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?
Hillary can't win without Hollywood and the MSM so maybe the country is safe from her presidency. I doubt that she will have Dan Rather in place to cheerlead her into the oval office.
Reading your lists of Kerry's arsenal of bullets he shot in his own foot, how is it he got the number of votes he did? Man, that's disturbing.
Ah, so. *bowing* You are wise beyond your years, FRiend.
Hollywood, make my day:
Please -- oh, please -- give Moore the Best Picture Oscar and completely ignore Mel Gibson.
The key word here is ''performance''. Im an actor and I just never believed the guy! I DIDNT BELEIVE IT when I SAW shots of him in church HES PRO choice ,said he didnt beleive in the churchs teachings] I didnt believe him when he said he was a hunter[he bought a hunting jacket the night before and would go nowhere near the dead goose. Made his flunkie carry it for him] But the kicker for me was when I heard him say in some speech that he would hunt down and kill the terrorists [the next day he said we would have to pass a global test].......No something about this guy just didnt ring true for me so I must sadly conclude Kerry to me was a B movie all the way and like so many B movies today wont even make it to the movie theatres! Kerry will go STRAIGHT TO VIDEO!
"Entertainers {are} almost universally anti-Bush." Entertainers are genetically damaged personalities who are unable to mature, unable to grow up. They spend the majority of their alleged adult lives pretending to be other people. Virtually every time we get to see/hear one speak on his/her own, we find that we are watching/listening to a complete moron.
LOL!! The most transparent part of Kerrrys campaign; "Where can I get me a huntin' license?"
I love Sara Evans.
I live in the Simi Valley library area - and the lines were 8 - 10 hours long. He might have won some hearts and minds if he stayed in the line with the rest of the people. (I did NOT stay in the line).
Welcome to Free Republic!
Yeah, but looking at this analysis, I wonder if the kind of (lack of) thought that gave Kerry as many votes as he got reached its high water mark back in 2000. Two elections a trend doesn't make, but the hard left sure acts and sounds like it's on its deathbed, and knows it.
Great article, thanks for posting it.
The cutting in line part didn't bother me as much as the fact that he brought a damned photographer with him. That just made it clear that he was only there for the photo-op, and with that the cutting in line was intolerable, seeing as (like you said) people waited all day in line to pay genuine respects to President Reagan.
Not to mention his "thumbs up" photo as he drove off.
I'm just a poor boy
Nobody loves me
Let me add my name to the list of people mildly peeved at the "Wal-Mart" imagery. I voted for Bush. I'm a college grad, fond of rock, country and opera and can hold my own in "femmey" conversations about art, philosophy, etc. I'm not trying to sound like a cocky jerk (too late!) I'm just saying this because I've had it up to here with the assumption that "mainstream" Americans are somehow yokels. The Democrats have done such a good job with their propoganda it seems even some Republicans buy into that image.
Yeah, I'm more of a Target person.
MAGNIFICO-O-O-O!
Perhaps this isn't a serious question. Surely you know the answer to it nevertheless.
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