Taking the GOP Bait, Hook, Line and Stinker
There was a surreal moment at a serious Manhattan dinner party Tuesday night when 12 power players who had all been talking at once about the mess in Iraq suddenly fell silent to listen to the waiter. He dove in shortly after he had served the coconut cake with lemon dessert -- perhaps to give moral support to the only Republican present, who was beginning to flag. Or perhaps he just thought it might be helpful for the guests to hear from one of the Ordinary Americans whose unhappiness with the status quo they are in the habit of earnestly invoking.
"I'm from the suburbs," he announced, "and I'm voting for Bush."
[snip]
The Republican attack machine -- again -- has made the right calculation: Hit 'em with trivia. Bait the hook with the absurd "issue" of whether it was medals or ribbons that Kerry hurled over the wall when he was a 27-year-old hothead. Then watch the media bite -- they'll do it every time -- and let Kerry rise to it and blow it. Presto, a thrice-wounded, decorated war hero running against a president who went missing from the National Guard is suddenly muddying up his own record on the morning talk shows. Shades of 2000, when Bush jokily bowled oranges down the aisle of his campaign plane while Gore argued about whether he did or didn't say he invented the Internet. Whole juicy story.
MOBY HAD an indecent proposal for President Bush on Wednesday night at the WEDrock benefit for same-sex marriage rights at Crobar. (We can't repeat it here, but think Bill and Monica.) Also showing their support were Sandra Bernhard, Margaret Cho, Alan Cumming, Lou Reed and John Cameron Mitchell ... NY Daily News