<p>I don’t think that ANY of the candidates are regular guys or gals. They could not really be in order to be candidates. I, for one, would not want to elect any of my neighbors, however much I like them and respect them, nor do I think they would have the resources to run a campaign for office (maybe schoolboard or city council).</p>
<p>Oh, there’s one more hit against Obama. He is indeed too skinny (besides having a funny name). See below. </p>
<p>Marite, good point about the neighbors. That’s exactly my perspective, but my neighbors (at least at work every day) are people similarly educated and I wouldn’t ever want any of them to be president.</p>
<p>This has now come around to a topic on another thread. I won’t re-post my comment over there, but I’ll just add here that McCain may be "elite’ by virtue of his family (just “marriage” not birth, as Navy Officers aren’t rich, no matter what their rank). But he’s pretty humble too - 5 1/2 yrs. in a cell in Hanoi would probably take anyone down a peg or two. He probably sees himself as a “survivor” tho’ - does that make one feel “special” or “humble”?</p>
<p>Well, the title of one of Obama’s book begins with The Audacity. One needs to be ambitious to run for any office, let alone POTUS. Often that is what separates people of equal qualifications and resources. Some political figures have “the fire in the belly” and others don’t.</p>
<p>McCain looks…inflexible (literally, not figuratively). I know the guy went through some major bonecrushing experiences in Viet Nam, but he literally looks like he could not bend over to tie his shoe.</p>
<p>I’m a Jewish mother, and I beg to disagree. Obama is FAR too skinny, and I’d love to force-feed him some some nice knishes, blintzes, kugel, latkes, and top it off some lovely and very sweet challah slathered in butter.</p>
<p>I think it’s also because people have a harder time picturing him as president since he’s not white. This is no different than how Hillary had to be almost overly aggressive during the primary so that people would be able to picture her being a commander in chief.</p>
<p>I disagree with that. People are smart enough to see that he has had only 146 or so days in the Senate, and accomplished very little there or anywhere else. It has nothing to do with race.</p>
<p>I also wondered about McCain’s arms and read an account of his crash and capture. He broke both arms in the crash and they were splinted with bamboo but obviously not taken care of properly. I have also wondered about his jaw but can’t find much on that. He never had a large enough melanoma removed to cause disfigurement did he?</p>
<p>I hope it does not go too far in that direction, from both campaigns. However, I think the use of “presumptuous” probably came off as “uppity” to many African-Americans.</p>
But Kevin Costner was a classmate. Does that add some “elite” to my status?</p>