the kicker

In Sync

Yesterday I wrote about how McCain seemed to go way out of his way in a speech Monday to flatter a press corps that he has...
April 16, 2008

Yesterday I wrote about how McCain seemed to go way out of his way in a speech Monday to flatter a press corps that he has already more than made nice with. The buttering up, apparently, continues. Not only does McCain respect reporters, understand reporters, sympathize with reporters and BBQ for reporters, he also accessorizes like reporters.

John Harwood, CNBC Washington bureau chief, on MSNBC this morning:

You know what threw me yesterday? John McCain sat down in that interview with me wearing exactly the same tie that I had on. It was like — you know?

And when Harwood isn’t dressing like one presidential candidate, he’s thinking like another. Harwood argued that the egghead elitist label (which MoDo again does her best to adhere to Obama today) won’t stick to Obama (at least not the “nerdy egghead” sort of elitist) the way it stuck to Dukakis or Kerry because:

Barack Obama played college basketball [Did he really?]. There’s a bounce to his step, a little bit of cockiness and a little bit of macho about him. The more he shows that, the more he can fight off that charge. I think he might serve himself well by showing himself shooting a few buckets…

You don’t say

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Liz Cox Barrett is a writer at CJR.