When considering what image to use for my "tip jar" it occurred to me that my enormous respect for Mr. Doody is probably shared by others in my cohort, and that might lead to an intriguing political theory, or at least a theory of Presidential politics. The theory is that whichever major candidate bears the strongest resemblance to the illustrious Mr. Doody will probably be elected, all else being equal. It's a reasonable speculation when you consider the enormous impact of the Boomers, all of whom aspired to the Peanut Gallery and were raised on images of Howdy, Cecil, Clarabell, Buffalo Bob, and Princess Summerfallwinterspring. And when you think about it, quite a few recent Presidents are rather Howdyesque: Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and most recently George W. Bush. I have to admit, however, that Richard Nixon doesn't fit, and although he was defeated by a Doody look-alike the first time around, that was before any of us could vote. No theory is perfect.
But for those enterprising political consultants out there, shouldn't you start looking for a Fred Rogers look-alike pretty soon? On second thought, that was Gray Davis wasn't it? (Apologies to Mr. Rogers fans. He was really much better looking.) Oh well, perhaps it isn't that we want Presidents to look like Howdy, but that Howdy was constructed to happily coincide with an archetypal image of the "trustworthy primary."
Posted by Demosophist at October 16, 2003 04:50 PM | TrackBack