George and Harry
I don’t watch awards shows of any kind anymore. When I abandoned the religion of celebrity worship several years ago, I discovered that there was no real reason for me to watch them apart from whatever thrill I might get from catching a glimpse, however briefly, of pop culture icons making a temporary descent into the real world in which the rest of us live. As that experience no longer carries such a thrill for me, I find I can make better use of my time reading a book, or cutting my toenails.
Nevertheless, there are sometimes episodes that occur in such settings that make their way into my “field of vision” and prompt a lot of thought on my part. Such is the case with an acceptance speech at the recent Golden Globe ceremonies. In accepting the award for Best Haircut, or something, George Clooney decided to thank Jack Abramoff “just because” - a reference to the bribery conspiracy scandal that some feel will touch only Republicans. He then went on to make a vulgar joke about parents that give a child that particular first name to go with a last name that ends with “off.”
Of course, my first reaction to this incident was to question whether making jokes about someone’s name in this manner is really territory that George C. Looney wants to venture into. But it is just enough to know that Mr. Clooney’s propensity for using events such as this as opportunities to remind viewers of his hatred for those with whom he disagrees is something that has remained constant with the passing of time. Many, no doubt, still remember his tasteless jokes about Charlton Heston’s Alzheimer’s disease in the not-too-distant past, and his unrepentant behavior when criticized for them.
In the spirit of other recent posts to this space, in which I have felt much more comfortable in speaking directly to the actions of a particular faction/party, I take note here that it is no surprise that Mr. Clooney is but one member of the vast Hollywood-Leftist community who is a staunch supporter of the Democrat Socialist party. And that engaging in the kind of personal smears that has become such a standard tactic among those of his ilk, he has joined his partisan beneficiaries in the ranks of those whose needless comments have hurt more than just the intended target – this time it was Mr. Abramoff’s twelve-year-old daughter who was reduced to tears by what was said.
Of course, I don’t deny that Mr. Abramoff has left himself open to such childish attacks from the simple-minded sort who find such gratification in this kind of immature rhetoric by virtue of his criminal activities – which will likely end up implicating members of both parties, by the way. I just think it’s useful to note who the simpletons are that jump on such opportunities as he has afforded, the pointless and damaging nature of what they have to say, and the “leaders” with whom they keep company.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, in yet another episode in which he has been forced to apologize for inappropriate statements he or his office has made, wrote on January 19 that he regrets “the current political climate in which policy disputes escalate too quickly into personal condemnation.” Yet he seems to be willing to do nothing to rein in those in his camp who continue to use it as their debate tactic of choice. We thus certainly shouldn’t be surprised that their staunchest supporters who memorize and recite other people’s thoughts for a living are inclined to use the same tactic, as opposed to offering real and well-thought solutions to the problems our government and nation face.
And maybe that’s because what few ideas they do have simply aren’t very appealing to the American electorate to which they still – much to their chagrin, no doubt – must appeal in order to win back power in the nation’s capital. Thus the need to accentuate scandals in the other camp. But leaving aside the fact that this scandal will likely end up embarrassing both Republicans and Democrats, this brings me back to my basic thought on scandal as a political tactic.
Scandals are one of the few things that the major parties have in common. By that I mean that both parties have been tainted by scandal in the past and will likely be touched by scandal again in the future. If someone wants to try to present one party as better than the other in this regard, he attempts the impossible. And the American people, by and large know this. Perhaps it’s cynical, but many within the voting public expect to hear about such things happening from time to time. This is likely what many mean when they say that there’s “not a dime’s worth of difference” between the parties. And if scandals in the past and present are what they are talking about, they are right.
Where the parties actually differ – and where more people than the Democrats seem to believe look to determine which party to support – is in what they believe. The positions they take, the policies they advocate, these are what set the Democrats apart from the Republicans. And these are the things that the “vast undecided” electorate will look to come election time.
Is it unpleasant to have to witness the endless finger-pointing that the party of George Clooney and Harry Reid seem to want to use to win people over? Certainly. But knowing that the real goal is to win the support of the people who still hold ultimate power in our Republic, I’m more than willing to endure it if it only helps to secure victory in the only expression of public opinion that really matters – in November.
Nevertheless, there are sometimes episodes that occur in such settings that make their way into my “field of vision” and prompt a lot of thought on my part. Such is the case with an acceptance speech at the recent Golden Globe ceremonies. In accepting the award for Best Haircut, or something, George Clooney decided to thank Jack Abramoff “just because” - a reference to the bribery conspiracy scandal that some feel will touch only Republicans. He then went on to make a vulgar joke about parents that give a child that particular first name to go with a last name that ends with “off.”
Of course, my first reaction to this incident was to question whether making jokes about someone’s name in this manner is really territory that George C. Looney wants to venture into. But it is just enough to know that Mr. Clooney’s propensity for using events such as this as opportunities to remind viewers of his hatred for those with whom he disagrees is something that has remained constant with the passing of time. Many, no doubt, still remember his tasteless jokes about Charlton Heston’s Alzheimer’s disease in the not-too-distant past, and his unrepentant behavior when criticized for them.
In the spirit of other recent posts to this space, in which I have felt much more comfortable in speaking directly to the actions of a particular faction/party, I take note here that it is no surprise that Mr. Clooney is but one member of the vast Hollywood-Leftist community who is a staunch supporter of the Democrat Socialist party. And that engaging in the kind of personal smears that has become such a standard tactic among those of his ilk, he has joined his partisan beneficiaries in the ranks of those whose needless comments have hurt more than just the intended target – this time it was Mr. Abramoff’s twelve-year-old daughter who was reduced to tears by what was said.
Of course, I don’t deny that Mr. Abramoff has left himself open to such childish attacks from the simple-minded sort who find such gratification in this kind of immature rhetoric by virtue of his criminal activities – which will likely end up implicating members of both parties, by the way. I just think it’s useful to note who the simpletons are that jump on such opportunities as he has afforded, the pointless and damaging nature of what they have to say, and the “leaders” with whom they keep company.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, in yet another episode in which he has been forced to apologize for inappropriate statements he or his office has made, wrote on January 19 that he regrets “the current political climate in which policy disputes escalate too quickly into personal condemnation.” Yet he seems to be willing to do nothing to rein in those in his camp who continue to use it as their debate tactic of choice. We thus certainly shouldn’t be surprised that their staunchest supporters who memorize and recite other people’s thoughts for a living are inclined to use the same tactic, as opposed to offering real and well-thought solutions to the problems our government and nation face.
And maybe that’s because what few ideas they do have simply aren’t very appealing to the American electorate to which they still – much to their chagrin, no doubt – must appeal in order to win back power in the nation’s capital. Thus the need to accentuate scandals in the other camp. But leaving aside the fact that this scandal will likely end up embarrassing both Republicans and Democrats, this brings me back to my basic thought on scandal as a political tactic.
Scandals are one of the few things that the major parties have in common. By that I mean that both parties have been tainted by scandal in the past and will likely be touched by scandal again in the future. If someone wants to try to present one party as better than the other in this regard, he attempts the impossible. And the American people, by and large know this. Perhaps it’s cynical, but many within the voting public expect to hear about such things happening from time to time. This is likely what many mean when they say that there’s “not a dime’s worth of difference” between the parties. And if scandals in the past and present are what they are talking about, they are right.
Where the parties actually differ – and where more people than the Democrats seem to believe look to determine which party to support – is in what they believe. The positions they take, the policies they advocate, these are what set the Democrats apart from the Republicans. And these are the things that the “vast undecided” electorate will look to come election time.
Is it unpleasant to have to witness the endless finger-pointing that the party of George Clooney and Harry Reid seem to want to use to win people over? Certainly. But knowing that the real goal is to win the support of the people who still hold ultimate power in our Republic, I’m more than willing to endure it if it only helps to secure victory in the only expression of public opinion that really matters – in November.
posted by JeffreyH | 11:55 AM
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