Potemkin all the way down

There's going to be a certain amount of stagecraft involved in any presidency -- certainly that was the reason why Ronald Reagan had Michael Deaver in his employ -- but it's useful to note things that aren't being accurately reported.

The news, both local and national, are filled with the touching human interest story of President Obama's heartfelt meeting with an average citizen, Rebekah Erler of St. Anthony. They met for Jucy Lucys at Matt's Bar in south Minneapolis after Obama met with the struggling working mother who is laboring to pay her mortgage and keep up with the bills, apparently.

A lot of that going around, of course. It would be pretty cool if the president were willing to talk to anyone. He's not, of course. And while you won't read about it in the Pioneer Press or the Star Tribune this morning, the internet is a big ol' place and Reuters has a little nugget that's worth mentioning:

Erler, whose LinkedIn profile shows she was once a field organizer for Democratic Senator Patty Murray, wrote to Obama earlier this year to express her frustrations about the economy.

Somehow, the headline "Obama Comes to Minneapolis to Meet with Democratic Party Operative" doesn't quite have the same effect. Of course, Ms. Erler did a great job of addressing the citizenry when she introduced Obama at the invitation-only "town hall" meeting he had later on. No word on whether Erler was able to participate in the $10,000 a plate fundraiser Obama attended later in the evening. He is a man of the people.