This coming Tuesday is the so-called “Super Tuesday” that all the beatniks have been talking about. Don’t worry, I’m not turning this into a political blog (I wouldn’t do that to either of you.) I tend to vote Democratic most of the time, but I also try to look at all issues and candidates with a open mind. Oh, I have my opinions, but remember, this is supposed to be a dog blog, so I’m more concerned about which candidate will support greater chew-toy subsidies for hard-working middle-class canines.
I love presidential election years. I love the news coverage, the back and forth between candidates, but mostly, I love the “person on the street” interviews. As members of the general public, we have an opportunity to voice our opinions and really speak out on issues that matter to us. We also have the opportunity to say incredibly stupid things in public. (Me? I started a blog.)
One of my favorite responses was from a gentleman in Florida on the eve of their January 29th primary. He told MSNBC.com that he supports Romney because, “he looks like a president to me.” He went on to begin a sentence with the words, “but I think Ann Coulter convinced me…”
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…The problem with writing a blog is that you can’t actually see me burying my face in my hands while weeping uncontrollably.
“He looks like a president to me“?!? The guy actually said this! Out loud! To a reporter! With other people around! While being photographed! Why doesn’t he just write-in Robert Culp, Gene Hackman, Harrison Ford, Bruce Greenwood, Geena Davis, William Devane, Kevin Pollock, Peter Sellers, Michael Keaton, Chris Rock, Bill Pullman, Donald Pleasence, James Earl Jones, or that guy from the Allstate Commercials? (Did that from memory, by the way.) In fact, let’s just have all the candidates meet with Gary Oldman and dramatically say, “get off my plane,” before kicking him in the face. I think they’d like it in the Heartland.
Maybe this poor soul is just being honest. After all, many people who listened to the 1960 Nixon-Kennedy debates on the radio felt that Nixon won, while people who watched on television thought the youthful Kennedy was more convincing. Maybe I’m also judging Romney on his looks, but in a more skeptical way. Romney does look like a president, and that’s the problem. To me, Romney looks like he’s straight outta Central Casting: “Yeah, we’re doing this Funyuns commercial and we need someone to play the President of the United States. Yeah, he’ll be holding a Funyuns bag while dancing around the Oval Office to the sounds of ‘Wooly Bully.’ It’ll be kooky!”
This is important. Really important. Whether a person likes Romney, McCain, Clinton, Obama or Estes Kefauver (write him in; see if I care,) I just hope people vote because they believe in the candidate and what they stand for, not because they’d look good in a Jerry Bruckheimer film.
And in closing, “get off my plane!” No, I just don’t have it.
