It’s a mid-term election year, and a famous investigative reporter is writing a book about a charismatic young presidential hopeful, looking for skeletons in the politician’s closet. The reporter has already demonstrated his obsession with the politician by bidding over $60,000 on eBay for a dinner with the politician (barely losing out to a higher bidder) and has already written an article in which he opined, “There is a considerable gap between the image [this politician] tries to project and the reality that underlies it.”
Not content to be merely be in the same town, interviewing neighbors and digging up dirt, the reporter decides to rent a house next door to the politician as a constant reminder that his scrutiny is relentless and even the politician’s children and spouse are not exempt from his watchful eye. In the words of Martha and the Vandellas: “Nowhere to run to; nowhere to hide.”
But the year isn’t 2010. Let’s imagine for a moment it’s 2006 and the house in question isn’t in Wassilla, Alaska, but Chicago, Illinois. And the charismatic young presidential hopeful is that state’s junior senator. How would the press have reacted to this degree of intrusion into Barack Obama’s privacy or that of his wife and two young daughters? Would there be cries of intimidation? Would the race card have be played and images of burning crosses and hooded klansmen been evoked? One can only imagine.
Looking at the photo of the Obama residence above, I’m reminded that much of the plot of land to the left of the house was purchased at a considerable discount from then Senator Obama’s old friend, Tony Rezko. Could the President have been thinking ahead to a time when prying reporters might be pitching their tents on the land next to his house?
If you look at the Google satellite map of the neighborhood surrounding the Obama estate, you’ll notice that there wouldn’t have been very many opportunities for any Joe McGuinness wannabes to set up shop. Aside from the Rezko addition, there’s a synagogue across the street – not much of an outpost for spying. There does appear to be a building directly to the north of the Obama home (to the right of the photo above); perhaps some enterprising property owner could have rented it out if there had been any investigative reporters willing to go after the Obamas with the kind of dogged pursuit that McGuinness is currently going after the Palins.
But the odds of that ever happening are pretty slim.
Since the 2008 presidential primary season has been unofficially dubbed the Campaign of Change™, I would like to offer a modest proposal that would eliminate the incovenience of running out of ballots, paying for expensive TV commercials, organizing tedious debates, hiring pollsters, or even holding caucuses, primaries or a general election.
