August 26, 2008
WELL GERALD FORD HAD JOE GARAGIOLA AND IT IS THE PARTY OF FATHERHOOD AND PATRIOTISM... (fossil fuel advocacy alert):
Gasolina! Daddy Yankee Endorses McCain (Michael D. Shear, 8/26/08, Washington Post)
The high school girls standing on the risers behind Sen. John McCain looked like any high school girls would during a talk by someone Paris Hilton might describe as "a white-haired dude." They clapped politely.And then, when McCain introduced his special guest, they freaked out. They gasped. They put their hands over their mouths. They screamed.
Daddy Yankee, one of the country's top Latino music stars, strode out, wearing mirrored sunglasses. A Puerto Rican reggaeton recording artist, he appeared next to McCain to endorse the Republican nominee and perhaps give him a boost with Hispanic voters.
But for the girls, all that -- and McCain -- was beside the point. What they thought was going to be a boring, political event was suddenly way cool. Yankee turned and hugged a few of the girls, who put their shaking arms around him. [...]
"I just want to say thank you Daddy Yankee," said McCain, who also referred to him as Ramon, since his given name is Ramon Ayala. McCain said Yankee has been married 15 years, had grown up poor in Puerto Rico and made "the right choice" in life.
John McCain shares the stage with Jay Leno and Daddy Yankee (Maeve Reston, 8/26/08, Los Angeles Times )
The audience of more than 100 students seemed sleepy for McCain's opening remarks about the importance of voting and the national leaders who have come from Arizona.But they perked up when he promised a "special guest" and "a great American success story."
McCain built up the suspense by withholding the guest's name at first, but then gave it away, saying, "One of his most famous songs, I know you're very familiar with: 'Gasolina' " -- drawing gasps of surprise from the crowd -- and then finally said, "Well, here he is, Daddy Yankee."
Though McCain has sometimes shown surprising familiarity with rap stars and pop culture references because of the musical tastes of his daughters, it is unlikely that the conservative Republican would have made a point of mentioning the song had he known that the "Gasolina" lyrics are loaded with sexual references. Although there's some debate about what the word "gasolina" means in this context, one thing is certain: It's not a petroleum product.
Sexual allusions? How about the environmental incorrectness?