Obama, lower gas prices and apple pie

[NYCGirl]

:patriot: It doesn't get much better than that!

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/Obama_apple_pie_on_the_cover.html

I'm generally a bit of a skeptic of the media-bias claims that come constantly from both sides, but there's no doubt that Obama is just dominant in one fairly meaningful arena: magazine covers.

There's something basically familiarizing — what Obama needs — about his and Michelle's appearance on covers like Ladies' Home Journal this week. And as to this cover...between saving money at the pump and actual pictures of apple pie, the campaign must be pretty pleased.

[jkshaw]

1. What beautiful people!

[qwlauren35]

2. I agree.

His face is familiar now... and I think people are getting comfortable with it. I think it's been a good strategy. Instead of hiding his race and not appearing publicly, it's being liberally splashed into the public eye.

In fact, there are many things that the picture does. It reinforces him as a family man, it reinforces him as having a loving wife. It softens him. No one can meaningfully push the "angry black man" image onto Obama. And with enough of these pictures of Michelle as a loving wife, her image as a firebrand will go away as well.

I think we're incredibly lucky that they are sooooo photogenic. It's going to be a factor in the campaign, even if the fact makes people uncomfortable. McCain doesn't take good close-ups.