Obama: Good for business, Good for the White House

When vendor James Holston heard presidential hopefuls Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama were coming to speak at Columbia University's campus tonight, he moved his table selling Obama baseball caps uptown to Broadway near 111th St.
Along with jewelry, pashmina scarves and sunglasses, Holston, 58, has been selling Obama caps in red, white and blue, army fatigue green and light pink, all summer long from his usual spot at 79th St. and Broadway.
Obama merchandise moves, he said. McCain merchandise doesn't.
Of the dozen McCain caps he started with at the beginning of the summer, Holston still has half of them left.
"People just don't buy them," he said.
Holston feels the same way about the candidates as a voter as he does as a businessman.
"Obama shows me a lot of energy coming into this whereas McCain doesn't show me too much," he said.
But McCain's vice presidential pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is injecting some life into his campaign, said Holsten, who is a Morningside resident.
"If it weren't for Palin, I don't think [McCain] would be where he is today. I have to give it to her, she's sharp," he said.
Business was steady at his new location yesterday, but Holston didn't even display the McCain hats for sale because he said he never sees anyone sporting McCain merchandise around the neighborhood.
"I haven't seen a McCain," Holsten said. "This is Obama country."