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JUL 1 - 15, 2004 |
VOL. 2 ISSUE 13 |
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JULY 7, 2004 – It didn’t take long. The sign at the event, which had been promoted long ago as a star-studded fundraiser for the Kerry campaign, was quickly changed to “Kerry/Edwards Event.” With celebrity hosts ranging from actors Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Scarlett Johansson to John Kerry’s daughters, Alex and Vanessa, and music provided by Liz Phair, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, and Tenacious D, it was truly campaigning Hollywood style. The general sentiment regarding the choice of Senator John Edwards (D-NC) as Senator Kerry’s Vice Presidential runningmate was, as one supporter was overheard saying into his cell phone, “I think it’s a good choice; it works.” (Yes, Hollywood people are not satisfied enough with that many stars and bands around - they still need to be on their cell phones.) Comedian Bob Odenkirk emceed the evening, expressing a slightly different view of Edwards’ selection. “This is f-ing great.” He told the audience he had given money to Edwards back during the primary season. Odenkirk also touched on a theme that will be a new line of attack for Democrats against Vice President Cheney, painting him – as opposed to Edwards youth, beauty, and charm – as a mean, ugly, bitter old man. “He’s like odd old Mr. Crabtree who spends all his time locked away in his basement planning ways to kill kids.” Singer Liz Phair admitted she was originally, “like BritneySpears in Fahrenheit 9/11, thinking, ‘They must know something.’” She told the crowd that she actually used to jump on a trampoline in Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s backyard. But now, she said, it’s very nice to, “finally have clarity,” seeing how bad the Bush administration is and that Kerry should win the next election. She then dedicated her song, “Extraordinary,” as an honorary John Edwards rallying cry. The Kerry daughters were just off a four day bus tour of the Midwest with the father and about to head off for another four day plane tour of key battleground states with him and his new runningmate. Vanessa Kerry, the younger of the pair, promised the crowd that her father, “will actually make America a good citizen and good neighbors of this world,” and that Edwards, “will bring back idealism and hope.” She then beckoned supporters from this state which they don’t expect to be in play this election to participate in campaign bus tours to battleground states and to make phone calls. In a light moment, Odenkirk held a mock interview with the daughters, asking Vanessa, who is in her third year of medical school, which world leader she would most like to operate on. She replied, “Dick Cheney, he needs a heart.” It was clear this doctor-to-be was not referring to his clinical heart problems but rather social and political ones. Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl gave what he called a non-political plug for John Kerry. “To travel all over the world as an American used to be cool. They used to think it was nice if you tried to speak Italian with them. Now they just see George W. Bush’s face and hate you. I hate that – the world used to be a pretty nice place, and I hope Kerry can get us back to that.” He added a travelling rock star’s economic note. “Plus the dollar ain’t worth sh-t. You should see how much a cup of coffee costs now.” Jack Black, of Schoolhouse Rock fame, finished the night with his two man band Tenacious D. Noting it was President Bush’s birthday, Black posed a dilemma to the audience. “What do you get for the worst president in the history of the White House?” He answered it himself, saying, “You get him the f- out of there.” The funniest thing was to imagine all of the Republicans who would make all of the swearing an issue just a couple weeks after their own VP spoke the same way on the floor of the Senate to a senator. Ah, self-righteous hypocrisy. Edwards was a safe choice, having been vetted during the primary season, and it seemed people in the Kerry camp were glad, a number still a bit resentful at the choice Gore had made last time, which they feel cost him a number of votes in the end. The sentiment of the day was relief that Kerry didn’t give into some odd impulse, picking Clinton or some other dark horse, and that he didn’t pick dead wood like Gephardt. These Kerry-backers were genuinely excited to have the opportunity to contrast the sunny, polite, optimistic Edwards against the mean, foul-mouthed, heartless old Cheney. |
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