Does Kerry's tan REALLY matter?

[WindRavenX]

I mean, jesus christ. All I've been reading and hearing from Freeper foes is the orange tan.
Does it REALLY matter? I mean, honestly, does it?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. YES Operation Distraction

they will DO anyting and say anything to avoid talking about what maters...

[SilasSoule]

3. About as much as alledged Botox Injections

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. See above

Operation Distraction in full swing. courtesy of Karl Rove and the rest of the Republcian Noice Machine

Expect worst than oh botox or tans by the way

These are just oepning salvos in Operation Distraction

[amlouden]

2. off course it doesn't

do you really think the republicans like to talk about the real issues?

[JohnKleeb]

4. dupe I asked this the other night

Really though its not an issue. Good thing I am not running for president because they would make the pimples on my shoulders an issue.

[Dookus]

5. I got into a huge fight with my brother today

he's a longtime liberal, but not necessarily as savvy as to how our media works today.

He privated me and said "Tell Kerry to lay off the botox and tanning cream - it makes him look vain and shallow."

I told him the whole thing was bullshit, and if he spent 10 seconds thinking about it, he fell for the right-wing media-blast machine. He got pissed at me, saying "it's in the news! it's real!"

sigh...

I told him instead of complaining about Kerry, he should write to the AP and other news outlets who felt this was a story worth printing.

[4morewars]

9. "it's in the news! it's real!"

LMAO
Is your brother on drugs ? Because,sometimes, you don't do drugs; drugs do you!

[Dookus]

11. probably

but it's indicative of how effective the rightwing noise machine is.

[LittleClarkie]

16. Reminds me of my grandmother and the Weekly World News

"It's in print. It has to be true. They couldn't print it if it weren't"

Uh huh.

Actually, I've been diggin' the WWN lately. It's almost an Onion parody of itself now, like someone in their editorial staff gets the joke.

Maybe we can sic Batboy on Bush.

Save us, Batboy!!

[Dookus]

20. lol

my grandmother was the same way. This was the 1960's and the National Enquirer was the only real rag of its type. And Mom-Mom believed every word of it, simply because it was in print.

[gauguin57]

23. I'm going to see "Batboy, The Musical" tomorrow.

I'm not kidding. There really is a musical based on the WWN Batboy!

[LittleClarkie]

37. Get the Original Broadway Recording if you can

Deven May as Batboy. Good stuff, Maynard!

If it's a good cast, I'm sure you'll have a great time. Very funny show.

[AndyTiedye]

25. Ask Her...

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. that is the problem

give your bor a copy of Brokc's Right Wing Noise Machine... may open his eyes... or maybe not

Was in the news, yep it was ... but how much we owe China was not, or the Euro Dollar situation...

[Dookus]

17. He's coming over tomorrow

and I have a copy for him.

[4morewars]

6. YES !!!!!!!

The fate of the entire world depends on it !!!!!!!
</sarcasm>

[jezebel]

24. Absolutely. Forget Iraq and life and death issues, the only thing that

matters is Kerry's tan.
And the cost of his haircuts.

[4morewars]

35. JEEZUS !!!!!!!!!

I nearly forgot about the haircuts !!!!!!!! Oh, the humanity.

[private_ryan]

7. why didn't he do it gradually though?

he knew the schedule? Why give them a reason to distract?

[WindRavenX]

10. what I'm wondering...

...is why he did it.
Look, image matters. And sadly, this was a mistake.

[Dookus]

13. that was my brother's point

and I have to say it's bullshit.

If he didn't tan, they'd find some OTHER superficial nonsense to rag on him about. I'm serious - do you think if he wasn't tanner they'd lay off him? Of course not.

It's the same thing they did with Gore and his "earth tones". There is NOTHING a Dem candidate can do that won't be attacked on the pettiest, silliest, most banal basis.

[WindRavenX]

18. oh I agree

But still, why do it (a tan, I mean)? It's not like Kerry looks like Casper the Ghost you know..

[LittleClarkie]

21. Do what?

Not put on sun screen? One good day out in the sun would turn you that color.

Why does it have to be an intentional, as in "tanning bed," situation.

One day in the sun and I'm a tomato, personally. Well, except for my freckles. They turn orange.

[Dookus]

22. the mere fact

that you even spent 30 seconds thinking about it shows how effective such rightwing tactics are.

Somehow it's Kerry's fault. Kerry is to blame for this. Kerry made a mistake. Kerry fucked up.

No... the media fucked up. They treated this as if it were in any way important.

[WindRavenX]

27. like I said...

...it's sad that the media HAS made it an issue, BUT I'm just saying that given that fact, shouldn't the campaign be a few steps ahead on the image thing? That's all I'm saying.

[Dookus]

29. I think it's an unwinnable situation

as I said, if it wasn't his tan, it'd be his suit. If it wasn't his suit, it'd be his hair. If it wasn't his hair, it'd be his underwear. If it wasn't his underwear, it'd be his shoes. If it wasn't his shoes.... etc. etc.

They did it to Gore. They're doing it to Kerry. The fault is not with the candidate, but with the media who treat these "stories" (which come DIRECTLY from the RNC) as real.

[WindRavenX]

30. Ah

Ok, got it.
DNC should go after *'s gins blossums.

[JI7]

31. we have issues on our side, they don't which is why they do what they do

[Dookus]

33. exactly

they should pull the same shit. Unfortunately, no leftist site has the same impact as Drudge.

this whole thing started on drudge (as did the "forged" CBS memos). He's a tool of the right, prints this stuff, then SOMEBODY ELSE picks up on it and it spreads.

The CBS memos - which have NOT in any way been shown to be forged - were first critized on FreeRepublic. Drudge reported it (at the direction of the RNC, I'm sure) and then "legitimate" outlets started reporting that Drudge was reporting it.

Same with the fake tan. Drudge ran a bad photo. I can't tell from any photo what somebody's real compelexion is. Nobody can. But then Lynn Cheney commented on it, and thus it became "news".

It's ALL bullshit. And since the media won't police themselves on crap like this, then we should play the same game. Bush has ginblossoms. Bush is drunk. Bush is graying prematurely. Bush is gaining weight. Bush is brain-damaged.

[JI7]

28. he tans easily and naturally well. and Drudge altered the photo of him

to make him look orange.in the diane sawyer interview he looks no different than most of the times. this shows they were trying to make something that is not important into news.

[IndianaGreen]

44. He looked orange on my TV set

Tweety showed a video of Kerry giving a speech. Bill Maher told Tweety that he thought the tan was one of those tan-in-the can things.

It was dumb of the campaign to let Kerry change his skin color to orange prior to the TV debate. It was dumb of Kerry to get exposed to sunlight, skin cancer is a real threat!

The next non-issue issue will be the makeup that Kerry will have to compensate for the orange tint.

[Fovea]

8. This is what the Freepers think is important?

What moranic retards.

I don't care what color Kerry turns in the sun. I care about Iraq, the economy, the destruction of the health care system in the US...

But the monkees in the Rove cage have been handed a big cart of pooh by turd blossom Rove, and the order to fling as much as possible. But this shows how little real shit they have to fling.

Rove needs a serious ass kicking.

[LittleClarkie]

19. Hey! Watch that spelling

I happen to like the Monkees.

(how's that for trivial distraction)

[VOX]

12. Absolutely not. Talk about superficial -- literally!

**Nothing** is too low for the right wing to stoop to. Thus the "fascination" with alleged use of botox, the tax, etc. It's all an attempt to weaken Kerry's image -- to make him appear vain and "feminine" -- a strong leader being somehow lamely equated with "masculine."

It's BS, and it only matters to the right wing.

[NightOwwl]

32. Maybe we should remind them of Arnie's facelifts.

He's had at least 1, and probably more.

[plax3]

26. no

It's all meant to distract voters. Seriously, I don't know how dumb you'd have to be to be distracted by something like that...but the people who support bush...

[Awsi Dooger]

34. When you're trying to impress as normal and likeable and presidential...

Yes, it can matter. Just think back to junior high and what everyone would say to a kid who came to school looking like that. That's the level they play on, fear and ridicule.

I was horrified several nights ago before the media even caught on. One look at Kerry's torched face and you knew this would be another self-inflicted problem.

[Dookus]

36. then you

have fallen for the right-wing noise machine.

He's more than than he was before. He's also spent a lot of time outside. It is ASSERTED by Rove and his minions that it's a fake tan. Do you know that it is? No. The man is tan. So fucking what?

That you would spend 30 seconds thinking about it makes you a sucker.

[Awsi Dooger]

39. Of course it's a natural tan

I meant torched by the slightly powerful thing that keeps us all alive.

That anyone on DU denies the potential significance makes them robotically and pathetically ignorant of human response. Has anyone here ever taken a sociology class or read a related book? This will be the first live impression of Kerry for millions who will vote on November 2. I have hosted dozens of debate wAtching parties, intentionally inviting apololitical voters to gauge their critiques. If anyone thinks that type of non-rabid voter isn't influenced by appearance and mannerisms and likeability and style, they are world class suckers who are incapable of 30 seconds of rational thought.

[Dookus]

41. You're falling for the spin...

that somehow Kerry is at fault for being tan. It's a totally nonsensical, unimportant and ridiculous talking point. But you've fallen for it.

See how successful the right-wing noise machine is?

[LittleClarkie]

38. Damn it, I WAS that kid in junior high

Damned if I don't hate them more now, the whole lot of them.

Go get those bullies, John.

[shraby]

40. email the media

and ask about Bush's gin blossoms and red nose. Turn it back on them.

[LittleClarkie]

42. Okay look at this

So is Edwards now suspect too. Hell, most of the audience is orange.



And here's a link to the yahoo election slide show. If this doesn't work, then just go to yahoo.com, to the election section and then click on the slideshow. Several pictures from the last few days are there and Kerry looks perfectly normal, or perhaps just alittle tanned. While I don't think that photo was doctored (as it appeared in my local newspaper that way) it's pretty obvious it was a fluke of that one photo that he looks so danged orange. He's really not that dark, not dark at all really.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040929/482/nyet13909291919

[Crunchy Frog]

43. Yes, it's one of the most critical issues

facing this country right now. Have you been living under a rock? Next thing, you'll be suggesting that Janet Jacksons tit wasn't a major international crisis. I just don't understand people's priorities sometimes.

[Sugarbleus]

45. A brief but interesting convo today

News was on TV; bobbleheads were making fun of Kerry's Orange Tan in a can thing. Honestly, I DID squint and hang my head for a moment..BUT just at that moment my teen grandson chimed in to say:'Is that a good reason for NOT voting for Kerry; what does that have to do with anything he's about?!' :wow: Wooohoooo

I thought g.son was totally bored by my obsession with politics over these long months--since early last year when I got busy. I'm exceedingly PROUD to say...........HE'S BEEN PAYING ATTENTION.

Matter of fact, he told me just a day or so ago almost the same thing when, in his class, a kid said they were voting for Bush because of some stupid reason (according to my g.son)..Grandson's response to me was that this person DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT.. He could SEE that. Grandson is paying ATTENTION.

In other words, Grandson remembers me talking about people who DO NOT vote in their own best interest and apparently this class mate of his was someone who would BENEFIT from a Kerry Presidency NOT a Bush presidency but the kid obviously DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT.

Anyway, HELL NO, THE TAN DOESN'T MATTER......... :bounce: