Mr. President, you can woo blockheads for Talent (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

[deadparrot]

Good morning, Mr. President. I figure you might want a quick note on the mood here in Missouri so when you speak in Clayton this evening at the dinner for Sen. Jim Talent, you can strike the right tone. You could ask your old friends, Stephen and Kimmie Brauer - you've stayed at their estate on Ladue Road - but frankly, the mood is always upbeat on the estates along Ladue Road. Speaking of estates, as long as you're trying to do away with the estate tax, you're sure to be a hit with the sort of people who can pony up $2,000 each for dinner tonight.

But the people at the dinner are already on your side. More to the point, they're already supporting Talent. He needs your help reaching some folks who can't afford to be at the dinner.

It's kind of strange that you're in this position. When Talent first ran for Congress in '92, do you know who he had to beat in the primary? George Walker, that's who. Your dad's cousin. He's a good man, extremely decent. Smart, too. The sort of fellow everybody respects. Because of that family connection with your dad, he had national support. On paper, Walker figured to crush Talent, who was "just" a state legislator.

But guess what? Talent knew how to campaign, and Walker didn't. After one of their debates, Talent went into the kitchen to introduce himself to the help. Walker just stood there. It wasn't that he was pompous or self-important. More like he was too self-aware. He couldn't bring himself to do something that seemed artificial. Going into the kitchen did not seem artificial to Talent. It was campaigning. At any rate, Talent won.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/billmcclellan/story/05A6FE3841A89B8A8625719B0032E88C?OpenDocument

[evlbstrd]

1. Great commentary!

* appeals to the blockheads. Perfect.