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October 10, 2003

A little too pumped up?

Man, Arnold's win sure seems to have energized some of these Republicans. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure it's the kind of energy they want to be displaying.

Take Orrin Hatch, calling Democrats "namby-pamby"s. Orrin Hatch?

Hatch called Schwarzenegger a "tough guy" who has guts to take on Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and predicted the star of such films as "Terminator" will herald a new political leadership style.

"If he gets the chance, he's not going to be a namby-pamby out there," said Hatch. "I think you're going to find there's going to be some new leadership that a lot of other people might emulate in this society."

Apparently, Pat Robertson saw Terminator 3 a few too many times, as well:

The State Department has protested to televangelist Pat Robertson about his "despicable" suggestion that someone blow up the department with a nuclear bomb, an official said on Thursday.

Robertson, a former presidential candidate, made the remark in an interview with Joel Mowbray, author of a new book entitled "Dangerous Diplomacy: How the State Department Endangers America's Security."

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, asked to comment, said on Thursday: "I lack sufficient capabilities to express my disdain. ... I think the very idea is despicable."

The department has made its views clear to Robertson, added a State Department official, who asked not to be named.

Then, we have the wife of Republican Governor Bob Ehrlich in Maryland:

While speaking at a domestic violence conference at Hood College in Frederick, Kendal Ehrlich said it is important for women to get as much education as possible to avoid becoming dependent on anyone else.

“It is incredibly important to get that message to young women. You know, really, if I had an opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would,” Ms. Ehrlich said Friday.

Her spokeswoman, Meghann Siwinski, said Ms. Ehrlich is a working mother raising a young son and she made an inadvertent comment while expressing her concerns about the influence of pop culture on children.

Jive Records, the New York-based label that represents Spears, said in an e-mailed statement that Ms. Ehrlich had “shot her own self in the foot by promoting violence.”

The Republican controlled FCC is even getting in on the action:

The Commission defines indecent speech as language that, in context, depicts or describes sexual or excretory activities or organs in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium.

Indecency findings involve at least two fundamental determinations. First, the material alleged to be indecent must fall within the subject matter scope of our indecency definition—that is, the material must describe or depict sexual or excretory organs or activities.... Second, the broadcast must be patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium.

As a threshold matter, the material aired during the “Golden Globe Awards” program does not describe or depict sexual and excretory activities and organs. The word “fucking” may be crude and offensive, but, in the context presented here, did not describe sexual or excretory organs or activities. Rather, the performer used the word “fucking” as an adjective or expletive to emphasize an exclamation. Indeed, in similar circumstances, we have found that offensive language used as an insult rather than as a description of sexual or excretory activity or organs is not within the scope of the Commission’s prohibition of indecent program content.

As for Arnold himself? When asked about charges of sexual harassment and groping, instead of giving a respectful response to the question, Arnold barks a one-liner worthy of some of the characters he plays on the silver screen:

As Schwarzenegger left the stage of a press conference, one reporter shouted out a question about the sexual-harassment allegations that dogged his campaign in the final days.

An agitated Schwarzenegger shot back, "Old news!" Several reporters yelled back, "No it's not," as Schwarzenegger ducked backstage.

Consessions are available in the front. Please turn off your cell phones. In the case of an emergency, please walk to the nearest exit. And now, for our feature presentation: Real life, and politics, the movie.

Posted by Mike at October 10, 2003 12:37 AM

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