Not in My Backyard!

CNN reports the 'backstory' of how the Hatfield-Clubbs of Des Moines, Iowa got their backyard picked for Obama's backdrop backyard tour:

"It's like winning the lottery," Jeff Clubb said, "but without even buying a ticket."

The couple say they are baffled about how they even made the list to be considered. They are both registered Democrats who voted for Obama, but neither of them campaigned or raised money for the candidate. Jeff Clubb, a former Arizona resident, says he voted for John McCain for senator when he lived there.

The White House often looks for people who have a good life story and have benefited from the administration's policies. The Clubbs fit the bill, as middle-class parents of two young children, Tristan 11, and Skyelar 9. Jeff is a former firefighter who now teaches social studies and religion at Holy Trinity Catholic School. Sandy is the athletic director at Drake University.

Hmm, what consists of a "good life story"? Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck have good life stories--both came from 'working families' and both have overcome adversity. How about Sarah Palin? Would her backyard qualify? So maybe there's a backstory to the backstory. Scrounging Googles we find this feed:

White House staff asked Democratic state Rep. Janet Petersen, one of the first state legislators to endorse Obama, for names of potential hosts. "I wasn't given any parameters, like they've got to be Democrats or Republicans or independents," said Peterson, who lives near the Clubbs. After scouting the Clubbs' yard, White House staff said they were interested.

Yet she picked Democrats who lived in the neighborhood. What are the odds!? For some reason CNN didn't think that was part of the backstory. What are the odds!? More from the feed:

Sandy Hatfield Clubb said there's no backstory of a connection to the White House. [1] The guest list is about 80 names long, and the White House let the Clubbs choose all but about 20

Yes, all the stories made a point to note the couple were not political activists and didn't give money to Obama. Indeed, the net seems devoid of screeds under their names (or they've covered their tracks well). But does it really matter? As long as they weren't closet Birchers or birthers Obama only needed a nice prop to continue his down home message of how Destructive W. Bush screwed America and it ain't his fault...



Notice he is now claiming the Bush tax cuts are the largest part of the current deficit, even larger than his "emergency" stimulus spending that goes into the trillions. And he says the GOP didn't counter them with any spending cuts. Trouble! Yet immediately thereafter he launches into a back-pat over passing 8 small business tax cuts and proposing an extension of those very same Bush tax cuts, with no proposed cuts. Eh? Gee, doesn't anyone in the backyard get to ask a follow up or pose a rebuttal? Were the media tied up behind an oak tree or something?