Day Thirty-eight, May 3

Now that only a few days remain until the crucial primary elections in Indiana and North Carolina, the candidates are focusing their attention on the issues they want to highlight in order to appeal to voters' good senses. The political winds are settling for a moment, and Obama's standing in the country (and the media) will go with them. This means that some of the attention is shifted off of Reverend Wright controversy and back onto Obama's stance on gas prices, the recession, and other issues that will affect Americans intimately. It also allows the talking heads to spend less time asking if Obama is really 'elitist' (finally). And they've virtually forgotten all about that dreadful bowling game of his that didn't win over any voters in Pennsylvania last month.

Which is good, according to Globe and Mail writer John Ibbitson, because now we can focus on what really wins voters: hoopskills. In a feature published in last Wednesday's Opinion section, Ibbitson muses about how Barack's love of (and talent for) basketball could be a major benefit for his Indiana campaign next week. By broadening the politics of shooting hoops as far as they will go, the thought-provoking piece suggests that the sport is not mere pandering to voters, but a genuine avenue for the public to relate to Obama, especially with working-class folks in the Hoosier state. "In places like Indiana, with its ethos of hard work and plain speaking, Barack Obama's seemingly dismissive comments about rural folk will hurt him," Ibbitson writes. "Fortunately, he plays basketball." After giving a base explanation about the political appeal that he can tap into by showing off his skills on the court, Ibbitson breaks it down even further, explaining that basketball is just the anchor Obama needs to keep his public opinion from drifting any further away due to a perceived affluence. By keeping his lifestyle and talents both political and relatable, Obama stands to regain a lot of the ground he's lost due to recent controversy and accusations of elitism. In his editorial's closing statement, Ibbitson says that all Obama needs to do "is remind [voters] that he grew up in a house where money was tight, that his grandparents were from Kansas, and that basketball is divinely inspired." Game on.