Posted on 11/10/2004 2:52:41 PM PST by rickmichaels
May one gloat if one was right? Indulge me. Last December, in a review of retiring Georgia Senator Zell Miller's book about the Democratic Party, A National Party No More, I concluded that "the Republicans will not only canter into power in 2004, the Democratic party may find itself on the verge of a total meltdown." I knew Miller got it right when he said it was all about values.
The dichotomy between the parties' values is nowhere better illustrated than in their respective assessments of celebrity entertainers. John Kerry over-estimated their influence and embraced them, while George W. Bush took their real political measure and demonized them.
When CNN's Aaron Brown was asked if he could isolate a tipping point in the campaign, he said it was the moment, during last year's Super Bowl halftime show, when the bodice of Janet Jackson's costume "accidentally" ripped, exposing her breast on network television. It wasn't the tawdriness of the ploy or her transparently bogus embarrassment that so rankled ordinary people; it was the fact that it happened on their turf.
Social conservatives, including evangelical Christians, live and let live when it comes to Hollywood. Trash-talking rappers and bimbos can do what they like on MTV. But the Super Bowl is Middle America territory. Jackson crossed a critical line. In her exhibitionism, the culture of prurience she emblemizes invaded conservative homes. They felt ambushed, even a little violated. Urban sophisticates found the incident and the blowback it generated hilarious, a tempest in a teapot. Instead of reading the righteous anger of moralists as tea leaves, they mocked it.
Entertainers were almost universally anti-Bush. Their presence in the media and at rallies guaranteed a wide audience for their views. The enormous publicity generated by Al Franken's book and radio show, and Michael Moore's hugely successful movies, created a sense of invincibility amongst the Democratic party faithful. Even many conservatives were sucked into the despairing belief that an unstoppable juggernaut had been created by Fahrenheit 9/11, and the ubiquitous Hollywood spokespeople urging support for Kerry.
What Democrat organizers failed to realize was that most Wal-mart Americans have no respect for entertainers beyond their ability to entertain. Kerry made a huge mistake at a star-studded rally when he said that Hollywood "is the heart and soul of America." This was moments after Whoopi Goldberg had made such crudely obscene allusions to the President's name that even her colleagues winced. Identifying himself with these boorish antics was foolish. That Kerry's team didn't realize it was foolish speaks volumes about their alienation from the real "heart and soul" of their nation.
Perhaps the worst decision was to invite the Dixie Chicks to perform with Bruce Springsteen in the final days of the campaign. Last year their lead singer, Natalie Maines, announced at a London concert that she was "ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." Anti-Bushism at home is one thing; sucking up to foreigners and currying favour by feeding their anti-Americanism is another. Country music fans are a patriotic bunch. Radio stations boycotted their music, and radio talk shows hummed with anti-Chicks rancour. The Dixie Chicks may well have tipped the balance in Ohio.
Then there was the MTV "Rock the Vote" celebrity advocate program, featuring such political luminaries as Drew Barrymore, Robert Downey Jr. and P. Diddy ("C'mon y'all. Please let's get hip hop on [Bush and Kerry's] ass"). Instead of being charmed, Walmart Americans were disgusted that ditzy screwballs, dope addicts and thug-culture yahoos were preaching civic duty to them, the pillars of society. Bush cannily introduced the phrase "Hollywood values" to his stump-speech ridicule of the Democrats, and got rave responses.
The Democrats are fascinated with entertainers because, for them too, success is more about performance than deeply held convictions. Kerry was perceived to have won all three debates, which aroused unrealistic expectations. What the Dems didn't grasp was that most voters don't assess character on the basis of verbal performance -- any actor can act, after all -- but on the ability to connect with their core beliefs, at which Bush excels, but Kerry routinely stumbles.
That Kerry considered pop entertainers value added to his campaign is an indication of his superficiality and his ignorance about the country he hoped to lead. When Bruce Springsteen pumped up the crowds, shouting that Kerry embodied the ideals of "who we are, what we stand for, what we fight for," Kerry beamed and crowed: "It doesn't get better than this."
In truth, it didn't get better than that. Who's The Boss now?
He's Warren Bufffet's cousin (the gazillionaire who made his money on mortgage or small business defaults - I believe-) and he has been a longtime Democrat donor.
That makes sense. Aaron Brown would never have been able to come up with an insight like that unless someone put it on the TelePrompter.
Great article, Barbara Kay.
There of course would have to be some diversity among 60 million voters.
Janet Jackson? What losers. How about what Kerry did to himself? Here's a short list:
Gratuitous pheasant slaughter
Al Qa Qa
Flu shots - Bush’s fault
Global Test
Terrorism is a “nuisance”
DNC convention/jungle flashback
Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam
I have a plan (x 100)
Coalition of the bribed
Bush is “arrogant”
Teresa
Can I git me a huntin’ license
Cheney's daughter is a lesbian
Operation Fortunate Son (canned)
World leaders support me!
I was ____ before I was ____
Gratuitous goose slaughter
Brilliant. You nailed it.
It is everyone's fault except the Democrat party and what they believe and John "The Traitor" Kerry.
Nuff said!
Walmart, pshaw.
"Did Kerry have a Roman cleric read the poor bird's entrails to see how he would do in the election? If so, the reading had to be poor."
Kerry ran off to toss a football before the priest could finish.
"By the way, who got to eat the bird or did they simply throw it away like they did the lunches they ordered but did not eat at Wendy's?"
That's your probable answer. Kerry did keep a minute part of his victim - the goose blood on his finger to show that he was "blooded."
Mr. Diddy.... now that's funny!
However, I still think the most important event in the campaign was the school massacre in Beslan. That's the reason there was almost no gender gap in this election. The Security Moms did not care about Hollywood, but we cared a lot about getting the terrorists before they can make our town another Beslan.
Oh, please! I don't believe for a minute he shot it. I mean, what are the odds they all go out and get 4 birds in a short space of time? What are the odds Kerry is a good enough shot to hit one.
That was as big a scam as Klinton arranging the rocks on Omaha Beach.
I don't think Aaron Brown has ever seen a breast before.
Great last line!! ....and to think....I used to know some of these guys.
Uhhh? Man, I missed that! When did Bush say that? I love it!
I swear, Tah-RAY-Zah comes across a full-blown boozehound. That woman just reeks of being in the throes of alcoholism. I thank God she will NEVER be First Lady of our great nation!
Picking out the one thing Kerry did to lose the election is kind of like trying to pick the one raindrop that caused the dam to breach.
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