For all the coverage I've been watching this week there were some cool insights that got me thinking.

Good discussion on authenticity. I think I agree with Emily --- authenticity is not essential but it helps. And I think George W. Bush's "authentic appeal" is somewhat exceptional, and thus it's complicated factoring it into the authenticity debate. The President's down-to-earthness relies almost exclusively on narrow-mindedness and, I daresay, modest intellect. Unlike other politicians who strategically talk more "checkers" than "chess" to appeal to voters, the President actually believes that most matters are of the "checkers" variety (ala Iraq). He believes every plain language, black-and-white thing he says, so sure, he seems genuine.

Obama exudes intelligence but can also connect with voters/citizens --- I think his authentic appeal is a very different animal than the President's, and will be a resource if he is elected, not just a persona that gets an incompetent person through the White House door. Whatever Obama may end up lacking in experience or political cunning (though certainly not intelligence), I think he'll make up for in building support and consensus, not just among legislators, but among Americans. George W. Bush's authentic appeal did not translate into that ability, obviously.