On the most recent Saturday Night Live, McCain appeared in the opening skit where he and running mate Sarah Palin (a.k.a. Tina Fey) sell campaign memorabilia on QVC. His appearance gave him the opportunity to poke a little fun at himself.

In less than 5 minutes, McCain and Fey manage to poke a little Saturday night fun at Obama's 30-minute infomercials, Palin's $150,000 wardrobe, the various Joe's of the campaign (Joe the Plumber, Joe Six-Pack and Joe Biden), McCain's proposed vetoes of pork-barrel spending, Palin's potential run for President in 2012, McCain's maverick status and Obama's many celebrity endorsements. Whew...that's a lot of much needed satire in a presidential race that is becoming more tiresome by the minute.

Words fail me as I try to understand America's obsession with the real "Joe the plumber." Samuel J. Wurzelbacher is his name, and his instant celebrity astounds me. After his first moments in the spotlight, I honestly thought he would slip away into anonymity once again. However, just over two weeks after the third presidential debate, his media presence continues. Wurzelbacher has become a twisted representation of the average American. I fail to see why everyone feels it necessary to broadcast his thoughts and feelings across the nation. Yes, he is "average." He is a single, working father with his own business and some tax problems, but in my world that does not give him the right to represent the "average Joe" the candidates seem so willing to relate to.
I honestly don't care that this man has endorsed John McCain, who Wurzelbacher calls "a real American." He has also hired a public relations team from Nashville to represent him, especially since McCain has now started referring to him as his role model and "an American hero." Will someone please explain to me how an unlicensed plumber from Toledo, Ohio has become and American hero for simply questioning Obama's tax policies? I just don't get it.

Who are our Presidential Candidates? Obviously, we have been learning more and more about where they stand on the issues but what about how they their spare time? What do their movie choices reveal about them as a person? Do we forget that our candidates are more than issue-bearing robots? While I have stated in previous blogs that I wish pop culture didn’t play such a big role in the decision for our Presidential Candidate, it is interesting to see Obama and McCain’s personality come out in a recent article. Entertainment Weekly Online wrote about the candidates and their favorite movies, superheroes, and music.
Both candidates cam of as men who know how to have fun! His pick for favorite superhero, Spiderman. However, it was John McCain who I agreed with when he picked the mesmerizing Batman as his choice for beloved superhero. McCain also choose to show his love for music groups such as ABBA and Roy Orbison. This is when I realized that McCain is really really old. I did like the fact that he revealed one of his favorite singers is Usher Raymond. Who wouldn’t love such a fine portrayal of a young man though? Obama shared that a more eclectic group made up his picks while throwing out names such as Sheryl Crow, Frank Sinatra, and the best rapper alive Jay-Z. When it came to preferred television programs, I was surprised neither man picked anything up-to-date. Senator Obama cited the classic program M*A*S*H as a choice while Senator McCain went with “Dexter”. The candidates went on to talk about most recent movie viewed and their favorite portrayal of President. What was not cute was that as a 71-year-old, McCain admitted to crying during the movie Bambie. But then again, I could just be insensitive.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the article. However, as more and more pieces like this are published, I hope citizens remember to look at the issues and not base their decisions on personality based information. The race for President of the United States is not a high school popularity contest.