Shoe in Mouth: Better a Hole in the Head?

Maybe back in 1955 the average American felt empathy with somebody who was a serious human being and didn't care about shoes too much. But zoom forward past 50 years of social devolution. How many Americans, dreaming of fortified, solitary McMansions, bathed in the demon light of plasma TV's bigger than they are, wouldn't get down on their knees and worship somebody if they knew he had the cash to blow on $550 shoes?

Maybe you underestimate the number of Americans who would fall on their face to kiss those pricey, imported shoes.

But I wonder how widely publizied the shoe stuff is going to ever be with a media that seems bent on fluffing McCain. What REALLY gets me is this new "celebrity" ad that the McCain camp is running, it really reminds me of the ads against Harold Ford in that they are trying to tie Obama to Britney and Paris Hilton.

Okay.

Wow.

I saw this article too and it reminded me of all the problems John Edwards faced over his expensive haircut during the primary season. So the question becomes, how to utilize this information to inform voters that John McCain is nowhere near being in touch with them and their economic woes. Really, how many people in this country besides Hollywood stars like Britney and Paris can and would pay $520.00 for shoes? The catch 22 that the McCain camp finds itself in is laughable-if not pathetic. Perhaps Karma works after all?

Yes - who really is part of the elite?  Some enterprising reporter really needs to start asking the candidates some down-to-earth questions to reveal more about where they have come from.  For instance, Lynn Sweet's article on the many jobs Obama held while at college was important to me (seeing as that's how I got through college).  The fact that McCain (like GW Bush) never had to worry about money for a day in his life is an important fact that voters should know about.  One person, actually, who I just thought of, who would be great to start spreading the word about Obama's humble beginnings would be Bill Clinton - he did it so effectively himself (I feel your pain).  *That* would be a great job for him on the campaign trail.

So let's have some enterprising reporter (a la Jeremy Paxman) really get some answers from the candidates regarding questions like what's your average grocery bill?  How much do you pay for filling up your car for a month?  How much is your home heating bill?  Seeing as John McCain had to have a crib sheet in his hand during his latest visit to a grocery store to remember the price of a gallon of milk . . .

KD

Looks like a shot right outta that fictional country club Rove was talking about.  BTW FerragaMo with an "M".  One of my g-ma's old lady friends is always going on, "I only wear the most expensive perfume, shoes etc". What's she wear? Ferragamos, of course.

Si somos americanos, seremos buenos vecinos;
compartiremos el trigo,seremos buenos hermanos -- canción de Rolando Alarcón

Todos somos americanos.-- Barack Obama

These loafers are worn to instill fear in the enemy.

Terrorists may cower at the thought of a country singer's boot up their ass, but they'll run straight back to their caves with this perfect symbol of capitalistic excess freedom stuck up in there.

There is a picture of Obama somewhere with a hole in his shoe...trying to find it...

When your spouse matter-of-factly states that a private plane is the only way to get around in Arizona, and charges $750,000 in a month to her credit cards (not including over $50,000 on the kids' cards), how can you be expected to remember what a gallon of milk costs without looking at a cue card?  But just trying on "the other shoe" theory: what would the press make of all of this if this was done by the Obamas?  And sen. Obama is called "elitist" and out of touch?!  The media's "reporting" is more than appalling: I'd like to see a "return on investment" for the small ad-buys by the McCain camp, and how this has been multiplied by the coverage on the MSM. 

who dumps his disabled starter wife for a sugar-mama whose daddy's money can bankroll a career in politics for him?  As the suit salesman murmurs to Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard, "As long as the lady's paying..."

I covet fine footwear and own some dandy Italian imports myself, but I buy mine at the outlet malls and off the "take another 50% off the already reduced price" table.

Oh and Al, they're Ferragamos.

http://pixdaus.com/pics/1206018531X1dKcgn.jpg

 A man who wears $520 shoes collects Social Security and is completely out of touch with America. I found this letter to the editor in our local paper.

McCain's disgrace Perhaps Mr. Ronald Childs (Letters, July 22) did not read the article that appeared in the July 18 North County Times before he criticized another writer for suggesting McCain's recent comments on the Social Security System were in error ("McCain gets Social Security but criticizes system"). In the article, McCain expresses empathy for the "young workers of America" who bear the tax burden of providing benefits for retirees, calling this onus a "disgrace." McCain's heartfelt concern would seem sincere and warrant Mr. Childs' defense if the article did not go on to inform the reader that McCain, who is 72, receives the maximum of $2,185 monthly benefits from the system and has since he became eligible at age 65. McCain lacks credibility in his sympathy for young workers when he continues to accept these benefits from a fund-depleted system that was set up as a safety net for the elderly. Married to a multimillionaire, and with an annual income approaching a half-million dollars in his own right, McCain's real disgrace is that he does not voluntarily disclaim his check each month and return it so the $23,157 he collected in benefits this year could be used by someone truly in need.

Noralee Sherwood Oceanside

This plays big with older Americans and I hope the elitism of McSame catches on with low info voters.

But considering that McCain is trying to paint Obama as an out of touch rock star, the loafers sort of blow a hole (pun intended) in that little narrative.

KD

Not that it did a lot of good, but the Stevenson campaign gave volunteers a little silver-colored campaign button in the shape of a shoe sole with a hole in it.  No words, just the sole with the hole.  Just about every sentient being at the time knew what it signified.  I still have mine.

That was one classy campaign.

PayGirl2008,

I loved the picture of Sen. Obama with holes in his shoes.  Besides Gov. Adlai Stevenson of Illinois, I'd bet "dollars to donuts" another extremely talented politician also walked around with holes in his shoes at times: President Abraham Lincoln.  What an impressive trio!   

$520 is a lot of money for a pair of shoes, but how much money should a presidential candidate spend on his shoes? Ron Paul probably wore the least expensive shoes of any candidate. He wore cheap black sneakers: http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.com/bagnews/images/Ron-Paul.jpg

Does this mean that we should all have voted for Ron Paul? I hope not.

Crabby Abby - Your logic doesn't make sense. I approved your comment, I confess, in part to smack it down!

To note the elitism of a political leader spending five hundred smackers on a pair of shoes - a crass luxury that is out of reach to most people - as he votes against a minimum wage increase and favors other policies that make life even harder for so many, doesn't suggest that you then have to go on a price-comparing witch hunt comparing everybody's shoes. $520 is on a whole 'nother scale.

Pul-eeze.

Only a guy could make a comment about $520 shoes.

Girls: Manolo Blahnik?

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/templates/P9.jhtml?itemId=cat3...

And we've been bitching about the disparity for years. (Cost of haircuts vs barbers, high heels vs men's loafers/wingtips -- waaay more leather in men's shoes, what you're paid vs what we're paid for the same job, etcerea etcetera etcetera)

That picture of Barack is priceless. I'm sure Jed could make something really great using the image of McCain's $520.00 shoes and Barack's shoes nearly worn right through. Who's really pounding the pavement?

A McCain spokesman is chirping about Obama acting like a "celebrity" by eating Met-Rx bars and going to the gym, while McCain is cruising around a golf course wearing $500+ Ferragamos.  McCain's hypocrisy knows no bounds.

BTW, I eat the same Met-Rx bars that Obama does.  They are very convenient, quite tasty and an affordable meal alternative, costing less than $1.50 per bar.

Money doesn't buy class.

I've got a pair of loafers that'll kick McCain's into the dust and they cost one eighth the price.

Ezzy beat me to it. The juxtaposition of these two photos would make a great campaign ad.

Great thread Al.  Indeed, McCain's millionaire lifestyle should be fodder for the campaign.   McLame voting against minimum wage increases will be part of the campaign.  He and sinful Cindy are heartless effers.

The elitist label used against Obama is, indeed, a rightwing meme: an 'elitist' is anybody that dares read a book, is inclined to debate wieghty issues, and is even moderately informed about the world around us.   This works really well to the low-information voters that were impressed by GW Bush's faux cowboy get-up.

I swear, the rightwing caters to the bottomless well of stupidity that is so, so connected with prevailing race, class, and gender hierarchies here in the US.

McCain wears fancy loafers, impeccably shined, very new looking.  Obama wears shoes that are no doubt high-end, and then wears them out because he uses them hard.

Obama wins again, just based on the soles of his shoes!  What apple-pie eating American wouldn't prefer a president who didn't let a little wear on his shoes stop him from doing the hard work of the day?

Geez, now I'm gonna start watching Obama's shoes to see if he keeps them shiny.

spread this around...........everyone deserves to see this.......its beauty.