Toss that tire gauge, get a “bumper strip”

Republicans like Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and presidential candidate John McCain lambasted Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for suggesting Americans could save money to ensuring their tires are properly inflated. 

Today, Tennesee Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn was among the folks the McCain campaign lined up to speak to the Iowa delegates at the Repbulican National Convention.  She had another suggestion, connected to get-out-the-vote efforts:  "Everybody is fussin’ about what they’re paying. You know, down south we fuss about things. We don’t argue.  We just fuss, so when they’re fussing about what they’re paying to fill up the gas tank, tell ’em this, say ‘Let me offer you an idea.  Take this John McCain bumper strip and put it on the back window of that car.  Just test it out for a few days.  See if you don’t get better gas mileage,’ and we’ll be sure we get all these people to the polls."

Cedar Rapids Gazette columnist Todd Dorman suggested earlier today that Blackburn has a voice/vocal pattern that’s very similar to Dolly Parton’s and I just heard that Parton twang most pronounced in this passage.  "I am so thrilled that we have Mrs. McCain with us this morning.  We are just so proud of you," Blackburn said, leading a round of applause for 96-year-old Roberta McCain, John McCain’s mother, who was seated in the audience. "I’m from Tennessee and somebody asked me the other day if I’d met Mrs. McCain. I said, ‘No, I’ve not had that opportunity yet, but I’m looking forward to it because I love good, strong women and good, strong mommas’ and I said, ‘You can talk to John McCain for five minutes and realize he learned early on that if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy and so we’re glad you reared him up right and we’re looking forrward to helping you put him in the White House."  For those of you who don’t want to listen to this 42 second mp3, I can tell you she pronounced the word "on" more like "own" and "can’t" and had a bit of "ain’t" in it, but it’s the way she first pronounced the name "McCain" that makes it Parton-esque.