Blue Collar?
This is all over the news media today. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are attempting desperately to appeal to blue collar workers.
The presidential race has turned into a riveting competition for ordinariness, as both campaigns have concluded that whoever does a better job of winning over voters like Winschief — an average blue-collar man in an average American town of 60,000 — is more likely to triumph in Tuesday's primaries in Indiana and North Carolina.
Identifying with the common man has been a requisite in presidential elections for almost two centuries. But the stakes are especially high in a race largely defined by an economic crisis, and campaign experts say the candidates have gone especially far in their appeals.
In the past six weeks, Clinton hammered down a shot of Crown Royal whiskey — not necessarily the first choice of the workingman — and chased it with a beer. Obama visited a Pennsylvania sports bar and sampled a Yuengling after making sure it wasn't "some designer beer." Clinton told stories about learning to shoot behind the cottage her grandfather built. Obama went bowling.
There's something ridiculous about a couple of millionaires trying to out blue collar one another. It isn't apparent that this strategy will actually work, but we'll continue to have this story pumped by the press. Every news outlet I have checked today is carrying a variation on this story.
By Anthony (Los Angeles), Tuesday, 6 May , 2008 @ 6:42 am
Shades of Kerry and duck hunting.
By C Stanley, Tuesday, 6 May , 2008 @ 7:03 am
You’d think that sooner or later someone would try a different approach- just be honest with the voters and say, "Look, I’ve never bowled a day in my life, and I prefer wine to beer- but I love the fact that America is a diverse country and people have different preferences, tastes, and pastimes. I grew up in a different manner and became accustomed to different things, but I certainly don’t look down on anyone else for their own traditions and I give people credit for being smart enough to recognize when someone is being phony to pander to them so I won’t insult you in that way. I’m happy to put on the bowling shoes and look foolish attempting to bowl since I’m probably pretty lousy at it and we can all have a good laugh about that. After we’re done, we can talk about what policies I think are best for our nation and why I think those policies will benefit your community."Authenticity, anyone?
By Jenn, Tuesday, 6 May , 2008 @ 1:21 pm
Oddly enough, I can somewhat buy Hillary’s blue collar boozing. Obama, nah, caught him rooting around my fridge for some arugala.
By syn, Tuesday, 6 May , 2008 @ 4:41 pm
This election will tell us whether or not the Blue-collar vote be able to compete with the Siliconed-Womyn vote who is looking for her Big Government Sugar Daddy?
It’s still tough going for Hillary, Obama is a bettter looking Sugar Daddy.