A funny thing happened in north-central Indiana on Wednesday.
The humble town of Elkhart was mentioned in not one but two national news stories – possibly by chance, but the conspiracy theorist inside me loves to think otherwise.
As news broke yesterday regarding Toyota’s decision to recall and suspend sales of eight popular models due to an apparent accelleration pedal defect, corporate representatives were quick to point the finger at the company’s supplier of pedal parts – CTS Corp. of – you guessed it – Elkhart, Ind.
Later that night, President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address, which last a whopping hour and a half. Within the first minute, guess which town received a mention? Noneother than Elkhart, Ind.
“So I know the anxieties that are out there right now. They’re not new. These struggles are the reason I ran for president. These struggles are what I’ve witnessed for years in places like Elkhart, Ind., and Galesburg, Ill. I hear about them in the letters that I read each night. The toughest to read are those written by children asking why they have to move from their home, or when their mom or dad will be able to go back to work.”
I’ll let everyone else take the time to break down Obama’s speech line-by-line: In short, I thought it was like most State of the Union deliveries: long on pomp and pageantry, short on substance (did he mention what and where – exactly – we’d be exporting to reduce the trade deficit?)
I’ve searched everywhere online and have not seen anyone else post anything related to the connection between Elkhart the hub of a disgraced Toyota parts supplied
and Elkhart the town the president mentioned in his address.
In my mind’s eye I can see a harried speech writer sprinting down the hallway of the West Wing…
Mr. President, Mr. President – did you see what’s happening in Elkhart, Ind. today? We really should cross (insert name of other bland midwestern town located in a swing state) off the list in your speech tonight and you should give a short out to Elkhart instead!
Nothing like a good psuedo-conspiracy story to energize an otherwise boring Thursday.
I’ll leave you with this moving tribute to Indiana performed by The Samples, who clearly couldn’t get back to Colorado fast enough after coming up with this tripe.
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