Out-Of-Touch Politicians

Out-Of-Touch Politicians Rudy Giuliani And The Price Of Milk While running for president in 2007, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told a reporter at a Montgomery, Ala., supermarket that he estimates "a gallon of milk is probably about a $1.50, a loaf of bread about a $1.25, $1.30, last time I bought one." It must have been a few election cycles since his last trip: The grocery store's website listed milk for $3.38 and bread up to $3.49. Dan Quayle And Single Mothers During George H.W. Bush's reelection campaign in 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle scoffed at the "Murphy Brown situation," referring to a television character who had a child out of wedlock. Quayle called the Brown story "totally unreal," adding, "A highly paid professional woman [with a baby] ... give me a break." Martha Coakley And Shaking Hands In a display of aloofness that many political observers say led to her defeat by Republican Scott Brown, Democratic Senate candidate and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley erred in brushing off the idea of ramping up her campaigning. When asked whether she was being too apathetic, she referenced one of Brown's ads and fired back, "As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands?" Spiro Agnew And Poor Neighborhoods Republican vice presidential candidate Spiro Agnew, branded as Richard Nixon's go-to guy on cities, vowed in 1968 to avoid poor neighborhoods. "If you've seen one slum, you've seen them all," Agnew said. Page I 1 of 3 EFTA01114481 Gerald Ford And Tamales While visiting the Alamo in 1976, President Gerald Ford bit into a tamale through the husk, a faux pas later deemed the "Great Tamales Incident." George H.W. Bush And Grocery Scanners President George H.W. Bush caught flak for appearing awed by a supermarket check-out scanner while touring a grocers convention in 1992. It turned out the president was being shown a new bar code technology, and the convention worker who was alongside Bush later said it's "foolish to think the president doesn't know anything about grocery stores. He knew exactly what I was talking about." George W. Bush And Gas Prices In 2008, President George W. Bush said he had not heard predictions that gas prices could soon hit $4 a gallon. At the time, the national average was $3.29 a gallon. John Kerry And Cheese Steak In 2003, Democratic presidential contender John Kerry ordered Swiss cheese on a cheese steak while campaigning in South Philadelphia, straying from the traditional favorite topping, Cheez Whiz. Page 12 of 3 EFTA01114482 Michael Dukakis And The Tank Democratic presidential contender Michael Dukakis tried to one-up Republican opponent George H.W. Bush on national defense by striking a pose in an MI Abrams tank. Mitt Romney And Wawa Mitt Romney has had his fair share of seemingly out-of-touch statements this election cycle, admitting he likes to "fire people" and expressing amazement at the touchscreen ordering system at convenience store Wawa. Barack Obama And The Private Sector President Barack Obama is not exempt from the "gotcha" moment. In June, he described the private sector economy as "doing fine." The gaffe immediately elicited comparisons with his 2008 Republican opponent, John McCain, who said that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong" in the midst of a crippling financial crisis. Page 13 of 3 EFTA01114483