The Standard is Set a Little Higher For Democrats
by Timothy Hopkins, SUNY Cortland, May 7, 2007
In late 2006, John Kerry shocked and offended the country by acknowledging, “You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq” (Texas Rainmaker). In the eyes of most right-wingers, along with the media (Fox News wink wink), this was a stab at our troops and our military. It only made sense for a guy who now opposed the war to call out our troops like that didn’t it?
No, it didn’t at all. But what exactly did he mean by it, or more importantly who was it meant to offend? According to most lefties, and not to mention John Kerry himself, this was merely a stab at Rain man and his administration; I’m sorry, I meant Bush and his administration. Regardless, Kerry’s comment sent his reputation down the toilet, along with any chance of a 2008 Presidential bid that looms just around the corner. Anyone in their right mind knows John Kerry wouldn’t purposely call out our military, especially right before the crucial mid-term elections. This was just another example of the right wing and media taking comments from the left wing, or any comments for that matter completely out of context. My only suggestion for Kerry is if you can’t remember the line your speech writer wrote for you, don’t say it at all.
Just a couple of weeks ago another big-name Democrat, Joe Biden of Delaware, made the same mistake of misspeaking in public. However, this time it was in reference to another big-name Democrat, Barack Obama of Illinois, who Biden says is, “The first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy” (Nagourney). Wow, now that does sound a bit racist regardless of your political affiliation. The first African-American who is mainstream, nice-looking, and even articulate? As much as I disapprove of Joe Biden, I knew that wasn’t at all what he meant. Biden claimed that, “This guy is something brand new that nobody has seen before” (Nagourney). Biden had also apologized to Obama, who said that he wasn’t at all offended by what he said. Obama simply didn’t italicize the words African American, and take Biden’s comment as a racial slur. Republicans didn’t really attack Biden on this one because it was purely “friendly fire”, but this was another example of the media taking comments way out of context. I don’t know if Biden’s comments will hurt him as much as Kerry’s did his, but it’s quite apparent that these two misspoke, and that many people took their comments way too literally.
George W. Bush is notorious for his inability to speak the English language. Bush constantly entertains us--at least us lefties--with a barrage of incoherent nonsense. However, he never seems to catch nearly as much heat for his mistakes, like Biden or Kerry, and rarely are his mistakes taken literally. On August 5, 2004 Bush stated, “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we” (Bushisms). I don’t recall the media tearing Bush down, or our country tearing him down for that statement. He said our government will never stop thinking of ways to harm us. If taken literally, Bush’s statement is much more offensive then Biden’s or Kerry’s. Ok, so we know Bush didn’t actually mean what he said, but the fact of the matter is that he still said it. On December 20, 2001 Bush said that, “all in all, it’s been a fabulous year for Laura and me” (Bushisms). So what happened in 2001 Dubya? Did you catch a really big bass? Did you finally buy and successfully pass Hooked on Phonics? Or did you dismiss a document saying Osama Bin Laden was planning an attack on U.S soil? Did you sit in an elementary school for seven minutes while your piss was drying even after you found out about the attacks? Nevertheless, 9/11 happened in 2001, which I wouldn’t have thought made the President’s year “fabulous.”
So what exactly am I getting at with all of this? Are you asking yourself,” Hey Tim, we all know Bush can’t speak English, so why are picking on him?” I’m not necessarily picking on him, though it’s always fun to read Bushisms, I’m merely showing the slack that he’s cut when he makes the mistake of misspeaking in public. So my point is that it’s pathetic that Bush always gets off the hook for his stupidity, while Biden and Kerry suffer terribly scrutiny for statements not nearly as offensive or wrong as Bush’s. Are we just so used to him that we don’t even think twice anymore? Are we simply immune to this guy now? Do we no longer question anything this man does? Well I would say the answer is inevitably, yes.
Works Cited
Bushisms.”About:Politcal Humor.” The New York Times Company. 2007.
politicalhumor.about.com
Nagourney, Adam. “Biden Unwraps ‘08 Bid With an Oops.” The New York Times 1 Feb.2007
www.nytimes.com
Texas Rainmaker.”John Kerry Calls American Military Dumb and Lazy.” 31 Oct. 2006
< a href= "http://www.texasrainmaker.com/2006/10/31/john-kerry-calls-american- military-dumb-and-lazy"> www.texasrainmaker.com
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