PRINTAll the president's people
October 30, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Elections are about extremes. The extremely passionate, extremely apathetic and extremely confused all have their role in the democratic process. But Republicans and Democrats are still the mainstays and have platforms as disparate as ever.
Some voters don’t like to put their views into small boxes and digestible tag lines. Still others embrace their principled, predictable views. Like the country they form, voters are noisy, weird and wonderful. The characters here aren’t the end of the range of political participants. They’re just the beginning of the discussion.
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Soccer/Suburban Dad
Average age: 46
Mode of transportation: Chevy Suburban
Hobbies: Tending to lawn, coaching Little League, watching Monday Night Football
Elections they’ve participated in: Every one since 1980
Political role model: Bill Clinton
Favorite drink: Bud Light in a bottle
How they support their candidate: Bumper sticker
Residence: House on cul-de-sac in southern Columbia
Where they get their information: Daily newspaper, Newsweek
Issue of concern: Economy
Motto: “If it’s good for my family, it’s good for me.”
Suit
Average age: 42
Mode of transportation: Lexus sedan
Hobbies: Working, working and collecting expensive gadgets with marginal utility
Elections they’ve participated in: Every one since 1984
Political role model: Condoleeza Rice,
Warren Buffett
Favorite drink: Grey Goose martini
How they support their candidate: Donations
Residence: McMansion off of Forum Boulevard
Where they get their information: Wall Street Journal, The New York Times
Issue of concern: The economy
Motto: “Yes, I have multiple Blackberries.”
Political Junkie
liberal / conservative
Average age: 24 / 24
Mode of transportation: Hybrid / ’86 BMW
Hobbies: Reading liberal blogs while watching 24-hour news / Watching 24-hour news, reading conservative blogs
Elections they’ve participated in: 2004 / 2004
Political role model: Al Gore / Ronald Reagan
Favorite drink: Vodka cranberry / Vodka tonic
How they support their candidate: Both engage people with opposing views in arguments and tell anyone who will listen why their candidate is the best
Residence: Condominium / Duplex
Where they get their information: Rolling Stone, Michael Moore, liberal blogs / Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, conservative blogs
Issue of concern: The war and health care / The economy
Motto: “We shouldn’t leave anyone behind.” / “This country is about self-reliance.”
Hipster
Average age: 22
Mode of transportation: Volkswagen Jetta
Hobbies: Attempting to outdo fellow hipsters by professing love for impossibly obscure bands, browsing for new black-rimmed glasses
Elections they’ve participated in: 2004
Political role model: Barack Obama
Favorite drink: Pabst Blue Ribbon
How they support their candidate: Attending free events, wearing “Obama is my Homeboy” T-shirt, buttons
Residence: Free-standing apartment
Where they get their information: Digg, Fark, The Daily Show, fellow hipsters who appreciate any audience available
Issue of concern: The war and the environment
Motto: “Bush doesn’t care about helping people; he only cares about himself.”
Prepster
Average age: 26
Mode of transportation: Early 2000s Acura
Hobbies: Pairing plaid with various shades of pink, attempting to figure out another name to end with the suffix “-ton,” complaining about things that aren’t important
Elections they’ve participated in: 2000, 2004
Political role model: Tucker Carlson
Favorite drink: Amaretto sour
How they support their candidate: Bumper sticker and defending him or her in public
Residence: Respectable apartment
Where they get their information: 24-hour news channels, The American Conservative
Issue of concern: The economy
Motto: “I should be able to keep the money I make.”
Silent Majority/Baby Boomer
Average age: 58
Mode of transportation: 1993 Jeep Wagoneer
Hobbies: Gardening, cooking
Elections they’ve participated in: All of them since 1968
Political role model: John F. Kennedy
Favorite drink: Merlot
How they support their candidate: Voting and yelling at their candidate’s opponent when he or she appears on TV
Residence: House on West Broadway that is full of college-age kids or grandkids
Where they get their information: Daily newspaper, CNN
Issue of concern: Social Security and the economy
Motto: “The kids are growing up in strange times. The kids are strange.”
Retired Protester
Average age: 62
Mode of transportation: Hybrid or ethanol-fueled vehicle
Hobbies: Eating food grown in their backyard, creeping out others, promoting impossible scenarios based on personal opinion, being cynical
Elections they’ve participated in: The ones they believed were not rigged
Political role model: No one
Favorite drink: Sierra Nevada
How they support their candidate: Patches, buttons and bumper stickers
Residence: Small house with unkempt yard in eastern Columbia
Where they get their information: Their own brain
Issue of concern: The environment
Motto: “That guy over there’s been staring at us for a while now. He knows.”
