The Analogy Primary

So is the Obama-Hillary race the Mac versus the PC? Or is it Google versus Microsoft? Or is it The Wire versus Ugly Betty?

This seems like a debate tailor-made for David Brooks, and sure enough, he weighs in today:

... the essential competition in many consumer sectors is between commodity providers and experience providers, the companies that just deliver product and the companies that deliver a sensation, too. There’s Safeway, and then there is Whole Foods. There’s the PC, and then there’s the Mac. There are Holiday Inns, and there are W Hotels. There’s Walgreens, and there’s The Body Shop.

Even if you're sick of hearing candidates compared to consumer products, it's a good column.