I've been waiting for one of the presidential candidates to hop on skis for a photo op. They had plenty of chances in the New Hampshire and Maine primaries. Plus, with Super Tuesday upon us, they could have bolstered their support by self-interested borgeois fitness types by strapping on the boards in the Rockies or Sierras. Sure, it could be a disaster. The last thing you want is the AP to run a photo of you face planting in the snow, or worse, doing knock-kneed wedge turns, but in 2004, we had plenty of on-the-snow-action. John Kerry spent five days snowboarding at Sun Valley. Howard Dean, former governor of an icy, but legitimate ski state, let it be known that he was an honest-to-god ski bum in Aspen, skiing about 80 days while drinking and smoking pot in 1972.
But Obama, Hillary and McCain are all mum on the subject. Even Romney who lived in Michigan, then Massachusetts, hasn't broken out the boards.
Maybe losers like Kerry and Dean (who I like, but is still a loser) scuffed some of the luster off the allure of appearing on snow.
Or maybe it just doesn't matter. Certainly the current commander in chief hasn't garnered much of a bump in the biking crowd by riding around the ranch on his Trek.
I suspect none of them even ski, too busy sucking up to the rich and powerful. It would take a lot more than riding a free $6,000 Trek to win Bush any love.
ReplyDeleteI always thought it was weird that Kerry's skiing and kitesurfing actually hurt his image. Maybe it was part of the overall meme about him, but, strictly on a cojones basis, I give major props to anyone who does a sport where decapitation is a significant threat.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, if there's ever a presidential candidate who can wave wheel through a Class IV rapid, I will elect him or her dictator for life.