Found this entry from Patrick Murfin about the layered symbolism behind the black cowboy hat, & Barack Obama’s continuance of this narrative:
As a Black man running for President he has already smashed stereo types and expectations. As an already iconic Good Guy himself and the oracle of Hope and empowerment (Yes We Can!) he can don a black hat and casually demolish another.
The entire post has some great stuff on the history of presidents & cowboy hats. Good reading.
I stumbled upon the post while looking for this photo, which I had never seen before:
…What. Is. Going. On. in this shot? LBJ is manic!
..anyway, looking for that photo to head the post I was going to link you to about the demise of Texas’ role in Washington, after dominance for over 20 years, which you can read here:
“The 28th state has loomed large over Washington for much of the past century — think the president, his father, Lyndon Johnson, Sam Rayburn, John Tower, Dick Armey and Tom DeLay.
But at noon on Jan. 20, Texas becomes — please don’t throw things — just another state.
“I guess Washington can finally exhale,” half-jokes former Bush counselor Dan Bartlett, a born-and-bred Texan who escaped to Austin last year.”
