On a couple of levels it's fitting that Barack Obama will be making a campaign appearance in El Dorado, Kansas on Tuesday. It's the hometown of Obama's maternal grandfather, and the town figures prominently in that favorite book among liberal readers, Thomas Frank’s "What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America"
a best-selling book from 2004. From the book:
El Dorado, Kansas, Deepest July, 2002. I am here to witness the interaction between opportunist and believer firsthand, and to see what makes the Kansas equation work. There are no clouds in the vast Kansas sky, and the temperature hovers around one-hundred degrees, as it has for a week. The town’s nineteenth century main street is of course, empty. (My comments: I traveled through El Dorado during my journey to Kansas last July, and I found downtown El Dorado to be charming and not-so-empty. Also, like many Kansas county seats, El Dorado is blessed with a beautiful courthouse, which is pictured above.) The only going concern appears to be the obligatory secondhand store, and I appear to be the only customer. Not a welcome one, either. The scowling proprietor will have no small talk. She keeps an eye on me as I walk up and down the aisles. She can plainly see that I’m up to no good.
Surely Senator Obama won't say anything that mean-spirited tomorrow, although he'll probably be in El Dorado when he finds out whether his indicted pal, Tony Rezko, was able to make his higher bail and secure his freedom as he awaits trial on various corruption charges.
El Dorado is not too far from Wichita, and it's just south of the Flint Hills region.
Thanks for the link:
Brainster
Related posts:
Marathon Pundit Exclusive: "What's the Matter With Kansas?" Debunked on Page One: UPDATED AGAIN
In search of the real El Dorado, Kansas
My Kansas Kronikles: Goodbye to Kansas, the last of a 39 post series
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