. . . Because she's just like Ms. Dowd, only she's smart and nice.
Posted on 07/31/2004 9:30:36 PM PDT by neverdem
BOSTON — So here's the race: the Skipper takes on the Sheriff.
(And, of course, the undercard in the fight: Bambi meets Godzilla.)
Talk about drowning in metaphor.
At least Teresa Heinz Kerry kept her subliminal message simple: She wore a ketchup-red suit to introduce the second senator in her life.
Her husband, as usual, went overboard. The Democratic convention, which was focus-group-dial-a- metered to death, needed a dose of dramamine. It was awash in allusions about Commander Kerry steering the ship of state - from the curved design of the metal and wood-paneled lectern, meant to evoke a ship's bridge; to the Massachusetts senator's arrival in Boston Harbor on the prow of a ferry, making like Washington crossing the Delaware; to the dramatic Vietnam Swift boat scenes in the biographical film; to Jim Rassman's iconic story of being saved when Lieutenant Kerry reached down and pulled him from the water over the bow, to the nominee's hokey salute and "reporting for duty."
Like the picture of Bill Clinton pumping J.F.K.'s hand at Boys Nation, there is a star-struck teenage Galahad picture of John Kerry with his idol on a Coast Guard yawl in Newport.
The convention center halls were adorned with more than 30 blown-up pictures of John Kerry in uniform. This signaled that the Navy lieutenant, who had requested a transfer to a Swift boat because he was inspired by J.F.K. and PT-109, is gunning for the flextime Texas National Guardsman.
"I learned a lot about these values on that gunboat patrolling the Mekong Delta with young Americans," Senator Kerry told the Democratic delegates in his acceptance speech, adding: "We were literally all in the same boat. That is the kind of America I will lead as president - an America where we are all in the same boat."
Ensign Kerry, Max Cleland exhorted the crowd, is "the next captain of our ship of state."
Bill Clinton got on board: "Since we're all in the same boat, we should choose a captain of our ship who is a brave, good man, who knows how to steer a vessel through troubled waters to the calm seas and the clear skies of our more perfect union."
John Edwards was a synchronized swimmer in the Kerry ocean of love: "In the heat of battle, they saw him decide in an instant to turn his boat around, drive it straight through an enemy position, and chase down the enemy to save his crew. Decisive. Strong. Aren't these the traits you want in a commander in chief?"
Even Alexandra Kerry echoed the aquatic heroic theme, telling of how her dad saved the family's pet hamster, Licorice, who was bubbling "down to a watery doom," after falling off a dock. He "hunched over the soggy hamster and began to administer C.P.R.," she said, denying rumors of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
The Kerry campaign even tried to spin Teresa Kerry's "shove it" in a more nautical vein, claiming that the chatelaine of the Nantucket manse had meant to say, "shove off."
Mr. Kerry had to go the skipper route since W. had already laid claim to the West, making the cocky cowboy sheriff his motif, the dusty gorge at his Crawford ranch his milieu, and the Louis L'Amour "smoke 'em out" language his argot.
It doesn't seem to matter to his fans that he often doesn't come through on his gunslinging taunts; they feel reassured simply by the "High Noon" patois.
Mr. Bush's prized possession is Saddam's old pistol. He keeps it in the study off the Oval Office as a trophy of their desert duel in the sun.
At the White House press briefing on Friday, a reporter asked Scott McClellan: "But does the president have to present himself as not quite the, you know, kind of, trigger happy, tough, shoot him from the hip cowboy, and sort of fill out that image a little more?"
Mr. McClellan replied that the president was leading in a - yup, you guessed it - "strong and decisive" way.
Given that the Kerry convention featured a skipper brave and sure, a first mate who makes others comfortable, a millionaire called "Lovey" by her spouse, two pretty young Kerry castaways and a movie star (the ubiquitously annoying Ben Affleck), I suppose we should be grateful that Camp Kerry didn't introduce the nominee with the "Gilligan's Island" theme song.
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip
Frankly - yes. I generally don't worry about folks politics. But if someone works overtime to make sure I know they support evil, then yes - it bothers me and I won't watch/listen.
For example, Steven Spielberg (sp?) is a big-time supporter of Fidel Castro. I used to enjoy his flicks. Now I don't. I feel guilty knowing the money I'm spending is supporting someone who supports Castro.
You are arguing that we shouldn't take politics into account when we view movies / listen to music. I disagree with you because A) people can use any standard they want to filter out competing movies/cars/etc & B) some people (Glover, Roberts, and Spielberg for examples) are so anti-American that I feel obligated to boycott them.
BTW - the lampshade comment hadn't been made when I first started typing a response, and I didn't see it before typing my second. Agree it was a bad comment to make.
If you want to buy lampshades from Nazis go right ahead, no one is criticizing you for doing that.
What are you, insane? You equate going to a movie that stars a Kerry supporter, or buying a Kerry supporting U2 CD is akin to buying lampshades made from the skin of murdered Jews?
Your own words proved my point.
Darkwolf377: If you want to buy lampshades from Nazis go right ahead, no one is criticizing you for doing that.
In other words because I think its stupid to make commerce decisions based on the political party affiliation of the movie actor - It is as if I am buying a human skinned naxi lampshade.
You are arguing that we shouldn't take politics into account when we view movies / listen to music. I disagree with you because A) people can use any standard they want to filter out competing movies/cars/etc & B) some people (Glover, Roberts, and Spielberg for examples) are so anti-American that I feel obligated to boycott them.
BTW - the lampshade comment hadn't been made when I first started typing a response, and I didn't see it before typing my second. Agree it was a bad comment to make.
What makes America unique and so unlike many other countries is that we try not to be polarized. Sure we may belong to different parties but we hold our political life separate from our daily lives.
Affleck supports Kerry? Don't worry about - so do around 45% of the American people. Are we going to litmus test people before we buy their goods? "Excuse me how much do these oranges cost - oh and before I buy them are you a Kerry or Bush supporter?"
I guess because of the mental state of mind that celebrity puts people in people feel betrayed when a celebrity takes a political position counter to their own but don't care a dime what party their doctor or mechanic belongs to.
There are studies that I have read when I was getting my marketing degree that had to do with people's identification with stars. The studies tended to show that people get into a state of mind where subconsciously a star takes on the characteristics of a close friend. So when a star does something counter to the values of the fan the fan takes it personally.
I think that is why people freak out and get so upset when stars take on public political decisions. The negative reactions are more psychological than political. By the way this psychological identification reflex to the star is why stars are sought to endorse products and why they are placed on the podium with the candidate. Because marketers know that the stars psychologically affect the thinking of people. I forgot the term for it. Basically the mental reaction is that the star is identified as a member of your close circle and his/her advice carries the same weight as say your close friend advising you.
It does not always work of course. The down side is that if the star takes a position counter to your own it will backfire on the product and the star. See Pepsi and Modonna.
So long story short - that is why I found the comments of the female Freeper very interesting. She was a fan and seemed shocked and angry and betrayed that Affleck backed Kerry after she spend all that money on his movies. Classic text book backlash example I thought.
Affleck is an annoying twerp, whatever his politics may be.
I don't.
Happily married for 17 years, but when I was dating politics were a potential killer. A liberal democrat has an attitude of entitlement and self-pity that drives me nuts - so why date her?
When Bill Clinton was the Commander-in-Chief, I would have paid him the proper respect his position was entitled to, even tho I found him personally & politically revolting. But I don't have any obligation to buy his book.
As a capitalist I pay for product quality.
I'm both a capitalist and a moral being. I care about product quality, but I wouldn't knowingly do business with someone that uses slave labor. Nor will I do business with someone who supports Castro, to the point of saying meeting him was a highlight of his life (not an exact quote, but close).
You are free to disregard political views in your purchases. I am free to regard them. And I do - as Americans have since they switched from tea to coffee in protest of tea taxes.
Matt and Katie have been mean to him, too.
HRC has issued the marching orders to her flying monkeys.
And it's not good news for Kerry/Edwards.
Tinseltown's top movie director, Steven Spielberg, wants NewsMax and our readers to know that Castro's regime is exploiting him with a lie.
Our columnist Humberto Fontova, zinging Castro's American groupies (shockingly, there are still plenty, even after the dictator's latest atrocities), mentioned a notorious quotation attributed to Spielberg: that meeting Castro was "the eight most important hours of [his] life."
Spielberg's people contacted our people to proclaim that the director never made any such statement and that Castro's state-run press concocted the quotation.
The fuss recalls actor Sean Penn's claims of being misquoted by Iraq's state-run media after his visit to the dictatorship of his beloved Saddam Hussein.
"Don't believe everything you read, especially in the Cuban press!" Spielberg's office wrote to us.
--Newsmax.com
Just fyi.
I agree with your sentiments, btw. Of course moral considerations can be a part of our financial choices. (And they do, whatever some may choose to believe.)
I don't think I've ever followed a discussion with so many straw-men being tossed around.
You seem to say that people who exercise their very American freedom of economic choice are somehow less American if they base that choice on politics. Do you see why people are getting a little frustrated with your reasoning?
I think you do, but you are just getting your jollys by baiting them. Your straw-men have proven to be very good lures so far, so I have to give you an "A" for your choice of bait. I still question your motives.
Actually, I think she's quite conservative, and moreover, is wise enough to know that being a movie star does not qualify one to pose as a political prophet.
I have a very large list of artists (literary, film, music), who I will not support because of their overt politics. In some cases it hurts, because I really like their art. If I must have their product, I will buy it used, say on Amazon, so that the artist gets no benefit from my purchase. That's the risk the artists take by vocalizing their politics.
You are just revealing your ignorance of Communism and freedom.
No one in a communist system has the freedom to suport or not support the party line and the people the party approves. From the French under the Commmune 200 years ago. to the Soviet Union, to China, and Cuba... in every communist system people have no choice. Support the the party line and the people it tells you to suport or go to the state prison for years of torture. IN a communist system the government owns you. Here we own the government.
You don't even know that it is very American to exercise choices for any reason one desires. Americans can make choices for no reason whatsever. It is the American way. We have the power to chose or not chose as we see fit. That is not your desire or choice. You prefer the socialist way. You reveal yourself in your posts.
You will not defend freedom. But lots of us will!
It was either Johnny Paycheck or Heinz-Kerry I can't remember which who said it best... .. It had something to do with shoving something... somewhere.. You can look it up!
You forgot "beautiful".
As for me being a socialist:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1182762/posts?page=34#18
If only W took to the next logical conclusion - elimination of taxes. Flat tax us or a fed sales tax (preferred) but end this income tax nightmare that is a slave collar around the American people that turns us into vassals of the state.
18 posted on 08/01/2004 5:58:51 AM EDT by Destro
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