the kicker

Candidate or Caped Crusader?

Can you tell a lot about a presidential candidate by which superhero he says he would be? Entertainment Weekly (Ew.com) asked John McCain and Barack Obama this question — among others about their “pop culture favorites” — and both candidates cited Batman, though their explanations were slightly (tellingly?) different. McCain: Batman. He does justice sometimes […]

August 7, 2008

Can you tell a lot about a presidential candidate by which superhero he says he would be?

Entertainment Weekly (Ew.com) asked John McCain and Barack Obama this question — among others about their “pop culture favorites” — and both candidates cited Batman, though their explanations were slightly (tellingly?) different.

McCain:

Batman. He does justice sometimes against insurmountable odds. And he doesn’t make his good works known to a lot of people, so a lot of people think he’s just a rich playboy.

Obama:

I was always into the Spider-Man/Batman model. The guys who have too many powers, like Superman, that always made me think they weren’t really earning their superhero status. It’s a little too easy. Whereas Spider-Man and Batman, they have some inner turmoil. They get knocked around a little bit.

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Have at it, reporter-shrinks!

Also: Bambi made young John cry; Born Free “choked up” a pint-sized Barack. And, you can learn who controls the TV remote in the McCain and Obama households.

Liz Cox Barrett is a writer at CJR.