In a recent article in the New York Times Joel Stein introduces yet another looming question concerning the potential and abilities of the candidates, particularly Barack Obama. But, this question is different from the usual, “Will he save our economy?” or “Will his inexperience be a problem?” Stein absurdly asks, “Can Obama Overcome the Urkel Effect?
My immediate reaction to the title of this article was to rapidly search through the article to discover the meaning of the Urkel effect and its connection to the election. Apparently the Urkel effect tends to strike many Democratic candidates such as John Kerry and Michael Dukakis. Stein defines the Urkel effect “which holds that voters leaning toward Obama will walk into the voting booth and suddenly think, I cannot take four years of listening to that giant-eared nerd.” He is scared that the American people are now looking at Obama and discovering that he is not as “cool” as some once thought.
If your looking for some comic relief to escape the tensions of the election, which is something we all might be in need of right about now, take a look at this article and enjoy the humor as well as the fact that the end is in sight finally.