Kedwards and the Jerky Jokester

Democrats in Self-Destruct Mode CCCXXIX

James Taranto, of Best of the Web Today, has taken to referring to the Kerry-Edwards ticket as Kedwards. Here's an account of a Kedwards fund-raising event, Jul. 8, from Deborah Orin at the New York Post, Jul. 9 (brackets and ellipses in original).

Whoopi Goldberg delivered an X-rated rant full of sexual innuendoes against President Bush last night at a Radio City gala that raised $7.5 million for the newly minted Democratic ticket of John Kerry and John Edwards.

Waving a bottle of wine, she fired off a stream of vulgar sexual wordplays on Bush's name in a riff about female genitalia, and boasted that she'd refused to let Team Kerry clear her material.

"I Xeroxed my behind and I folded it up in an envelope and I sent it back with a big kiss mark on because we're Democrats — we're not afraid to laugh," she said.

She addressed fresh-faced vice-presidential candidate Edwards as "Kid," and "young Mr. Edwards" and cracked, "He looks like he is about 18 "

"I'm going to card his ass tomorrow."

Other celebs also competed to bash Bush. Singer John Mellencamp sang a specially written song that called the president "just another cheap thug" and ridiculed him as the "Texas bambino."

Kerry could be seen laughing uproariously during part of Goldberg's tirade - and neither he nor Edwards voiced a single objection to its tone when they spoke to the crowd.

They hailed the fund-raiser as a great event.

Edwards said it was "a great honor" to be there and insisted, "This campaign will be a celebration of real American values."

Kerry thanked all the performers for "an extraordinary evening," hailed the "great producers" — Harvey Weinstein of Miramax and Jann Wenner — and said "every performer tonight ... conveyed to you the heart and soul of our country."

Last fall, Howard Dean ran into a similar problem when a New York fund-raiser turned into a stream of ugly racist jokes and X-rated Bush-bashing - but Dean instantly came out and said he didn't like the tone of some of the jokes.

Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt noted that Kerry is claiming to share "conservative values" and said, "Sitting there while the vitriol and venom spew forth demonstrates [Kerry's] lack of leadership and how far he is from mainstream America."

Schmidt added, "It's no surprise that a group of Hollywood celebrities would be so excited to support the most out-of-the-mainstream ticket in Democratic Party history."

Also on the Bush-bashing team was comedian Chevy Chase, who claimed the president is dumb as "an egg-timer" and said Edwards will make Vice President Dick Cheney look "as bright as a bundt cake" when they debate next fall.

Latin comedian John Leguizamo said he refuses to believe there are any Hispanic Republicans, claiming that's "an oxymoron," because "Latins for Republicans — it's like roaches for Raid."

Leguizamo added that he made sure to get there early to clear security because "I kind of look Arab - that's why I don't wear underwear anymore, just to make the searches go faster."

Screen legend Paul Newman blasted the Bush tax cuts, saying, "I am a traitor to my class. I think that tax cuts to wealthy thugs like me are borderline criminal - I live very high off the hog."

Actress Jessica Lange dismissed Bush as "our so-called president" to the fat-cat crowd and afterward said, "I'll do everything that I can possibly do, short of selling my children," to beat Bush.

Additional reporting by Jennifer Fermino

On Monday, the Bush campaign manager sent this letter to the Kedwards campaign manager.

July 12, 2004

Mary Beth Cahill
Campaign Manager
John Kerry for President
P.O. Box 34640
Washington, DC 20043

Dear Ms. Cahill:

On Thursday your campaign hosted a fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall at which Sen. Kerry said, "Every performer tonight in their own way either verbally through their music through their lyrics have conveyed to you the heart and soul of our country."

I called on your campaign to release the performance that Sen. Kerry said represented the "heart and soul" of America so that all Americans could see for themselves what John Kerry thinks represents the "heart and soul" of our country.

Do most Americans in their hearts, think that calling the President a "thug" and a "killer" represents the "heart and soul" of our nation? We don't think so, but we think voters should decide for themselves by watching the celebrities John Kerry said captured the "heart and soul" of America.

Your Senior Advisor Tad Devine said that you believed that releasing musical performances "might violate copyrights and licensing agreements for the entertainers who performed and allow the Bush campaign to use the tape in commercials against Kerry and Edwards".

I have been assured that "fair use" rules of copyright would allow you to release the tapes of these musical performances to the news media under 2 U.S.C. § 107. To allay the other concern you relayed to the news media, Bush-Cheney '04 pledges to refrain from using audio, video or transcripts of the event for any television, cable, satellite or radio advertising. We look forward to seeing this spirited display.

Sincerely,

Ken Mehlman
Campaign Manager

Sure, the letter is just a stunt, Faithful Reader. But, me likey. :-)

P.S. Today, Deborah Orin reports that Bushies have fired back.

President Bush yesterday tagged rival John Kerry as an "out-of-the-mainstream" Hollywood liberal by pointing to last week's New York fund-raiser in which Whoopi Goldberg reeled off an X-rated Bush-bashing rant.

"The other day my opponent said, when he was with some entertainers from Hollywood, that they were the heart and soul of America," Bush told crowds in the Democratic but socially conservative towns of Marquette, Mich., and Duluth.

"I believe the heart and soul of America is found in places right here," Bush added to cheers from two giant crowds as he sought to move the values debate to the center of the race.

On the eve of a Senate test on banning gay marriage, Bush added: "We stand for institutions like marriage and the family that are the foundations of our society."

Up at the top of the stands of a Marquette stadium stood four kids proudly holding a long white banner with red and blue letters that proclaimed: "We are the heart and soul of America."

Kathleen Erikson, 57, said she was so angry at Kerry's claim that "those type of people" are America's soul that she made the banner.

Last Thursday, Goldberg led the way in crude Bush-bashing at a $7.5million Kerry fund-raiser by reeling off vulgar sexual word-plays on Bush's name while other performers blasted him as a killer and "cheap thug."

Right afterward, Kerry got up on the stage at Radio City Music Hall and said all the performers showed "the heart and soul of our country." The Duluth Superior newspaper yesterday called on Kerry to apologize.

The Blog from the Core asserts Fair Use for non-commercial, non-profit educational purposes.

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Wed. 07/14/04 07:31:52 AM
Categorized as Democrats in Self-Destruct Mode & Media.

Re: An American Compact

A reader writes:

Take a look at the signatories of the "American Compact" from 1992 that you posted today. Notice two very conspicuous names:

Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Sometimes a Kennedy can do something right! We must give credit where credit is due. It must have been very embarassing for Ted and Caroline and JFK, Jr. (still alive at the time) to see that in the NYT during the convention. If only daughter Maria Shriver Schwartzenegger would see the light (and her Governor husband as well).

God bless you during your job search.

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Wed. 07/14/04 07:07:46 AM
Categorized as Social/Cultural.