American Bookshelves
Friday, October 24th, 2008
Grocery store bookshelves are the latest battleground for the presidential election here in middle America. Among the trashy romance novels, Louis L’Amour westerns and military combat serials are politically tinged biographies bearing the images of Barack Obama and John McCain.
Side by side, they’ve been placed at eye level on the highest shelf, the Price Chopper management conscious not to show any favoritism for either candidate that might cause lost business. Fittingly, on the left Obama sits with his fingers intertwined and, on the right, McCain is standing proudly before a background draped with an American flag.
It can be inferred from the titles that both books paint these men as down-to-earth Americans and yet extraordinary politicians with simple ideas for transforming the nation. Obama’s book smartly combines the words “audacity” and “hope” as a way to an emboldened American while McCain’s touts his experience as a prisoner of war that can offer the way to a “braver life.” The books are even alike in page count – topping out at about 200 words each.
One man will have to keep his vision on a smaller scale after the election 12 days from now. The vision that he’s casting at rallys in battleground states, such as Missouri and Colorado, will be turned away. The other’s vision will be the one shared by the nation. And, for now, you can read about them both by the pharmacist’s counter and the trick-or-treat candy aisle.
In all, there are actually three titles on these bookshelves with each candidate on the cover. The more popular sellers described above are at eye-level near the main entry and the shopping cart pen. Each row of political books is completely full and it doesn’t appear as though there have been many takers.
Maybe the three nationally broadcast debates and the vice presidential showdown in St. Louis were enough for average Americans to take stock in their candidates. Or maybe America is sick of the rhetoric and have already made up their minds which candidate they are going to vote for – or are so sickened by the onslaught of TV and radio commercials, the flyers and yard signs, recorded telephone calls and online banner ads that they have decided not to vote.
During the next election cycle, my contribution to America will be a proposal that all campaign efforts be suspended and that biographies about the candidates be required reading before the people can vote. I’m guessing the nation would rather be spared the overexposure to promotional materials than be inundated again.
Lines would form outside the Hen Houses and Piggly Wigglys throughout Kansas so people could buy copies. Perhaps then one of the candidates would truly be brave and authorize a romance novelist to tell about his quest for the White House. Now that would get my vote, but only if the cover art work is appropriate.
