Clout: Barack still plays hard-to-get with Obama Girl

WHEN VOTING for president, Clout has a motto: "Look for the pin before you go in."

Before we enter the voting booth, we check a candidate's lapel. If there's a little American flag pin on it, he or she has our vote.

But what if both candidates wear flags? Or neither?

Then we have to rely on substance.

And the most substantial cultural artifact of the Democratic primary race between U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is Obama Girl.

For those who've never seen YouTube, Obama Girl is buxom model Amber Lee Ettinger, of Hazleton, Pa., whose music video, "I Got a Crush . . . on Obama" was a monster hit on the Internet last summer.

Ettinger lip-synchs her Obama love to vocals by singer Leah Kauffman, of Temple University and Abington.

Months, and millions of viewers, later, Obama himself is still ambivalent about the video.

Or so he says.

We asked him this week if he thought that Obama Girl had been a help or a hindrance to his campaign.

"I'm not sure one way or the other," he said. "It got my daughter concerned."

Michelle Obama told the Associated Press last year that the couple's 6-year-old daughter, Sasha, had seen the video and asked Obama: "Daddy, you have Mommy, right?"

"People should understand there are little kids involved," Michelle Obama said then. "We have to understand what we do can have an additional effect on children."

OK, we can see where this is a touchy subject, and that Obama might be reluctant to express his true feelings.

So we turned to Larry Sabato, presidential scholar and director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, for a reality check.

Obama "had to say that. He's married!" Sabato explained. "Obviously [Obama Girl] is a plus. She's very nice-looking and talented, and got an incredible amount of publicity for him. How could that be a bad thing?"

Post-debate I

One thing Obama told us, firmly, was that he had no interest in meeting Obama Girl (right answer!), but she was at the debate Wednesday night at the National Constitution Center.

Colleague Dan Gross offered this report:

"She wore a beige/brown jacket with a black fitted top underneath, tight black skirt and stiletto heels. She was ridiculously overtanned. Honestly, she looked like she slept a week in a tanning booth.

"She walked around interviewing people including ABC's Jake Tapper [a local guy who was once press secretary for former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies Mezvinsky]. People were chatting with her. Singer Leah Kauffman was also there."

Thanks, Dan!

Post-debate II

Who says people don't pay attention to politics?

Lisa Cabanel, a TV-ad buyer for the Campaign Group, reports that Wednesday night's debate was watched by more viewers in the Philadelphia metro area than any other show. Including "American Idol."

Twenty-six percent of the televisions on during the two-hour time slot were tuned to the debate.

Interestingly, there was little dropoff in viewership as the night wore on, meaning most viewers stuck around for the second half of the debate, when substance replaced nonsense.

Clinton-Obama spy

Ed Weinberg is a 26-year-old caterer/writer from South Philly.

For the past month or so he's been working as a volunteer for the Obama campaign.

And the Clinton campaign.

A couple of days a week for each. He thought it would be a good subject to write about.

His observations:

"Hillary got the older women. I was the only straight man at the volunteer training for her campaign. There was more warmth in the Hillary campaign.

"The Obama campaign was definitely hipper. Hillary had pins that said, 'Hillary is My Home Girl.' It was self-conscious, uncool. Obama's pins said, 'Obama Mama.'

"At Hillary's headquarters, I noticed all the posters were pre-fab. People on the Obama side created their own signs. His volunteers seemed more artistic.

"I think I learned the most from the Clinton side.

"The Obama side is like the cool- kids table in high school."

Pundit Predictions

OK, let's force some experts out on a limb and make predictions about Tuesday's presidential primary.

In fairness, we deserve to look foolish, too, so we'll start with our own prediction: Obama 51%, Clinton 49% in an upset.

G. Terry Madonna, Franklin & Marshall political scientist: Clinton 54%, Obama 46%

Marty O'Rourke, campaign consultant: Obama 51%, Clinton 49%.

Ken Smukler, campaign consultant: Clinton 54.5%, Obama 45.5%.

Neil Oxman, campaign consultant: Obama 50.2%, Clinton 49.8%.

Zack Stalberg, Committee of Seventy CEO: Clinton 52%, Obama 48%.

Larry Ceisler, media consultant, Clinton 54%, Obama 46%.

Tom Ferrick, former Inquirer columnist now writing for the Committee of Seventy's Web site: Obama 51%, Clinton 49%.

Hannah Miller, campaign consultant: Clinton 55%, Obama 45%.

Dan Cirucci, public relations consultant: Clinton 56%, OBama 44%.

Jesus: Yes to Obama

Last week, we surveyed the seven candidates from last year's Democratic mayoral primary to see who they favored in the presidential race.

We couldn't reach one of the seven, Jesus White, the first homeless candidate for mayor.

But sometimes when you can't find Jesus, he finds you. He called this week to say that he's backing Barack Obama.

"I like Obama because I feel like he has the voice of the people and has captured the heart of the people," White said. "He's very well-versed on all of the issues, even the sublime issues, very outspoken and stands his ground. I think he'd be a very strong president."

White also had good news: He's no longer homeless, lives in a furnished room in North Philly and works as a security guard. *

Staff writer Gar Joseph contributed to this report.