Got any ideas for off-beat Obama/McCain fashion match-ups?
OK, stick with me here: In a long, long presidential run, you thought you’d heard everything, right? How about Obama’s image on pair of flip-flops or McCain’s on a pair of sneakers?
From our story for Thursday’s Post-Dispatch:
If the elections were based on political paraphernalia, Obama would be the clear winner. And not just for flopyourvote.com’s selection of McCain and Obama flip-flops that sell for $30 and feature about 20 tiny heads depicting the candidate. Internet searches show that Obama leads more than two-to-one in sheer volume of goods available. And some say that it’s not necessarily positive.
“The McCain camp is probably happy that Obama is on everything and that he’s the focus. They want to make Obama the target and make him look like a celebrity — someone who is good-looking, young and who gives great speeches but has no substance. It’s very obvious that they don’t want the focus to be on John McCain,” said Ken Warren, a political science professor at St. Louis University who analyzes presidential elections. The barrage of Obama wear adds to the hype that surrounds him, but that can be detrimental, he said.
Take a look at the story. And look at our slideshow, showing some of the fashion merchandise you can buy with one of the presidential candidates’ faces plastered on it. Or take a look at the blog item by my colleague Debra Bass on her Style File blog.
Got any ideas about whether it matters who has the most merchandise? Is it good for one candidate or the other? What merchandise would you buy? What would you sell? And, for fun, can you invent some merchandising ideas we might like to consider?
Kurt is the director of social media for the Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since August 2002. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor. 
I’d like a pair of big rubber ears for my Halloween Costume.