Kerry: the Lusty, Uncool Candidate
Reported by Melanie - August 17, 2004 -
Well, you gotta give them credit. Or do you? Today (August 17, 2004) on Dayside w/Linda Vester, Fox News devoted a whole segment to John Kerry. The subject: Kerry's favorite movie stars, what he looks for in a woman, and his favorite songs.
According to Vester, GQ gave Fox "a little" bit of an interview with John Kerry they're soon to publish.
Vester, Rich Lowry of the National Review and Ellis Henican of Newsday had a good time giggling and snickering at some of the quotes. Vester wondered if it's "become standard" that some candidates do interviews like this to try to appeal to young people? (COMMENT: The way she said it she made it sound like Kerry's desperate. If Bush is interviewed by GQ, will we hear the same thing?) Vester pointed out that John Kerry likes that his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, is "sexy...saucy." Henican said Kerry was being a "regular guy, he likes sexy women." Vester asked whether George Bush "ever said anything like that about Laura," and Lowry assured her Bush hasn't used "saucy" in reference to Laura. (COMMENT: Bush, of course, being more dignified.) Vester said Charlize Theron, Marilyn Monroe and Katherine Zeta-Jones are Kerry's favorite actresses. Vester said that she wasn't sure she'd want her husband talking about other women and asked whether, when you think of Kerry as Commander in Chief, "that's what you want to hear?" (COMMENT: Thanks for planting the seed Linda.) Lowry assured us that Kerry said he'd only have his wife sing him Happy Birthday (referring to Marilyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday to John F. Kennedy - evoking sleezy memoiries for the older viewer). Henican said he's a married guy and he has favorite actresses and then Vester wondered if Kerry was saying these things and giving the interview to "make him hipper." (COMMENT: Translation: he isn't hip now but does things like this to appear so. Also, he's not authentic.) Two audience members made remarks, one against Kerry and one neutral, then Henican, who's there as the representative of the left, said he thinks Bush "seems like a pretty cool, nice guy" though he doesn't agree with his policies. Vester then read more from the article, saying Kerry's favorite songs are Brown Sugar, Jumpin' Jack Flash and Lay Lady Lay by Bob Dylan. Vester looked askance at the camera and asked whether it was "potentially troublesome getting into that territory." (COMMENT: Not really, but Fox and Vester are happy to make it so.) Henican said most young people will see Bob Dylan and Lay Lady Lay as an "old fogie song," so he wasn't too worried about it and Lowry said Kerry "seems arrogant, not the most personable" so he does these interviews to seem more human. Ending the segment, Vester said she was curious to see what else is in the article when it comes out.
COMMENT: This is quintessential Fox. Their coverage of Bush is reverent, respectful and serious. When they poke fun at him they do it in such a way that Bush looks like a "regular guy" doing something silly that anyone might do. Here, on Kerry, everybody's giggling, Vester's giving looks to the camera like "can you believe this?" and Lowry and Vester still get their jabs in. Kerry is mocked and laughed at; portrayed as undignified, as pandering for votes, as a bit of a lusty and dull guy trying to be cool. Ah yes, this is Fox giving Kerry air time. Objective: Portray Bush as presidential, portray Kerry as anything but. Oh, and by the way, is John Edwards' name EVER mentioned anymore?
