CARSON RETURNS: How fatuous are they!

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

Pulitzer winner on jet skis: We pictured Johnny Carson, standing sideways, signaling the crowd to respond:

CARSON: Those Pulitzer winners are sooooo fatuous...

AUDIENCE: How fatuous are they?

How fatuous are our Pulitzer winners? Eight years after the wind-surfing nonsense with Candidate Kerry, here was the Pulitzer winner known as Gene Robinson. He clowned hard on Hardball last night:

ROBINSON (7/5/12): One other thing we have learned, Michael, is step away from the marine recreational equipment if you’re running for president. We saw that with John Kerry and we’re seeing it again with Mitt Romney. Just don’t get on the jet ski.

Romney had taken a spin on a jet ski. Robinson knew it was wrong. Guest host Michael Smerconish, a sensible person, was soon hearing from Susan Milligan, his other guest, then from Robby again:

SMERCONISH: I don’t begrudge him being on a jet ski. My attitude, and I’m going to talk about this later in the program, is, I want my president or presidential aspirants to cut loose and be focused when they’re on the job. How do you see the jet ski situation?

MILLIGAN: I think, look, we all—they should take vacations. And I think we beat up on our presidents way too much because they need a break. And he’ll look ridiculous if he tries doing something that isn’t natural to him. That makes him look even less authentic.

But I do think that maybe he would have learned from John Kerry, as Eugene pointed out, in 2004, not to participate in something that just underscores what circles he runs in. It's not that he’s wealthy. I mean, Ted Kennedy was incredibly wealthy, but you never got the impression like Kennedy didn’t know how other people lived.

And Romney, you get the impression that he doesn’t—not that he doesn’t care, I don't think that he doesn’t care. I just think he hasn’t really been around people like that.

SMERCONISH: Gene, is this a wind-surfing moment?

ROBINSON: I don’t think it’s quite a wind-surfing moment. I think the wind-surfing moment was worse for Kerry than potentially the jet-ski, the incident is for Romney. But I do think it kind of—you know, it’s only bad if it comes at a time when it reinforces a sort of negative impression that may be forming. This is the moment at which Mitt Romney is being defined in the minds of many voters. And I think this helps that definition for the Romney campaign is not a good way.

Eight years after the Kerry nonsense, that was the best they could do.

We don't know when jet skis became the preserve of the rich. Can't you rent them at public beaches?

That said, you would think we've had plenty of time to see how stupid this is. To see how stupid it was in the case of Kerry. To be embarrassed by the sheer dumbness now.

But nothing will make these clowns reason thusly. At the end of the program, Smerconish, a sensible person, did a commentary in which he rejected the stupidity. That's why he will never be a full-time host on this channel.

The clowns were out on other programs on The One True Liberal Channel. Lawrence O’Donnell indulged himself in his favorite pastime—dumbing young liberals way way down, with their giggling consent:

O’DONNELL: It turns out the Wall Street Journal doesn’t like all this jet ski stuff that Romney is doing. They are saying “Look, you’re looking exactly like John Kerry, out there doing the rich guy water sports just when they’re painting you as the out of touch rich guy.”

CHRIS HAYES: You know, A, They’re right about that. But B, the other thing is that, you know—

O’DONNELL: Jet skis are so uncool, first of all. Let’s get that straight. Jet skis are out of touch.

HAYES: They’re no dressage horses.

KRYSTAL BALL: I like jet skis. I mean, I’m just going—I have to disagree with you there. Jet skis are fun.

O'DONNELL: We’re going to have a nautical design disagreement here.

[...]

Krystal, if the Hells Angels had boats, they would be jet skis.

BALL: Thank you. I appreciate that. Is that a point in my favor or a point against?

O’DONNELL: I think I just won the whole jet ski argument.

HAYES: Wait, so you're saying that makes [Romney] lame?

O’DONNELL: Yes.

BALL: I think that makes him cool.

We’ve had eight years to contemplate this. But the corporate gang likes this stuff.

Intelligent progressives should not play these games. First, of course, these games are moronic. But if we really believe in a corporate/conservative press, which team's leaders are more likely to get hurt when these topics remain in play?

To date, which team's candidates have been more hurt? Do you need to ask?

(Hint: Before wind-surfing, before cheese steaks, we had those disturbing earth tones.)

The silly old children were playing last night. One was a so-called Pulitzer winner, the other is just a big fool.