the kicker

Bring a Reporter to Work Day?

The Associated Press sent two different reporters to examine from two different angles the presidential candidates’ offices and tell us To What Conclusions We Might Jump Based On Their Work Spaces. The AP’s Nancy Benac would have us believe that “by their offices ye shall know them,” reporting that McCain’s work place has “an abundance […]

August 12, 2008

The Associated Press sent two different reporters to examine from two different angles the presidential candidates’ offices and tell us To What Conclusions We Might Jump Based On Their Work Spaces.

The AP’s Nancy Benac would have us believe that “by their offices ye shall know them,” reporting that McCain’s work place has “an abundance of tchotchkes and bric-a-brac” while Obama’s has “precisely placed objects, sparsely adorned surfaces” (which, of course, has nothing to do with the fact that one has been in his office for a lot longer than the other and everything to do with Obama’s “discipline” and McCain’s….”haphazard abundance?”)

We’ve heard from graphologists on the candidates’ cursive. Their body language has been read. It’s August: bring on the Feng Shui expert!

The AP’s Julie Pace reports:

With a few simple changes in their Senate offices, both presidential candidates could improve their health, relationships and maybe even get a few more votes, says Taylor Vance, a Feng Shui consultant.

Specifically, McCain should “unbarricade” a set of double-doors in his office, as “doors are where energy enters and opportunities flow in.” Obama “could enhance his office leadership by moving his desk so it doesn’t have a door behind it.”

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I can think of a way the AP “could enhance” its campaign coverage…

Liz Cox Barrett is a writer at CJR.