JustOneMinute: It's My Party

Captain Ed follows up on Kerry's Bicoastal Bush basher, noting the broad applicabilty of free speech rights and explaining that Kerry and Edwards "laughed at the jokes before they frowned at them ".

Reps are demanding that the Kerry campaign release the tapes of the performance, basically to provide great film footage for some Bush commercials. The Kerry people, no doubt concerned about the privacy rights of publicity-shy Hollywood entertainers, are giving the timeless Cheney response.

Now, all the stories say that the entertainers bashed Bush, and they may well have gobe beyond the bounds of good taste or reason. But the real gold would be to see whether anyone said anything that can be construed as bashing the troops, the American people (something like "what idiots elected this idiot?"), or some subset thereof.

This is the sort of thing I have in mind:

The comedian John Leguizamo, who is half Puerto Rican, said the notion of Hispanics supporting Republicans was "like roaches for Raid."

Hmm, so Hispanics are like roaches? Most folks don't remember the SAT analogy questions well enough to catch the slippage there.

The NY Times has more, and the ABC Note from Friday is thought-provoking:

And last night, after the network newscasts and right-on newspaper deadlines, KE04 did something that could fade away or could become the top political story of the day.

If a Republican presidential candidate, running against an incumbent Democrat, appeared with his newly-minted extremely conservative running mate in front of a packed house of fat cat donors in the capital of the GOP base at a fundraiser at which, say, country and western stars and conservative entertainers attacked the president in personal, mocking, and disrespectful ways, its pretty likely that the press would be in high dudgeon.

The coverage of last night's Radio City event in print has some elements of this, but not enough for the Bush campaign. And the TV coverage has largely ignored it.

Although the Kerry campaign and the DNC did not allow the event to be recorded by news organizations, the words of Chevy Chase, Whoopi Goldberg, and others are out there for all to read.

Although a Kerry spokesman has said that the Democratic ticket doesn't necessarily agree with everything that was said, does anyone believe that the President would be let off the hook that easily if the situation were reversed?

And, because I have not a clue as to whether or how their permalinks work, I am excerpting a huge chunk of the ABC NOTE coverage of the Friday, July 9 evening news. The fundraiser story did not die - all three networks noted it, although CBS stands alone in its rug-sweeping effort.

QUESTIONS OF VALUES:

ABC's Terry Moran reports joined in a rare appearance by his daughter Jenna, President Bush set out on a scenic bus trip today through rural Pennsylvania, carefully designed to send a message: Mr. Bush, the Republicans claim, shares the values of the heartland. Bush's small-town choreography today stood in pointed contrast to the huge Democratic fundraiser in New York last night, where John Kerry and John Edwards raised 7.5 million dollars, with the help of many celebrities. Jessica Lange SOT. Chevy Chase SOT. Inside the fundraiser, where media cameras were not allowed, the anti-Bush sentiment grew sharper. Whoopi Goldberg shocked the audience when she repeatedly played off Mr. Bush' last name to make crude references to her own anatomy. Rock singer John Mellencamp sang of the President: "He's just another cheap thug that sacrifices young lives." Kerry then said onstage that the stars "represent the heart and souls of this country." Today, Kerry tried to distance himself from the event. His campaign manager said "he does not approve of some of the remarks." The Bush campaign is already running a newspaper ad in the three states today, mocking Kerry's claim last week to rural Minnesota voters that "I actually represent the conservative values that they feel." With polls showing voters are anxious about the President's leadership in Iraq and the economy, the Bush campaign is trying to paint the Democratic ticket as out of the mainstream of American values.

NBC's Nora O'Donnell reports President Bush and his daughter Jenna rolled through Pennsylvania today. Also today, Kerry and Edwards used the word "values" more than 30 times in one event. But overshadowing the Democrats was Republican outrage over last night's star-studded fundraiser in New York, where Hollywood stars took turns calling the President names. The Kerry campaign said they represent the conservative values people feel. Nicolle Devenish: "You can't say that and then wrap your arms around this gross display last night." Even worse says the Bush campaign, was when Kerry took to the stage thanking the stars. Stephanie Cutter: "It's clear that those performers don't speak for John Kerry and John Kerry doesn't speak for them." The President's TV ads and his new attacks are a clear sign that even as Democrats wade into the values debate on their terms, the President isn't willing to give up any ground.

CBS's Bill Plant reports that Bush was "foraging" for small town voters in Pennsylvania and that daughter Jenna joins him for the first time. The values message is also being pushed by speeding up the gay marriage amendment, even though it has little chance of being passed, according to Plant. Bush says the bedroom is up to individuals, but that does not mean we have to redefine marriage. Values to Bush include patriotism and religious faith, reports Plant. Prof. Chris Borick says that when people hear values and don't like Bush, they tend to see it as a much more loaded issue, and that could hurt Bush.

CBS's Byron Pitts reports that Democrats are trying to play the values angle, but "those values came into question" after the fundraiser at which celebrities roundly bashed Bush. "Why are you asking me to come if you don't want me to be mean," said Whoopi Goldberg, according to CBS audio. Aids say Kerry was offended and told the staff after he left the stage. After Edwards bounce, this was not a discussion the campaign wanted to have today.