Commandment 11: Unbunch Thy Undies
It's a week after the most holy of Minnesota holidays - Saint Wellstone's Day - and while the caterwauling was relatively muted in most quarters, some of it stuck out.
Mark Gisleson of Norwegianity, in his perfect world, would apparently have none of us say the name of hte Sainted Senator in vain, much less criticize his person, persona or works, peace be unto him.
Let's look at this post and see what I'm talking about.
Gisleson attacks Katherine Kersten's remarks on the anniversary of Paulapalooza, the memorial service which was "hijacked" into a campaign rally.
P.S. Kersten still has to apologize for her remarks, or — if I outlive her — I will piss on her grave. She deserves no more respect than she gives, and she has gone out of her way to earn a lot of disrespect from the left, and from real journalists who studied real journalism (before landing crappy jobs working for Republican publishers who hand out plum assignments to partisan hacks).
But Kersten has less to apologize for than some.
Gisleson then lists a number of quotes from right-of-center pundits big and small and, eventually,
smallest, dredging up an old post of mine on the subject of Wellstone
as a public speaker:
Whatever Wellstones virtues, he was an amazingly irritating public speaker. His voice reminded me of Richard Simmons, and his style did nothing to alter that perception. At his worst – like at the last DFL convention – he was a nightmare; shrieking, bellowing, pulling out every cheap device to rouse the rabble, waving his arms like (sorry about the unfortunate comparison) Lenin at the Train Station. It worked for him, of course – he was nothing if not a live wire.
It didn’t work for Kahn. — Mitch Berg, Shot in the Dark
So what's to "apologize" for? Again - it was a critique of Wellstone's
speaking style.
Gisleson followed up the list:
Hardly the only sinners, but certainly some of the most hateful of the bunch.
Wow. If a conservative read his grocery list in the woods, and no liberal were there to hear it, would it still be "hateful?"
Grow up, lefties. It's a professional critique.
I used to speak for a living. My father taught speech for a living. I study great public speeches; I'm a Churchillophile based on his record of oratory alone. To use a Colemanism, I Know Stuff when it comes to speaking.
And, regardless of politics, Paul Wellstone was a very iffy public speaker. Oh, when he was relatively calm and relaxed, he was passable. On the radio? Sucked chunks through a straw, although he had an affable enough manner and he communicated that he just didn't take it all that seriously, which was mildly endearing.
But when Wellstone got jacked up into full spittle-flecking, arm-waving fury, he was unlistenable. Unwatchable. Terrible. His voice - not a natural speaker's voice under the best conditions - constricted into a strangled, nagging croak that was downright painful. If you shared every iota of his passion for the subject at hand one could overlook it - but the man at his worst was a truly awful, ridiculous stage presence.
Note to the beatifiers: This is not an assault on his character, his personhood or his worth as a human being. It's a critique of his public speaking style, from someone with a right to an opinion. I attack with justifiable glee his legislative record and the things for which he stood and, with authority, the style he exhibited on the stump - que sera, it's politics, deal with it. Disagreement and criticism is not the same as hate!
Do try to keep it in perspective, mkay?
I recommend a good laxative.
Posted by Mitch at
November 8, 2005 12:47 PM
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A recent letter writer to the Strib put it well when he suggested the right take their own advice: Wellstone's dead. Get over it.
Posted by: Tim at November 8, 2005 01:09 PMEr, yeah. I'm way over it. The problem is, someone called me "hateful" and completely mischaracterized me.
So, by your leave, I'm answering the charges.
If that's OK with you.
Posted by: mitch at November 8, 2005 01:12 PMMitch, only folks on the left are allowed to obsess, we're told to "Move On."
Posted by: billhedrick at November 8, 2005 01:14 PMIf you think that as a speaker, Wellstone left much to be desired, think what fun you will have with the great orator, Al Franken, when he comes to live in Minnesota and take on Norm Coleman. Oh, that's right, Al Franken is supposed to be funny (not just funny looking). Surpressed giggle. With funny man Al in town, even Mike Gelfand may start sounding better, but I doubt it. Cue Whine, whine.
Posted by: Bill Norton at November 8, 2005 03:59 PMAnyone who doesn't understand why this post has me giggling obviously wasn't listening to your radio show this week.
Posted by: rew at November 8, 2005 04:35 PMSpeaking of Al Franken.
I caught a little bit of him today. I don't get to listen to his whole show I have no way of knowing whether he had discussed the france riots at all in the last week. Until today. He and his forgetable assistant began to talk about the riots. Even though I was late getting back to work I was itching to hear what he had to say.
What did he have to say? Absolutley nothing. His assistant tried to make a joke. Al repeated what he saw on CNN. It was pretty evident he hasn't been paying attention. So much less important than Tom Delay and Scooter Libby.
If the subject is not demonizing republicans. the guy is totally empty. I am surprised the DFL isn't attempting to get him barred from returning to minnesota.
Posted by: Rick at November 8, 2005 04:54 PM"P.S. Kersten still has to apologize for her remarks, or — if I outlive her — I will piss on her grave."
Heh, if I was in Gisleson's physical condition, I don't think I'd be giving anyone any ideas...
Posted by: swiftee at November 8, 2005 06:54 PMI had never listened to or watched the Wellstone "memorial" (I knew it would be more than I could stand), but today Rush played excerpts from Tom Harkin's...well...speech isn't really the word I want...hmmm...hard to classify it, but it REALLY sounded an awful lot like what I imagine a Nazi rally to have been like...the crowd getting egged on and shouting in unison in a whipped-up frenzy. Yikes. What the HELL is wrong with these people that they would WORSHIP another human being that way (well, gotta worship somebody or something, I guess-if not the environment, one of their fellow-travelers will do). Adolescents.
Sorry if I offend anyone with the Nazi allusion...I know how much those of us on the right hate to hear that ad nauseum, but, still...it was creepy.
Posted by: Colleen at November 8, 2005 07:06 PMNot offensive, Colleen, but pitiful, stupid and desperate. You have my sympathies.
I feel sorry for the right, that they are reduced to trotting out Wellstone's name so often, beating it like a rented mule and then accusing Democrats of being obsessed with the late senator's memory when it's the right who keep bringing it up. He's dead, people. Let it go.
Posted by: Tim at November 8, 2005 07:45 PMTim,
Not to be a water-carrier for Mitch, but (as Mitch said) he was responding to a Wellstone follower who mischaracterized Mitch as a hateful, mean, nasty conservative.
Now YOU are turning this into something else. You're taking this far too personally. No one said you were a mediocre speaker.
You have my sympathies, though. I understand the guy meant a lot, and it was a shocking death for Paul and his family.
Posted by: badda-blogger at November 8, 2005 08:35 PM