar, and reads to them and so on. Maybe it's not the end of the world if we all kind of get past this stupid bullshit "I wanna have a beer with that guy" line of thinking and instead start thinking about issues--a pipe dream, I know, because it uses the assumption that is in direct conflict with the one we're used to and that is the American people are not in fact all stupid, lazy inbred idiots with half an IQ point among them who couldn't tell they were being bullshitted if they were laying beneath the bull mid-load.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm so sick of the same old same old. Here we have a chance for something at least sort of new, and to fall back to that Cardboard Cutout Candidate model--it just makes me crazy. I know the argument is that we have to go after those stereotypes to win, but since the largest block of people are people who don't vote, well, why not try something new and go after them? Maybe they don't vote because they're just too sick of this charade to bother? Why insist on the candidate wasting all of our time and money insulting us with this nonsense?

Ok now I'm done. Sorry--I just had to vent. (Apparently if you take some time away from DU, everything just comes out at once when you come back) :D

[WCGreen]

68. But having a shared experience with someone running for office,

no matter what level that may be, makes that candidate your candidate.

Most people don't vote based on issue papers. They based their decision on a gut feeling, on is that guy enough like me to make the kind of decision that would be good for me and the country.

If that were the case, Stevenson would have ruled the 50's.

[jane_pippin]

72. I understand that. And I don't mean that people

should only vote on issue papers, though some do and you know, ideally voting on issues would be nice but I know better than to hold my breath on that one.

I get the gut thing. But who's more like the collective American "we" here? McCain, who's married to a beer heiress and didn't exactly grow up underpriveleged, if I recall, or Obama, who was raised by his single mom and grandparents who struggled and despite the odds made his own way? Why should we turn him into yet another focus-grouped-to-bits candidate with no personality, or some fake "folksy" version because that's the stereotype idiot advisors think "we" want?

I'm sick of it. Let McCain stand in a cheese case and knock over applesauce and spout off his nonsense in an attempt to reach the common folk. It seems to be working out real well for him. I'll take the inspirational "elite" Obama. And as far as an identifying experience goes, I can identify much more with a guy who had dreams and went for it than some guy who essentially had his life handed to him. We all have dreams, large or small, and we all want to go for it on some level. I want to root for the guy that went for it, and who basically shares my beliefs on issues to boot. (Perhaps not the most sound reasoning, I know, but I'll take it over the same old pandering. I want new pandering, damn it.)

[WCGreen]

77. I'm sick of it as well...

But McCain has carefully crafted an image that we might not get but over 40% of the people in this country do.

And therein lies the problem.

[jane_pippin]

80. I'll agree that the media is still foisting the old Maverick McCain myth, but really

the man's Mr. Burns on a good day, and more often than not he's Grandpa Simpson talking crazy in the cheese case. I mean, he doesn't even know how to use a computer. My 85 year old aunt can use a computer and she's not only "aware of the internet" but uses it daily. But we're to believe John McCain's Just Like Us™?

You're right, that McCain myth is tough to overcome, but it's not impossible and I just don't think the old pandering model, whether it's eatin a big mac or whatever example you want to choose, is worth it anymore. It's a waste of time and resources and it makes us look like clowns, and if the Obama camp does resort to that I'll be really disappointed. Just let him be himself. It'll be ok. Remember when Hillary was inevitable?

[BrotherBuzz]

69. Wht can't he just hack a basketball court out of a corn field...

and shoot hoops with the best á la Field of Dreams?

[KoKo]

70. I understand what you say...but think you are dwelling too much on '04 Election with Kerry

...TIMES ARE VERY DIFFERENT! Most Americans are now "gulpers"of M$M News..and those who didn't cough it down are dead...so this election hinges on folks who watch "ALL MEDIA" all the time. The 52 Inch Plasma McMansions down the folks who have the "cheap set" ...ALL OF THEM ARE HOOKED ON M$M...and they still believe them.

OBAMA is a ROCK STAR...he's TIGER WOODS...he's the BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL STAR...that they've been TRAINED to LOVE!

He and his Handlers and those who donate to him know that the M$M RULES. I'm actualy glad that our Dems finally found a Media Friendly who would wipe out the CONTROL they have put on us with the Repug SPIN all these years.

I might not like what our Dem Party has done...but I'll GO WITH IT. We had to "break through the barrier they set up" to find a Dem that could appeal to all those who live their life with Media. The folks who watch the MSNBC "Crime Shows" ..the Kids doing Gameing..the Sports Finatics who pay for Cable Costs because they don't watch anything else but their "Teams" going grunt with other teams.

Obama is the NEW...and if you are over 50...you gotta GET where he and the Dems are coming from and going to. It's the "new wave" they hope to get.

[ecstatic]

71. That won't work. Obama comes from a different background, so

what works for most white guys won't necessarily work for him. A talking head said, and I think he was right, that Obama should just embrace the differences and accentuate them (and then Tweety said some sarcastic comment about whether Obama was black enough to do that).

[WCGreen]

73. I chose a big mac because almost every American has had one...

Okay, maybe you didn't, but most Americans have. It is something most of us have in common, fast food and being able to grab something on the go, eat it and not disrupt a hectic schedule.

[BeyondGeography]

75. Even if you're right, the heart of the matter is different

White Americans thought George W. Bush, a trust fund baby whose Daddy pulled strings to keep him out of the Vietnam War and scrub his AWOL offense, was "one of them." Now they disapprove of Bush, but most of those same white male geniuses will vote Republican again. They can't be helped.

[WCGreen]

79. That was almost a whole generation of voters ago...

things are different this time but the way people vote is not. Perception is reality, always has been in popular culture.

The roman people thought Caesar was one of them.

Go figure.

[BeyondGeography]

85. It was last election, bud

This one, too. If Obama can get to 40% with white guys, he'll win easily. Women of all colors, blacks, Latinos, they all vote for us in huge numbers. If you think Obama rubbing special sauce all over his face will get a few extra votes, fine, but you'd save a lot of time by specifying exactly which extra votes you're talking about.

[WCGreen]

99. Hey bub, the more things change the more they stay the same...

Bub...

[27inCali]

78. we all scarf some fast food from time to time

especially when on the road.

I don't it has to look forced.

[terrya]

81. Haven't we had enough of that "ordinary guy" crap with the past 8 years?

For once, I want the Best and the Brightest in the White House. I don't give a damn whether Barack Obama eats Big Macs or whatever. It's ridiculous pandering and I would hope that most people sees through that.

At this point, it's naive to think that an average American could have a beer with either Obama or John McCain. I think that whole "who would you rather have a beer with?" question regularly asked during a Presidential election is stupid. I want a man or a woman as President who's smart, who's seriously concerned about the problems in this country, who has ideas and who can communicate those ideas and his/her vision of the direction this country should take. And it seems to me that Barack Obama possesses those qualities. Whether he has a photo op at a Burger King, taking a bite out of a Whopper to send this message that he's "one of us" is rather irrelevant, imo.

[snowbear]

82. Hey WC ... lissen up..

Right towards the end of the primary, the media was laughing about how much junk food Obama was scarfing down on the trail.

Andrea Mitchell and Contessa Brewer were even laughing about it saying "the guy is eating his way through the primary!"

He ate philly cheesesteaks in Philly..


He chowed down on pancakes and waffles with Bob Casey..


He pigged out on scrambled eggs in North Carolina..


He stopped at Dunkin Donuts in Virginia...


He pigged out on pizza in Oregon...


He ate french fries and had a beer on tap at the M&M Bar & Cafe in Butte, Montana..


He scarfed down a burger in New York..


He devoured a "Budick's chocolate mouse" (whatever that is) at Burdick's Chocolates in New Hampshire..


Hell, he even served up burgers in Indiana..


Other tidbits.. His favorite food to cook is chili, one of his favorite dishes is shrimp and grits, and he hates British food.. (source: http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/22/barack-obama-chili-lover/ )

He's probably even eaten a one-handed big mac.. so there!

[WCGreen]

100. I am so glad you are immersed so completely in Sen. Obama's

eating habits and the pearls of wisdom that come from the mouths of talking heads.

Me, I just head out into the real world beyond the cocoon and listen to what people have to say.

And the Big Mac, BTW, was a metaphor, a device used to point out many people are buying into the Elitist crap that the McCain camp is spewing no matter what you or I would prefer.

[DangerousRhythm]

83. When I am looking for a leader to represent the best of America...

I'm afraid I'm not looking for one who can slobber all over a Big Mac in front of a camera to demonstrate his Real Manliness. I know some people want that but I don't and I really hate that it's even being made an issue. Look how well it worked out in 2000 and 2004, after all. It's like a total vilification of intelligence, eloquence and I don't know... striving as high as you possibly can in life. It's depressing, really.

[asthmaticeog]

84. WCGreen, I'm sorry, but this is the biggest pantload you've ever posted.

Ridiculous. It was a LIABILITY when they dressed Gore in an Oxford, because it didn't look like HIM. It was stupid when they staged all those Kerry-goes-hunting photo ops because he looked like he might as well have been holding the gun backwards, and it didn't look like HIM. The dems don't need yet another phony-ass Donna Brazille/focus group sculpted candidate who eats scat for abject fear of losing the scat-eater vote.

[snowbear]

86. Yeah! ....And besides that....

..he took off after I posted all those nifty Obama photos..

BTW- I'll bet anything the mcLAMES only eat the finest food that money can buy.




And Cindy McLame only steals Rachel Ray's "fussy" recipes..

Notice how she never heists the meatloaf recipes?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

87. I don't get this at all. I'd much rather hang with Obama than McCain.

I see him as much more "one of us" than McCain any day of the week.

[Alexander]

88. Obama would probably look pretty cool in a pickup truck.

Just putting that out there.

[DebJ]

90. Obama would look cool in anything, anywhere, anytime.

[Alexander]

91. Agreed. But a pickup truck photo-op would go over well.

Just in case any Obama campaign staffers happen to be reading this.

[Occam Bandage]

89. The Big Mac box clearly advocates eating it with two hands. n/t

[wisteria]

93. Frankly, I never wanted to "hang out" with any of our presidents.

Being one of us is overrated. We don't need a leader and president to be one of us or even just like us. Personally I think most of us and others just like us would make terrible presidents.
The candidates we have run for president have been well highly intelligent, qualified, articulate and proven leaders. People should want only the best people running our country. We don't need to change our presidential choices we need to change peoples perceptions on what qualities make a good president.

[WCGreen]

102. But that is you....

And you look at politics a lot differently than most people...

Remember, Bush won two elections against far superior candidates. And please don't mention that they were stolen because they were close enough that democrats should realize that our candidates are going to be painted as elitists and our candidates must present themselves as close to being down to earth as they can. Bill Clinton was the master.

Watch the Movie Primary Colors. Look at that factory scene where Travolta went off script. Could you ever see Gore or Kerry do that? No, but Clinton did. Obama needs to do that as well with out appearing glib or condesending. That's just the way it is.

[HughBeaumont]

96. Here's the slight problem with that . . .

Carter was an ordinary guy.

The media hated him, the DC elite couldn't stand him and the American public decided they had enough of a "regular guy" president, judging by his approval numbers. Only the thinkers of the country knew where he was going and that it would be impossible to attain in the limited time Carter had. Like you, and Adlai Stevenson implied though, thinkers aren't gonna be enough to get our guys over the top.

But somehow, that "Reg'lur" image is perfectly alright . . . when they're a southern-drawl Republican.

Maybe it's not about being a regular guy.

Maybe it's not about trying to be one.

What it boils down to is that people simply do not like Democrats. I don't know whether it's because they watch too much TV or listen to too much hate radio or are fans of "The Republican Song", but the fact is that even if it means voting against their better interests; even if it means saying yes to the destruction of this country and its small towns, even if it means more soldiers coming home in body bags for the bank accounts of Bechtol and KBR, it's SO much better than having to admit they were wrong.

I think it's more along the lines of "how do we make the middle and poor classes stop hating and distrusting Democrats in general"?

The quick answer would be to buy a media outlet. But since that isn't going to happen because our machine is simply not as ruthless, greedy, well monied and power-hungry as theirs is, what's the solution?

[quakerboy]

97. Please

Every step that Obama moves away from Genuine Obama is a big move towards losing. People need to see genuine Obama, and if he doesn't dig the Big Mac, then it will show. And if he does it will show. And either way, the right and their media lackeys will mock it and twist it to show how unlike the rest of us he is.

What needs to be done is to show exactly how NOT one of us McSame is. That will make far more difference than any forced attempt to Be One with the rest of us slobs by watchin sum TV, eatin sum crap and drinkin sum beers

[saltpoint]

101. Hear your point, yes, but could he do it in other ways?

Could he show up with Michelle and the younguns at a bake sale in Hamilton, Ohio?

Or do a tree-planting ceremony with a 2nd grade class in Grey Bull, Wyoming?

Or pop in to a nursing home and read to the people who live there?

They could be "campaign stops" at one level, but on another, they would connect with day-to-day Americans.