(Danville, California)
Good Lord! Where do I begin? The campaign missteps are coming so fast that I feel I need dance lessons. (Or maybe the candidates do!)
Today it was former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX), a surrogate for Sen. John McCain, who - during an interview with "The Washington Times" - called the United States "a nation of whiners" in a "mental recession."
People paying $ 4.50 a gallon for gas are probably not really thrilled about being called "whiners." And the "mental recession" remark smacks of Jimmy Carter's infamous "malaise speech," which was likely the lowest emotional moment in U.S. Presidential history. People don't like being told they are "losers," whether it's by a Republican or a Democrat. Such remarks helped lead to Carter's landslide defeat to Ronald Reagan in 1980. We want to be uplifted, not castigated.
Not to be outdone, Phil Gramm has plenty of competition from the Rev. Jesse Jackson. At the end of a Fox News interview this week, Jackson said (assuming the microphones had been cut): "See, Barack been, um, talking down to black people on this faith based .... I wanna cut his nuts (testicles) off ... Barack ... he's talking down to black people." The fact that Sen. Obama has been chastising black males who father children, then abandon their families, is laudable. That he's calling on churches to help is an acknowledgment that he knows they fill a big need in the social services gap. Entertainer Bill Cosby (who holds a Doctorate in Education) has been attacked for similar remarks. Why do people attack the messenger when they don't like the message? Much to my dismay, some U.S. media outlets are "self-censoring" Jackson's remarks. This "namby-pamby" journalistic nonsense needs to end now! Report what he said, and let people make their own interpretation and judgement. (NOTE TO THE MEDIA: Go back and read the First Amendment in case you are confused!) There was no such restraint when then-candidates George W. Bush and Dick Cheney referred to "New York Times" reporter Adam Clymer as an "ass" during the 2000 campaign, while they stood to close to an open microphone. Just report what the candidates say, crude as it may be at times. (NOTE TO CANDIDATES: Always assume all mikes are hot!)
Now, let me take a moment to defend Sen. Gramm and Rev. Jackson. They are entitled to their opinions, and - quite honestly - it's nice to hear a little candor in a prepackaged corporate sound bite world. I think both men probably truly believe their statements. Heck! That's actually refreshing from both sides. At least we know where they stand!
The real problem here is that both men are surrogates for the candidates. What REALLY matters in this election is what the candidates themselves say and how they respond to questions and issues. Gramm and Jackson are not on the ballot.
This year Barack Obama was nominated for the "Foot in Mouth" award when he stereotyped rural voters as gun-and-Bible-toting hicks. John McCain won his "Foot in Mouth" nomination by saying that he needed to be educated about the economy because his real strengths lie in military and foreign affairs. Both men were pummeled for their remarks, and that's the way it should be because THEY are the ones who could actually sit in the Oval Office.
So, while we can all be amused by Jesse Jackson and Phil Gramm, (and Geraldine Ferraro, Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Rev. Pat Robertson, et. al.), it's important to keep in mind, they are not on the ballot.
Let's focus on the candidates themselves and hope the "Foot in Mouth Award" does not become a category at the Oscars! It might be hard to pick a winner.
In six weeks, I hit the road again for the Democratic and Republican conventions. Keep dropping by, www.MarkCurtisMedia.blogspot.com.
Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com!
1 comment:
You think Carter’s speech was “likely the lowest emotional moment in U.S. Presidential history”? What fallout shelter have you been living in for 8 years? I might want to join you in November.
“People don't like being told they are ‘losers,’” true, true but Americans need to buckle up and take it like real men and women. Maybe a stroll through Walter Reed Army Hospital would help them with seeing reality. Hey, Walter Reed is even more difficult to handle than $4.50 a gallon.
As for the so-called “"namby-pamby" journalism, when any wealthy imbecile can buy a media outlet and any humongous wealthy imbecile can buy a long string of media outlets transforming our profession of the timid into even more timid journalists, what do you expect? Respect for the Constitution? What you get is Fox News ripping through the heavily censored land of the supposedly brave.
And who comes to my mind is that old drunk, Benjamin Franklin. When asked on the street outside the Constitution Convention what form of government they were giving the new country, Franklin supposedly shot back, “A Republic, if you can keep it.” He hadn't had a beer for almost three hours.
Well, those who can’t handle the truth, those who are not even given the truth, those who think the worse thing on this planet is $4.50 gasoline, I don’t think they can keep it. But let's hope the rest of Americans can get their act together and straighten out the pathetic mess this country is in.
Post a Comment