No one should be surprised by taunting in partisan politics. But are there no limits?
Today’s e-mail from the right-wing, Midland-based lobby group/PAC Empower Texans notes that Democrats Farouk Shami and Bill White will square off on Monday in a gubernatorial debate. “The comedy factor will be high, if for no other reason than both men are likely to lose in November,” writes the group’s president, Michael Quinn Sullivan. (Empower Texans PAC has endorsed Gov. Rick Perry for re-election.) Then this:
“I still think ‘Shami-White’ sounds like a car-care product.”
Making fun of someone’s name? Really? How classy.
Let them be as stupid as they want. The stupider the better.
Sorry, I still have retained my sense of humor, and they’re right; It does indeed sound like a car-care product, and yes, it’s juvenile to the point of infant-humor. It’s also something that would look strange if a liberal-leaning site did this, but that’s the divide we now face.
The problem is, that’s all they’ve got. All they can do is this “it’s us, the ordinary (white guys) people vs them.
The problem with that is that both these guys are successful businessmen, and White is apparently a pretty good executive.
I’m not real sensitive about humor issues, but they don’t work as political platforms or policy statements for me.
Like I said, I”m happy if those guys take it as far to the right, and as stupid, as they possibly can.
It’s going to come back and bite them in the ass when they start running in the general and try to nonchalantly drift over to the middle. The middle will already be occupied.
I know this is really serious – it is; but lighten up a little. A little humor puts both of these mens names into people’s minds and that never hurts when they get into the voting booth.
I’m sure Mr. Shami became inured to jokes about his name a long time ago, or he wouldn’t have decided to run. He’ll have an even rougher time with the knuckleheaded bigots who make a big deal out of Farouk.
Like I said, I encourage Mr. Perry’s campaign to be as faaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr over to the right as possible, and of course, they’ll make sure to make it as STUPID as possible.
Humor’s great. Where’s Pat Paulsen when you need him?
D
Doctor, my eyes have seen the years
And the slow parade of fears without crying
Now I want to understand
I have done all that I could
To see the evil and the good without hiding
You must help me if you can
Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what is wrong
Was I unwise to leave them open for so long
I have wandered through this world
As each moment has unfurled
I’ve been waiting to awaken from these dreams
People go just where they will
I never noticed them until I got this feeling
That it’s later than it seems
Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what you see
I hear their cries
Just say if it’s too late for me
Doctor, my eyes
Cannot see the sky
Is this the prize for having learned how not to cry
What’s in a name? During the George Bush/Dick Chaney Administration there was a bumper sticker that said “Support Abstinence…NO BUSH! NO DICK!”
Good one!!!
tfn, is someone fixing the link to the UN/guns post?
I woke up at 4:30 this am and saw the end of “Bad Day at Black Rock” . Robert Ryan plays a racist who kills a Japanese Am. war her0.
Then they had one I hadn’t seen, “Crossfire” with Robert Ryan, Robert Mitchum, and Robert Young. Ryan plays a racist who kills a Jewish war veteran.
Robert Young plays a crafty, sardonic detective , great film.
It’s also interesting as a cultural artifact. It’s amazing how far our culture has declined.