Saturday, February 23, 2008

BarackObamaIsYourNewBicycle.com

Wait - I swear I have something to add. :)

First, here is the back story:

Mathew Honan says his wife, Harper Honan, an avid cyclist, used to obsess about her mountain bike, a Santa Cruz Blur LT. But when the Honans returned from their vacation in Nicaragua shortly after Obama won the Iowa caucuses, Harper's obsession turned to Obama. Instead of talking about her bike, Harper talks about Obama. It's nonstop. She has made calls to the campaign. She has canvassed and knocked on doors. She has held signs out in the streets.

Then one day, Mathew, 35, a freelance writer, joked to Harper, 32, a registered nurse: "Barack Obama is your new bicycle."

A site was born.

After launching less than two weeks ago, the site has been viewed more than 2.3 million times.

"I didn't see it as a pro-Obama site or an anti-Obama site, though some people can interpret it any way they want. I was just trying to be funny," says Mathew, who's also an Obama supporter. The Honans have given about $300 to Obama online.

"But I actually think a little backlash is good for Obama," Mathew adds. "He's not going to win on personality alone. I think the more people shy away from the mania of it all, the more they'll realize that there's actual substance in him and what he's been saying."


Great site.

The funny part was that I didn't know or much care about the back story behind how and why this site got created - but it's totally fun.

And then a few hours after I'd read how the site came to be, I started realizing that this girl, Harper Honan, was really into her bicycle. I think that's how a lot of us feel. My Fuji Roubaix is dope. It's not an around-town cruiser like I really need - it's a full-on road bike - but I can't part with it - it's just the bomb.

So, I hope we can tap into this love of bicycles that some people seem to have.

2 comments:

Quinn said...

Ha, and it has already spawned a bastard stepchild.

http://barackobamastoleyournewbicycle.com/

Peter said...

that's hilarious!