Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has an ivy-league education, but the talking-head wisdom maintains he has trouble relating to the common man.

Looks like a Durham outfit is doing this about that.

As the presidential candidates and their potential second-in-commands sling around the half-truths, journalists this election season dutifully poke holes in the bloviation. You see it here in the News & Observer and in newspapers across the country.

So is the effort worth it? Not so much, according to a Duke researcher.

Several readers were disappointed that The N&O today didn't give more display to the history-making element of Barack Obama as the first African-American to be nominated for president by a major political party.

The N&O's story, "Obama steps into history,' focused on that angle in the lead position on the front page. But readers thought the 1 column-story was overshadowed by a larger story, with picture, about the No Child Left Behind law.

"The history-making event is getting the nomination," said Melvyn Jordan, of Raleigh. "The coverage on your front page is so tiny. It's right there with fourth graders and babies in day care. For me as an African-American, that kind of feeds the Jesse Helms concept of minimizing the accomplishments of blacks."

Steve Merelman, Front Page Editor, noted that the convention has had lead display all week: "I am committed to equal play for the Democratic and GOP conventions, and I was trying to avoid four straight days of convention displays. This will give us flexibility next week, should local news erupt or should there be a slow day at the GOP gathering. This seemed like the day to skip as a display, given that we will display Obama's acceptance speech tomorrow morning. The acceptance speech seems like the more important moment to me, anyhow."

That was my explanation to Mr. Jordan - that Obama's acceptance speech will be more historic than the pro-forma nomination. But in retrospect, perhaps we did miss the historic moment for many.

News and Observer columnist J. Peder Zane reflects on the newest greeting fad of fist bumping made popular in politics by presidential hopeful ... more

Wondering who the folks working at our local universities are supporting for president?

 This should give you an idea. According to campaign contribution data available here, Duke employees have made 186 donations to Barack Obama totaling $84,493.

By contrast, Duke employees have made 21 donations to the John McCain campaign totaling $13,426. 

Other tidbits - Duke employees made 24 donations worth $12,000 to Hillary Clinton and 17 donations worth $11,050 to John Edwards.

Over at N.C. Central University, employees have made nine donations to the Obama campaign totaling $3,029. No NCCU employees have given to the McCain, Edwards or Clinton campaigns. 

The website tracks donations of more than $200 and does not account for money people can donate through political action committees. 

So there's some impressive starpower lined up to play this week's Democratic National Convention out in Denver. And the McCain campaign has countered by trotting out a big-name supporter of its own -- Daddy Yankee?

Maybe he can do a few pro-McCain duets with John Rich.

ADDENDUM (8/26/08): Springsteen might not be appearing at the DNC after all. 

I'm sure Joe Biden is the logical vice-presidential choice for the Obama ticket. But now that the long-awaited text message has finally gone out to all his supporters, let me just throw something out there:

If only...

(Thanks again to Brian.)

Spotted near Brightleaf Square on the side of a white pickup truck was a hand-painted sign reading:

Middle-class

Hard-working white

Gun-owning male

in his 50s for OBAMA

A cartoon duck has been skewering Barack Obama lately, and Obama partisans don't think it's funny.

The "Mallard Fillmore" strip by Bruce Tinsley has been lambasting Obama for flip-flopping, his celebrity image and other ills perceived by Republicans. N&O readers don't think it's fair that the partisan strips run on the comics page with non-political cartoons. Better to put it on the op-ed page with "Doonesbury," they say. Or don't run it.

 "When Mallard Fillmore continually - week in and week out - demeans and ridicules Barack Obama ... its placement in your comics pages implicitly frames those sentiments as mainstream humor - and not political opinion in the same way as Doonesbury or your editorial cartoon are called out as political opinion," wrote Peter Orton, of Hillsborough.

Judith Fertitta, of Durham, writes: "Can't you see how tremendously unfair this is - in this election year -  to allow one-sided attacks on only the Democratic presidential candidate?"

This is an ongoing controversy that's bothered readers since we introduced the Fillmore strip last year. Here's a column I wrote in January.

It's a tougher question now because of the election season context, and I agree that the complainants have a good point. Debra Boyette, features editor who oversees comics, says individual strips are alway up for review, and you can leave your opinion at forums.triangle.com or e-mail us directly at comics@newsobserver.com.

Can Barack Obama win here in North Carolina? Two Duke professors debate his chances here.