Wednesday, November 01, 2006

A Botched Attempt at Hiding His Elitism

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, and you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

I have to say that the best case I have heard in the mainstream media that Kerry made a simple gaffe and should essentially be given a pass was made by talk radio host Ed Schultz. He points to the pause and head dip Kerry made just before the he uttered the last sentence quoted above. (I’m sure the video is on YouTube somewhere if you haven’t seen it.) I’ll grant Mr. Schultz that point. What I’d really like to see is the three or four seconds after the later sentence. I’m sure I’m not going to get it because that would take away valuable bloviation time for the talking heads, but to me that would be the telling clip. Sometimes a pause before a verbal misstep is telling, but sometimes it is a pause to make sure I really wants to go through with a controversial statement. If it was truly a “botched joke” as Kerry insists, then I would expect a stutter or a quick correction or at least a look of panic in his eyes. I want to see Kerry’s eyes after his brain processed what he just said.

That said; let’s grant that it was in fact a botched joke. Kerry still has a real problem that demonstrates that he hasn’t learned a single thing from losing the 2004 election. He is a tone deaf, elitist, snob.

If Senator Kerry intended to insult George Bush, he also just insulted about 95% of the country and I doubt many of them need George Bush’s outrage (real or conjured) to realize it. Her just insulted everyone who just barely squeaked through college, struggled to make it through a community, technical, or vocational school, everyone who dropped out of college never to return, anyone who had to go to a college that had to admit them even though they were accepted nowhere else, only finished high school, and finally those who failed to matriculate through the 12th grade.

That is the reason this story resonates, not because of anything George Bush or any other republican is saying about Senator Kerry.