Sinbad!!

If you've been reading the reader comments to posts at TPM Election Central, you've probably encountered entries by someone going by the name of Sinbad (the actor/comedian). What got this started was Hillary's claim to foreign policy expertise, in part due to a visit to Bosnia that also included Sinbad. So "Sinbad" starts touting his own foreign policy cred and demands that people pay attention. A typical comment:

Sinbad has a feeling that Hillary's numbers will rebound once the press finally does a little digging and reveals the fact that HILLARY AND SINBAD SOLVED THE CRISIS IN KOSOVO!

Come on TPM! Scoop the MSM on this one, and give Sinbad some LOVE!

Clinton/Sinbad '08 - Pandering to African-American voters by putting a black guy on the ticket so as not to anger Obama supporters because that's how cynically we view the political process ON DAY ONE!

And reader comments are playing along with it, often with the remark:

THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR SINBAD!!!

Which is a play on another running gag by commentor idiotic (who now has his own blog). In addition to three reader posts by "Sinbad" (1, 2, 3 - all recommended) the real Sinbad appeared today in a Washington Post blog where we read:

In an interview with the Sleuth Monday, he said the "scariest" part of the trip was wondering where he'd eat next. "I think the only 'red-phone' moment was: 'Do we eat here or at the next place.'"

Which triggers the inevitable:

Clinton/Sinbad '08 - DO WE EAT HERE OR AT THE NEXT PLACE!?!?!!

And now Daily Kos is involved with a short post (long load, 600+ comments), but as the update puts it:

THANKS for making this a top rec! But as far as I'm concerned the rec's for this are for the comments, which have been crazy-hilarious!

In my view the reader comments are more amusing at TPM Election Center, but the interesting points are these:

• There is much more levity with the Obama supporters regarding the Clinton claims than the other way around.
• There is a dismissive attitude towards the Clinton campaign by Obama-fans.

Does that speak to the candidates' respective chances? It would seem so. Even though Clinton is being very aggressive right now, one gets the sense that her chances are fading and that at a subconscious level everybody knows it. Otherwise there would be less joking around by "Sinbad" and his fans.


posted by Quiddity at 3/11/2008 07:34:00 PM