Looking for Substance in the Criticism of Giuliani
The interesting thing about the MSM coverage of events like CPAC is its willingness to hunt down a few disgruntled souls who are willing to provide quotes to back whatever thesis the MSM wants to share with the American public, especially in service of trashing a popular Republican candidate.
Yesterday, of course, one story chronicled the conservative movement's alleged gloom, doom and disappointment with its top-tier political candidates (an account that, predictably, contradicted Bill Kristol's more accurate assessment that all the top contenders are both largely conservative and have the potential to engender widespread support).
Today, the "big story" about conservatives is that they are reportedly upset because Rudy Giuliani has appeared in drag. The story waits until almost the last paragraph to note that "Giuliani received ovations from the capacity crowd at the Omni Shoreham hotel in D.C. - and garnered loud cheers when he talked tough on terrorism."
Such accounts of conservative disenchantment about Rudy's dress-up games are silly, and they seem designed to play into an image of Republicans as mindless, anti-homosexual sexual obsessives. Give me a break.
My views on sex-related matters certainly tend to the traditional -- later this year, my book "Prude: How the Sex-Obsessed Culture Damages Girls (and America, Too!)" is being published. But I'm hardly concerned that Rudy has donned female garb on occasions like his appearance on Saturday Night Live. There is, in fact, a long tradition of "manly" humor marked by trussing up men in female attire; every year for decades (at least), the highlight of Princeton University's Triangle Club show has been an all-male kickline, with the boys dressed in drag. Other examples abound.
Surely journalists (and conservatives) who are uncomfortable with Giuliani can find something more substantive to criticize. Unless it's the New York Times, of course, which has gone bottom-feeding with a story alleging that Giuliani is estranged from his children. Notably, when one wants to read about the disagreements between Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, one has to check the lowest sort of gossip rags at the grocery store checkout. Now the Times is covering the same kind of stories.
Yesterday, of course, one story chronicled the conservative movement's alleged gloom, doom and disappointment with its top-tier political candidates (an account that, predictably, contradicted Bill Kristol's more accurate assessment that all the top contenders are both largely conservative and have the potential to engender widespread support).
Today, the "big story" about conservatives is that they are reportedly upset because Rudy Giuliani has appeared in drag. The story waits until almost the last paragraph to note that "Giuliani received ovations from the capacity crowd at the Omni Shoreham hotel in D.C. - and garnered loud cheers when he talked tough on terrorism."
Such accounts of conservative disenchantment about Rudy's dress-up games are silly, and they seem designed to play into an image of Republicans as mindless, anti-homosexual sexual obsessives. Give me a break.
My views on sex-related matters certainly tend to the traditional -- later this year, my book "Prude: How the Sex-Obsessed Culture Damages Girls (and America, Too!)" is being published. But I'm hardly concerned that Rudy has donned female garb on occasions like his appearance on Saturday Night Live. There is, in fact, a long tradition of "manly" humor marked by trussing up men in female attire; every year for decades (at least), the highlight of Princeton University's Triangle Club show has been an all-male kickline, with the boys dressed in drag. Other examples abound.
Surely journalists (and conservatives) who are uncomfortable with Giuliani can find something more substantive to criticize. Unless it's the New York Times, of course, which has gone bottom-feeding with a story alleging that Giuliani is estranged from his children. Notably, when one wants to read about the disagreements between Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, one has to check the lowest sort of gossip rags at the grocery store checkout. Now the Times is covering the same kind of stories.
posted by LadybugUSA at 9:52 AM
1 Comments:
My support for Rudy will depend on whether or not he's the last man standing after the primaries. If so, he'll have my vote over any of the Dem pretenders. Until that time, I prefer a true conservative and would like to see one throw his hat in the ring.
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