Ordinary Gweilo

about

Disgraceful? Divisive? Crass?

Oct 19, 2004

Conrad has managed to work himself up into a lather of self-righteous indignation concerning something John Kerry said in the final presidential debate.

He finds it "crass" that Kerry should have mentioned that Dick Cheney’s daughter is a lesbian "for a vile and divisive political objective". Really?

So is it a secret? No. (from The Observer):

Cheney himself frequently mentions Mary as his ‘gay daughter’ on the campaign trail when he is trying to paint his party as compassionate conservatives, so being used is nothing new.

So Mary Cheney is totally unconnected with the Bush-Cheney campaign? No. (from The Guardian).

Mary Cheney is the director of vice-presidential operations for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. She held a public role as her father’s assistant in the 2000 campaign, and helped the Republicans to recruit gay voters during the 2002 mid-term elections.

This has been an election of negative campaigning and personal attacks from both sides on the candidates. By the currently accepted standards this was mild stuff, possibly intended to embarass Mr Bush by highlighting that (in this regard at least) his running mate is more of a compassionate conservative than he is. Cynical maybe, but no more so than usual.

Anyway, Conrad, don’t worry – the polls are turning back in Bush’s favour. He doesn’t need your help.

Meanwhile, The Guardian has started a silly and misguided campaign to get its (liberal) readers to write to electors in the State and ask them to consider the international impact of their vote. Yesterday they printed some of the responses, and, guess what, Americans don’t take very kindly to foreigners telling them how they should vote.

Posted in Politics

8 responses to “Disgraceful? Divisive? Crass?”

fumier

Oct 19, 2004

“Divisive”? Isn’t that what the PRC calls those who support democracy in Hong Kong?

LikeLike

Reply
Chris

Oct 19, 2004

You mean that divisive is just an all-purpose insult that doesn’t mean very much?
Actually, I wonder what is more “divisive” – Kerry’s comments or the way they have been exploited by right-wing bloggers and talk radio hosts?
Maybe I’ve underestimated the impact of them banging on about this issue (possibly because reading the Gweilo Diaries is the limit of my exposure to that type of stuff), because it is now being cited as one reason for Kerry losing support in spite of winning the debate.
Or maybe Conrad’s views really are representative of what Middle America is thinking.
I’m not sure which of the two alternatives is the scarier!

LikeLike

Reply
fumier

Oct 19, 2004

Yes, ‘divisive’ is just another label used instead of coming up with a proper argument – a bit like labelling something ‘moral equivalency’ because it inconveniently exposes a weakness in one’s own position. It’s the Internet equivalent of putting your fingers in your ears and shouting ‘I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you.’

LikeLike

Reply
Eshin

Oct 20, 2004

It’s ironic really. Of course Americans don’t like people to interfere with their democratic process. But it doesn’t stop some of them, like Conrad, from banging on about the flaws in everyone else’s democratic process.

LikeLike

Reply
dave

Oct 20, 2004

It’s ironic really. Of course
Americans don’t like people to interfere with
their democratic process. But it doesn’t stop
some of them, like Conrad, from banging on about
the flaws in everyone else’s democratic
process.

And it doesn’t stop them thinking that they have
to right to interfere in other countries by e.g.
invading them.

LikeLike

Reply
Chris

Oct 20, 2004

No, no, they’re not interfering, they’re helping
This is nothing new – people were just as ungrateful when the British Empire tried to help civilise them. It’s all very puzzling.

LikeLike

Reply
Eshin Direct

Oct 20, 2004

Operation Clark County

Via OrdinaryGweilo.com.
Apparently, the Guardian took a somewhat foolish initiative to try and sway undecided voters in Clark County, Ohio by sending them letters from people abroad who would plead with

LikeLike

Reply
the shaky kaiser

Oct 20, 2004

dear limey assholes

The Guardian launched “Operation Clark County”:
“to help readers have a say in the American election by writing to undecided voters in the crucial state of Ohio”
Now I don’t personally think this is right. If I received a letter from somone …

LikeLike

Reply