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?
The gratuitous murder of an innocent goose did Kerry in.
"who's the boss"
Why, Tony Danza, of course. I wonder how he voted ?
You know that little kid who lives down the block?...you know, the one that always teases your dog, bugs you when you're working on your car, and rides his bike up on your lawn?
Well, that's Hollywood. You just get tired of hearing them.
Now, if you want to piss off a dem, let them know that Kerry didn't lose (because in the dem utopia, no one ever loses)...he just came in second place.
Got news for you. I am probably not considered a Walmart American and neither are most of the people I know who voted for Bush. We aren't Billionaires either. The category we fall in is small business owners.
Many people voted for Bush for different reasons and I for one wonder what is up with the press? Why are they giving the "so called" Walmart Americans all the credit? I want some of the credit too.
I think another factor in Hollyweird's torpedoing of Kerry's campaign was that these people are *entertainers*. They can't just express their beliefs in rational, thoughtful, logical arguments. They have to all be more dramatic and 'quotable' than the last.
Their own self-centered, ignorant natures were highlighted instead of the what ever drivel was pouring out of their mouths.
Keep that WalMart assignation away from me. Everything in it is manufactured in China. No thank you.
``The gratuitous murder of an innocent goose did Kerry in.``
The sad thing about this is that the damn goose was probably thrown in the trash. I am totally against killing animals if you are not going to eat them, control them or stuff them (not a real big fan of stuffing , but acceptable). Outright wanten killing of animals is wrong, especially if it is just for political gain. Did PETA ever say anything about this.
bttt
Scaramouche, Scaramouche will you do the fandango?
These idiot entertainers not only hurt their candidate, but I am betting they have hurt their careers as well. I noticed there was no sign of the Dixie Chicks at last night's Country Music Awards. Instead there were a few sly references to their former dominance of the CMAs followed by much laughter. Their next CD will be on the remainder rack in days. Springsteen will still have his slavish worshipers on the East Coast, but he has lost a huge part of his audience, myself included.
Very, very frightening...
ME!
bttt
It was a wholly contrived political spectacle.
I have never heard of any politico slaughtering an animal for bald political gain.
Well, maybe the Romans did that.
Then there's Teddy Roosevelt...
Gotta second that resistance to the 'Wal Mart voter' notion. I'm well-off, highly educated, not religious, registered independent, and pretty moderate on social issues.
I voted Republican because Kerry is probably the worst of the liberal empty suits - a liar, traitor, opportunist of the worst sort - a populist, socialist, scheming money grubber, and arrogant political blowhard.
That the Dems would nominate a candidate that bad speaks volumes about their ignorance/perfidy.
Keep it up Hollywood! We appreciate all your help.
kerry did himself in.
You can leave the "Walmart" apellation off, but the rest applies to me. Did Mr. Diddy ever actually register to vote?
Nope... he's now known as P. Didn't
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