June 10, 2008
Barack's Bike Fashion Works for Tim Gunn
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama's weekend bicycle ride is still being parsed. To some, his bicycle seat seems too low. To others, his tires seem flat. And to many, his outfit just seemed like a way to look dorky, maybe because he's so cool.
Commenters on the Huffington Post wondered why he was biking in jeans. The Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn noted that "politicians are now best advised to avoid helmets of any sort" (flashback: Michael Dukakis in the tank). Newsweek recalled Seinfeld (burn!). And the Daily News has feedback from two NYC style mavens. Barneys creative director Simon Doonan said, "I like seeing my politicians in goofy weekend attire. It means they're thinking about more important stuff."
Tim Gunn also praised Obama, telling the News, "I am grateful that he is not wearing sweats. I am grateful that he is wearing athletic shoes and not Crocs, and I am grateful he is wearing a collar. For a weekend out with the kids, I think he looks great. I give him a B-plus." Ha!
Michelle Obama's fashion sense has been examined in recent days--the Washington Post's Robin Ghivan said she "brings strength" to her Jackie O.-style dress last Tuesday while the NY Times' Guy Trebay also noted her style parallels Barbara Bush's.
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He's wearing a helmet? Why doesn't he wear a helmet when he's just walking around, or driving a car? Doesn't he know that it's just as dangerous walking in the street and driving as it is biking?
Sarcasm meter now off.
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Who the fuck cares?
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Let's see some leg, Barack!
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I see the media is once again covering the important issues...
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He really does look like a dork there. I mean, jeans on a bike? C'mon, Barry!
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This is just stupid.
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He's dressed like a dad- my dad has dressed like that for years! Why don't people write articles about John McCain's gross teeth???? Same relevance.
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I never notice mccain's teeth but now that you've mentioned it. it does look like wooden chicklets.
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Points for being safe and wearing a helmet, but I'm still not voting for Obama.
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after averaging a least one news report a week on Hilary's clothing choices, nice to see at least some equal-opportunity superficial meaningless reporting.
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You know what else no one ever talks about? McCain's first wife: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html
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I like that he rides a bike! But he definitely needs some air in those tires.
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Apparently he has money to burn on pants since he has no pant clip. It is no fun to get your pants caught in the chain spokes and it can also cause an accident. He also appears to be riding on to the sidewalk, something that is fine as long as you are twelve.
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I never notice mccain's teeth but now that you've mentioned it. it does look like wooden chicklets.
Let's see how you look after a couple of years as a POW.
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Toby- you're right he's not 12, but his daughter that he is toting along is pretty young. I wouldn't ride in the street here or in Chicago if you paid me. Well, maybe if you paid me...
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whoop dee doo, mr. wooden chicklets
and his face is molting.
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he's wearing mom jeans.
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"He also appears to be riding on to the sidewalk, something that is fine as long as you are twelve."
It's not dangerous to anyone on the sidewalk in this case, thanks to a crowd of Secret Service agents having cleared the way ahead of time.
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The media loves to over examine things. His seat too low? tires flat? wearing the wrong clothes?
Sure they have something else to report about because this is just wacky and again who cares about Obama's bicycle.
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In the interest of pointless news reporting, here's some pointless commenting: his seat IS too low, he's gonna hurt his knees. You want your leg to be almost fully extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke.
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EastRiver sums up the next 5 months:
Obama's fair game, but make fun of McCain and you're spitting on a war hero.
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This cracks me up. "Wooden chiclets" wins.
Virgil is absolutely on point. Besides, they didn't have great dental care back in the day. My grandpa is a little older than McCain and he has dentures. Still, his grill looks much better than McCain's.
Barry O's bike frame might be a little too small for him. He's a tall dude.
Also, let us remember that this guy was a U of C law professor. Not exactly the model for stylish athletes. I know everyone wants him to be oh-so-cool, but that's a different sort of guy. This guy's more cerebral.
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Obama's fair game, but make fun of McCain and you're spitting on a war hero.
It's entirely different to make fun of something a person can control (e.g. his choice of clothes) versus something he can't (e.g. his physical appearance).
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Don't worry, Toby. He won't rip his pants with that killer plastic chain guard!
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Obama's fair game, but make fun of McCain and you're spitting on a war hero.
not exactly. Most comments about Obama, physically, are about youth and how good he looks and how he makes the ladies swoon.
Comments about McCain are invariably that he is old and scarred.
It's akin to commenting on Barack's skin tone or kinky hair or some such nonsense. That would be decried as racist and rightly so. But apparently being ageist is okay with this group.
Being old is certainly relevant if McCain has a health condition which we tend to associate with being old-- senility, alzheimers, etc.
However, considering that people, including McCain's mother, live active, productive lives well into their 90s with their faculties fully intact should make everyone who comments about age as a factor think twice about their prejudices.
Nothing to do with his being a war hero. Just be respectful of older people. His age should not be an issue if his mind/health are good, and they seem to be fine (policy differences aside).
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Oh my god, it's Urkel!
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eyekantspel,
Agreed. I'm an Obama supporter and I think attacking McCain because of his age is unfair. There are plenty of RELEVANT things for which we can criticize McCain.
I think even Obama would agree that "Obama riding a bike" shouldn't be news. I can't tell the difference between news and tabloids anymore.
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OMG! He's so cool. He wears jeans. He rides bikes. He smokes. Big deal.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=obasm
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Good for him. I look like that when I bike, except I use rubber bands on my pants.
I enjoy biking but I never understood the costumes, the multicolored shirts, the black shorts. And, everything's 2 or 3 sizes too small. When I'm on a bike, I want to be comfortable.
www.forgotten-ny.com
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Seat height seems fine. But he's pedaling with his arches, a dead giveaway that he only rides casually and slowly.
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"Trek" bicycle. Isn't that the brand Lance Armstrong pimps? And isn't he some kind of Texas Hill Country "enlightened Republican"? Of course I'm reading way too much into this and am way off the mark, but seriously, Can we please just turn Lance Armstrong and his marketing vehicles off? Forever?
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So, we shouldn't buy Armstrong's bicycles because he's a Republican?
Sheeeez.
www.forgotten-ny.com
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Yeah you heard me, don't buy anything tainted by that $12 million a year marketing whore who would shill for smoke belching, gas-guzzling Hummer H2s if they'd only meet his price. "Live Strong"? Suck Dong!
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Except they're not "Armstrong's bicycles." Trek sponsored Lance because he's one of the fastest riders in the world. You'd rather they spent money on people who had no chance to win? Yeah, that's a great way to get publicity for your racing bikes. And Trek is an American company, founded and still headquartered in Wisconsin. I remember their humble beginnings in the late 70s as a small framebuilding shop. They are a modern American success story, as opposed to a very bitter, little man who finds his only joy in badmouthing others.
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Better to "badmouth" than mouth others' backsides.
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He needs air in that back tire.
My preferred method for biking w/long pants is to roll them up. But I hate people who don't roll them down when they park their bikes. Nothing says "I think I'm better than you 'cause I ride a bike" like walking into a meeting with your right pant leg rolled up to your calf.
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its completely fair to make fun of old people- baby boomers are the ones that got our country in this situation anyways. It's time for the yougins to take this country back!
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FOR OBAMA'S V.P. SHORT LIST
A man of audacity
Needs a man of spinach
So bear in mind
Dennis Kucinich.
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You'd think "big bicycle" would have given the guy a cooler setup...