Long before the Internet, in oh, about 2004 let's say, it was rather easy for a Presidential candidate to barnstorm the country, slurping up the local support by lauding area politicians, landmarks, and sports teams. But today we live in a very different post-YouTube world. And Sen. Barack Obama (A-White Sox) is feeling the searing heat of his own potential flip-floppery.
Oh, sure, sports team loyalty -- it's not a big deal you might say. WRONG. It's very, very important. In fact, Bob Schieffer deserves a big fat thumbs down for not bringing it up during the presidential debate last week. But, here's a thumbs up for the Internet fact-checkers that keep our politicians honest. (Well, in a relative sense.)
PolitiFact is my accuracy-scoring site of choice, namely because their Truth-O-Meter uses a rating system ranging from "True" to "Pants On Fire." And, since I'm easily distracted by colored buttons and animated GIFs, you can understand the grip it has on me.
It's there where I learned how Sen. John McCain (N-Diamondbacks) has gone on the offensive again regarding Obama's allegiance in the World Series. McCain told an audience that Obama roots for the Philadelphia Phillies when in Philadelphia and for the Tampa Bay Rays when he's campaigning in Tampa. PolitiFact's Flip-O-Meter rated this Half True, since Obama doesn't necessarily use the phrase "root for" when describing the Rays. After all, they're the team that knocked his beloved Chicago White Sox out of the playoffs in the first round.
John McCain wouldn't do such a thing. He boldly stares at futility with his stoic, battle-tested face. He even name-dropped his beloved Arizona Cardinals in the aforementioned presidential debate and the Arizona Cardinals will never be a good football team (state law). Unlike Obama, McCain knows how to embrace a loser — which is convenient, since that will help him cope with his upcoming election defeat.
Article comments
1 - Dr Dreadful
Well, North Korea, Georgia and Sudan are all crap, so nothing to worry about there. (North Korea had a good team once, in 1966, but have since sunk into obscurity.)
Iran and Russia, unfortunately, are a much sterner prospect and will probably beat any team Obama cares to put out nine times out of ten.
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
That might need to be another article in the polisports section. Don't you long for the days when an "evil" country's leader had a great sports team? Castro had his beloved Cuban baseball team. The Soviets had their dominant hockey. Today, the Axis of Evil has squat in the athletic world. This is why most people don't care about Darfur. Because Sudan's football team isn't kicking USA's ass.