I’d much rather it not be the case, given that this is an increasingly small, interdependent, and complex world, but I think most of the evidence points to the sustained superficial nature of presidential electoral politics, even in the post-September-11th era.

This is true, but I’m not sure Matthews knows that.

And Hasslington, if that’s true, then our nation deserves President McCain. We’ve earned it.

Interestingly, Mitt Romney would have had to decline the coffee as well.

But the fact is that such things as the “coffee moment” do matter, whether we want them to or not, in close election contests. Many people do pay attention to whether or not these candidates come across as an “average guy/gal” in addition to their unique political skills.

For instance, in industrial rust-belt states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan (all potential swing-states come November), a large perecentage of often (but not always) blue-collar people who think of themselves as “normal folks” want to feel as though these candidates understand what it is they’re going through as they maneuver their way in an increasingly-rickety economy.

Obviously, policy stances are the most important aspect of dealing with this at a national level, and therefore we ought to place the vast majority of our attention on them, but a lot of people want to be able to relate to their potential leader(s) in a more human, everyday way. (It’s a very anti-monarchical, “American” notion, that….)

So the next time my favorite candidate, Senator Obama, heads to a diner, he ought to accept the coffee, and ask politely for a small orange juice, too. (He can quickly drink the juice and then sip his coffee as he wanders the establishment and chats with people.) Who knows–he might win a few borderline votes that way.