In Ohio, as American as Pie

Amy Chozick reports on the presidential race from Kansas City, Missouri. John McCain has “Joe the Plumber” to help flex his everyman appeal and lately Barack Obama has…pie. For the past several days, Obama has been using a new anecdote in his stump speeches about ordering coconut cream pie on a campaign stop in Ohio. “I had coconut cream pie,” Obama said on Saturday in Missouri. “[Ohio] Governor Ted Strickland , he had lemon meringue pie.” The owner of the diner professed to Obama that he is a life-long Republican. “I said ‘How’s business?’ And he said ‘Not so good, because my customers can’t afford to eat out anymore.’ I said ‘Who’s been running the country for the last eight years?’ and he said ‘I guess the Republicans.’” Obama, known for his strict fitness regimen and healthy eating, hasn’t just had pie on the brain. He made a “surprise” visit Saturday to a campaign office here, where he thanked volunteers and spoke with about two dozen voters on the ... (link)