Can you handle people making fun of your candidate?

Here's a quote from a poster, who shall remain nameless, regarding Jon Stewart's taking the piss out of Kucinich (along with all the other Dems, I might add):
I was disappointed in Jon last night. He really took off on Dennis Kucinich. I don't have a problem with making fun of anyone's political agenda but his laughs came at the expense of Dennis's physical appearance.

To which, I responded:
Say it ain't so! You mean, a comedian made fun of somebody's physical appearance??? Holy cow! Alert the media! C'mon. Don't be so thin-skinned. Remember, you're posting on a site where people regularly refer to Bush as a drunken, smirking chimp (myself included). (By the way, he also made fun of Dean, calling him "Necky.")

Now, I'm a Dean or Kerry supporter (or Clark--I still haven't decided), but I'll be the first to admit that Dean looks goofy when he tucks his chin into his massive neck, and that Kerry looks like a bloodhound with a permanent five o'clock shadow. Remember what Al Franken said about how Right Wingers 'love America like a 4-year-old--everything it does is right and anyone who criticizes it is wrong.' I often see that sort of manichaean mentality here on DU when it comes to the candidates.

So, can you handle people making fun of your candidate––as long as they aren't distorting his or her positions on the issues, or telling lies about his or her past, that is.

they don't mean it in a vicious way. i usually let comedians get by as david letterman always did with bill clinton when he made fun of his weight. of course clinton had no problem with it as him and hillary go on his show. john kerry has no problem with it either.

Otherwise, you get the Gore-invented-the-Internet variety, which merely perpetuates a lie. That's not comedy.

Dean has some very serious sitting down neck problems. :-)

Before Kucinich's haircut, he looked like a caracture of a ventrilaquist's dummy, but has massively improved. :-)

Lieberman's haircut makes him look like Willy Wonka, and I think more people would like him if he cut off the wings. :-)

I think he needs to learn how to calm his hands down. Last night he reminded me of one of those guys on the runway who directs airplanes...fingers point up, fingers point out, hands out...stop.

But his words ARE DAMN RIGHT ON!!!

:7

he would go from the two fingers up, to the one finger up, back to the two, then the full hand, then back. I think it was his way of subduing himself (he was probably making a concerted effort to not be such a firebrand in those circumstances, especially when LIEberman attacked him), but he does need to work on it, it was a little out of hand. And I find the neck thing amusing:)

Which was good when he calmly showed Lieberman to be the buffoon he is. But I wish he would have shown a little more spunk like Gephardt and Sharpton! We know he can do it. I guess he just needs to find the right balance.

Did anyone catch what his obscure favorite song was? I didn't catch what he said.

I forget what the issue was, but I thought it was funny.

Instead of starting with the index finger, you start with the thumb. It looked like two fingers, but it was actually three. (He's so urbane, dontcha know.)

But, whenever they cut to Dean and he's not saying anything (e.g. reaction shots or studio shots before he begins to speak), he tucks his chin into his neck and leaves his mouth slightly agape, giving him an air of surprise. It's kind of goofy. I think he needs to work on this.

I like Dean, especially the line about Trent Lott! But it's hard to tell when he's finished speaking. He needs to close his mouth and smile, maybe give a confident nod after he delivers his last line. As it is, he looks awkward when he's not speaking. He seems to freeze in an unnatural position. The camera stayed on him for a few seconds while someone else began speaking, and he looked strangely uncomfortable.

Dr. Dean and Dr. Fonebone from Mad Magazine.

Was that Ringo's dad? (It's been a while, but I seem to recall that Ringo Fonebone was Captain Klutz's alter-ego.)

when speaking off the cuff to reporters Dean is calm.

But last night I did notice that at one point when the camera was on Dean he reminded me of a beaver or a chipmunk. He had this expression where his two top teeth were showing.

Well better than looking like a chimp.

And Kerry always reminds me of a basset or bloodhound with his hangdog face.

And I hate to admit it but Dennis does look like he could step right on to a Star Trek set.

The editorial cartoonists ought to love these guys!

Byt seriously the media and much of the voting public put too much on physical appearance, height, weight, hair, etc. including some of us here

for example, if the whores settle on some "line" about, say, Kerry, the way they did with Gore, I would hate to see people here help them spread it around, even if it's just joking.

... Nobody should edit themselves because some loudmouth may take it too far. Must admit I'm guilty of cringing every time one of our guys sticks his neck out because we know what O'Reilly's gonna say about it. But once people start watching their words because of that, then they've won. They'll find their playground insults with or without our help, so I say screw O'Reilly and the lot of 'em.

Then they are not trashing his ideas and it looks like maybe that is becasue they don't disagree.

I really like Kucinich, and have been very disappointed to read about people making fun of his physical appearance. I don't imagine Abraham Lincoln would have even been given a chance in today's shallow, brainwashed, dumbed-down, substanceless, mainstream America. Kucinich makes a lot of sense, and he is saying what needs to be said with a lot of passion, yet because of this, people refer to him as 'loony' or make some quip about his appearance. I don't think most of America has ever passed the immaturity of the Jr. High level. If you look at our esteemed 'leader', the sad thing is, he truly does represent most Americans intellectually and ideally at this point in time.

If we use the same standards.

Listen, making fun of politicians' physical appearances has been a tradition for centuries... It comes with the territory. If you don't like it, don't run! Characaturists/political cartoonists, from Thomas Nast to David Horsey, have made it into an art-form.

On edit: why does it seem as if only Kucinich supporters have a problem with this?

BTW, a search for the word 'Chimp' on DU for the past week yielded this response: Your search criteria returned too many topics. Only displaying first 102 pages.

Don't get me wrong--I think the guy's a chimp, both in appearance and manner. I'm just making a point that what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

apperance. some things never change.

especially when he was making fun of the attempts at Spanish.

...if it's cheap shots delivered only because their candidate is trailing mine, that's a different story.

I laughed hard when Jon Stewart called Dean "Necky".

I am a Kucinich supporter and poking fun doesn't bug me. Hell, even I look at him during the debates and see this guy:

BigMcLargeHuge, you are SUCH a Kindred Spirit...

First, your name. LOVE MST3K
Second, your sig line. ThatSam Waterston skit from SNL is classic
Third, your Potter graphic....

when every joke becomes fodder for the idiot mediawhores. I reserve the right to complain and to le tthem know how I feel about their humor.

I'm not saying you have, by the way. It would be great (if boring) if political battles were waged only using policy positions as weapons. But, here's a little clue... it ain't gonna happen.

Take a cue from Al Franken. Rather than being meek and self-righteous, it's time we went on the offensive. Unfortunately, in this day and age, somebody needs to get the mule's attention...

That stuff is mildly funny and temporary, and won't hurt any of them when election time comes around.

But on a nightly basis, he criticizes Bush POLICY, and THAT will stick.

I'm humorless inflexible and angry....
deal with it.
:)
www.chimesatmidnight.blogspot.com

First, if you're talking about the media, I've got a thin skin because my candidate, Braun, gets the least and worst press coverage of the bunch, and other candidates on the left also get short shrift.

Example. In Albuquerque Carol performed well at the debates, she was busy campaigning, but most of the reporters wouldn't give her the time of day. Word is in the "spin room" she got the cold shoulder. Well, after such a good performance before the cameras, did the press start to pay attention? Hardly. Still waiting for that moment.

One story did go out about how Gephardt and somebody else too about tripped over the riser they had for Braun to make her appear taller behind the podium. Ha ha. I can take jokes about Braun being short. She's made them herself in moments of self-deprecating humor. I've made them. She's short, shorter than any president we've had. But this bozo didn't even have the decency to ask Braun, to say like, "I noticed that some of the fellows tripped over your riser." She might have had something clever to say, something pointed. In that context, while she's getting the silent treatment from the press, it was just rude to put out that story. It wasn't funny.

I find her eloquent and level headed. What's the beef against her, by the way? I heard something about some ethical problems while she was in Congress.

They were raised during her confirmation hearing, and she answered them. After trashing her up and down, Helms didn't have the courage to show up at the hearings, but the next day he said some nasty things on the floor. Other Senators spoke against Helms and in favor of Braun. There was a vote and Braun's nomination for the ambassadorship was confirmed by 96 votes. (Sens. McCain and Kyl of Arizona were absent, but Kyl said on the record that he would have voted to confirm. Don't know what McCain was thinking.) Helms and Fitzgerald voted against confirming. It was a vendetta based on bogus accusations, lies and distortions.

Said Al Gore:

I am very pleased that the Senate today voted on a bipartisan basis to confirm Carol Moseley-Braun as our nation's new Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

During her time in the Senate, Carol was not just a path-breaker -- the first African-American woman to serve in the United States Senate -- she was a strong voice for the people of Illinois and indeed the nation.

I believe that strong voice, her dedication to public service and her wealth of experience will serve the American people well in her new position as a representative of our nation.

That ought to be the end of it, but the press still loves a scandal, and who knows what else motivates them.

Typically Carol's attitude has been to ignore it. As she told the L.A. Times, "I don't much care what my enemies think of me, but I want my friends to know that my public life has absolutely been beyond reproach. And I'm running because not running would mean going backward. I always go forward." story here.

Lately she's been more active in refuting misstatements and defending herself in the press, for example her rebuttal to the Washington Post.

GILLIGAN.

(on edit: I don't mean it to mean he couldn't be president, I just think it's kind of a funny resemblance that no one's pointed out yet that I've seen!)

:shrug: You hear a new one everyday
Dont take it the wrong way Lo, I dont get that mad. Heres what I do intensely dislike and this really only applies to Kucinich, when people say oh his last name, gee this America this land of oppertunity wont accept an Eastern European, would I not have a chance if I ran by my grandmother's maiden name, Kovalcik which is Slovak for your info. Now if its all fun I am ok, and mutual.

He is telling youngsters "it's not cool to vote". he was using all the FAUX talking points ("they only attack, but no solutions")
I didn't have my candidate on that list but I am mad as hell. Here's something Molly Ivins said and applies:


Satire is a weapon, and it can be quite cruel. It has historically been
the weapon of powerless people aimed at the
powerful. When you use satire against powerless people, as Limbaugh
does, it is not only cruel, it's profoundly vulgar. It is like
kicking a cripple.-Molly Ivins

and I thought Jon's comments were funny.I thought the whole bit was great as a matter of fact.

He who laughs at himself never ceases to be amused.

I'll joke back. Syrinx and IH8GOP you know exactly what I am talking about. Actually I really dont joke back, when syrinx called DK a leprecaun, I said Ive never heard of a Croatian leprecaun lol then I found out DK was part Irish. It really depends who it is and if its mutual you know.