# John McCain = Grandpa Munster **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101 "2008-03-28T20:52:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/1 "2008-03-28T20:52:07Z")
I’ve heard John McCain referred to as ‘Grandpa Munster’ many times. Why is he called ‘Grandpa Munster’? Just because of his age? Ed Koch… Now _there’s_ a Grandpa Munster look-alike! ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/2 "2008-03-28T20:57:27Z")
I’ve never heard this even once so I had to Google it. [This site](http://mccainalert.blogspot.com/2008/03/does-john-mccain-really-resembles.html) says: > [@](#): > > credit given to Bill Maher on HBO for this mental image Oh. Won’t last, because the joke doesn’t work in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/3 "2008-03-28T21:47:40Z")
That doesn’t make sense to me. I _have_ heard of him being called Mr. Potato Head, though, which is hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/4 "2008-03-28T21:52:48Z")
Just guessing here, but could it be more allegorical than a physical resemblance… i.e. Grandpa Munster (i.e. McCain) is the cheery, pleasant looking public face of the bunch of freaks that make up the rest of the Munster family (i.e. the rest of the Republican party). Though could be reading WAY too much into it… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/5 "2008-03-28T22:07:05Z")
I’ve heard Bill Maher call him that, although I didn’t think it made any sense other than the “grandpa” part. But maybe GM was supposed to be a vampire, and is “undead”. Still, that’s way too subtle to be humorous, if you ask me. If you’ve every watched his HBO show (_Real Time w/ Bill Maher_) he goes on and on and on about McCain’s age. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/6 "2008-03-29T03:39:20Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Ed Koch… Now _there’s_ a Grandpa Munster look-alike! [/QUOTE] Ed Koch has nothing on [Madeleine Albright](http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/06/04/embassy.bombings.02/story.albright.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/7 "2008-03-29T03:55:57Z")
FTR, McCain looks his age while Grandpa Munster was played by Al Lewis, who was only in his 50s (or younger–he lied a lot) at the time of the series and was such a hardcore Wobbly that he’d find the comparison insulting. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/8 "2008-03-29T18:58:15Z")
Now, this is peculiar. There’s another senator (the name escapes me right now) who bears a really strong resemblance to Grandpa Munster. John McCain, with his cheek pouches, looks more like the mascot of Hustler Magazine. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/9 "2008-03-29T19:11:54Z")
Michigan Senator, Carl Levin already claims that title. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/10 "2008-03-29T19:24:54Z")
**Kozmik** found Sen. Levin before I did. Here’s a pic on his official website. [http://levin.senate.gov/](http://levin.senate.gov/) ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/11 "2008-03-30T01:32:48Z")
Al Lewis was quite left wing. He would be insulted at the comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/12 "2008-03-30T02:13:47Z")
He does, however, have a weird resemblance to Colonel Tigh in Battlestar Galactica, which is going to be seriously odd if we actually have President Tigh. Even his wife looks like Ellen Tigh. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/13 "2008-03-30T02:19:00Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] He does, however, have a weird resemblance to Colonel Tigh in Battlestar Galactica. [/QUOTE] [I’m not seeing it…](http://home.planet.nl/~m-a-d/Photos/Terry_Carter_2_s.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/14 "2008-03-30T02:39:30Z")
Er… I meant the new Galactica. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/15 "2008-03-30T03:03:07Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] Er… I meant the new Galactica. 🙂 [/QUOTE] [Spooky.](http://cmpalmer.blogspot.com/2008/03/john-mccain-is-he-cylon.html) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/16 "2008-03-30T04:22:03Z")
[QUOTE=griffin1977] Grandpa Munster (i.e. McCain) is the cheery, pleasant looking public face of the bunch of freaks that make up the rest of the Munster family (i.e. the rest of the Republican party). [/QUOTE] Wouldn’t that make him [Marilyn Munster](http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/2084/munsters4.html)? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-grandpa-munster/443101/17 "2008-03-30T05:34:10Z")
[Three Stooges](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e297/brainlist/1394303.jpg)