[NorthEasterner]

The line "Although Dan Rather is not a politician per se -- he only played one on TV -- his shark-jump became known as "Rathergate." just threw me!

[edpc]

Aaaayyyyy!!!!

Man, Carter had so many JTS moments, you'd think he was The Fonz or Evel Knievel. The gas lines, addressing the nation in a cardigan and asking us to turn down our thermostat, getting advice from Amy, the swimming, attacking rabbit......on and on. He was a treasure trove of the ridiculous.

[BibChr]

Good column. There should be a web site for the Shark-Jumpers' Hall of Fame (Shame?).

Dan

[KarlInOhio]

"Jumping the shark" refers to the moment when something once-great ends,

[snip]

First up might be former President Jimmy Carter.

"once-great", "Carter"? Bwahahahahaha!

Carter walked up the shark tank and was pulled under without jumping.

[rlmorel]

"Catch the waaaabittt...CATCH THE WAAABBBITTT..."

(Sung to the tune of "Flight of the Valkyries" in an Elmer Fudd voice...:)

[rlmorel]

I admit it. I ALWAYS wondered at the origin of that saying, "Jump the Shark"...:)

[kilowhskey]

I would suggest that Clinton jumped the shark when, during his first campaign, when asked about drug use, he replied "I broke no laws of the United States." That careful formulation became the pattern for eight years of evasion and deception."

[LK44-40]

From original article: Carter's jump came with his inept handling of the hostage-taking in Iran

I disagree. It was surely an inept moment, but it lacks the ridiculous quality of an effete gesture to try to capture or sustain something that is clearly finished.

[Orbiting_Rosie's_Head]

"Jump the Shark" has great relevence when speaking of pop culture events, television, etc. A much better term for describing the demise of politician is "Ride the Tank", in reference to Michael Dukakis' famous crash and burn. I've proposed this phrase on FR before. Evidently it didn't catch on, so I'll suggest it here again

[Capt. Tom]

This is how Cindy Sheehan "Jumped the shark" - Tom WND - Oct 2005

"Cindy Sheehan, the so-called "peace mom" on a crusade to end U.S. involvement in the Iraq war, is publicly blasting Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for her continued support of the ongoing conflict. "I think she is a political animal who believes she has to be a war hawk to keep up with the big boys," Sheehan writes in an open letter posted on anti-Bush filmmaker Michael Moore's website. "I would love to support Hillary for president if she would come out against the travesty in Iraq. But I don't think she can speak out against the occupation, because she supports it.

I will not make the mistake of supporting another pro-war Democrat for president again: As I won't support a pro-war Republican."

[Jackknife]

I thought Jimmuh jumped the shark when he tried to talk down that tripping dude on live TV with Kronkite.

Oh wait! .......

That was on SNL.

.........nevermind.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Re: Jimmy Carter - anyone remember the time he ran the Peachtree Road Race and collapsed from the heat? There were some great wire photos of him like a limp noodle being assisted away by the Secret Service. That was totally jumpin' the shark.

[luvbach1]

I think Jimmah "jumped the shark" much earlier when he expressed puzzlement that the Soviets could not be trusted to keep their word.

[Brett66]

I think one of Carter's great JTS moment was sitting in his chair with a sweater on telling us all to do the same, or his "malaise" comment.

[albee]

Bump for later read! This is going to be a FR Classic!

[Mia T]

bump

CINDY SHEEHAN'S JUMP-THE-SHARK MOMENT?
(metaphor--Jon Hein via PJ-Comix, logo--Jon Hein)

by Mia T, 9.01.05

(viewing movie requires Flash Player 7, available HERE)

PLAY MOVIE

THE GREAT FISH moved silently through the night water, propelled by short sweeps of its crescent tail. The mouth was open just enough to permit a rush of water over the gills. There was little other motion: an occasional correction of the apparently aimless course by the slight raising or lowering of a pectoral fin--as a bird changes direction by dipping one wing and lifting the other. The eyes were sightless in the black, and the other senses transmitted nothing extraordinary to the small, primitive brain. The fish might have been asleep, save for the movement dictated by countless millions of years of instinctive continuity: lacking the flotation bladder common to other fish and the fluttering flaps to push oxygen-bearing water through its gills, it survived only by moving. Once stopped, it would sink to the bottom and die of anoxia.

Peter Benchley, Jaws

[1L]

>>jumps a shark, marking the decline of the show<<

This is a pet peeve of mine, as that episode did not mark the decline of the show. The show started declining when Howard left.

[don-o]

From Wikw

On December 22, 1963, Bonanza aired "Hoss and the Leprechauns," in which Hoss Cartwright (Dan Blocker) met a leprechaun, and no one believed him when he said so. Several viewers logged onto the Jump the Shark site and said, "We used to call 'Jumping the Shark' 'Seeing the Leprechaun.'"

[handk]

jumpingtheshark.com

[evets]

Jumping the couch

[LilDarlin]

carter "jumped the shark" the nanosecond he opened his yap to take the oath of office.

From that point in his life forward...it's been all downhill.

We'd all have been far better off if he'd have been eaten by the shark.