The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Family Traditions

8.11.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 3 of 4)

I don't get it. The pretty Paris Hilton was dismissed as a moron by almost everyone, but when she does a commercial attacking John McCain, she's the next best thing to Socrates. The fact is, even when Paris is trying to sound smart, she still sounds like a moron.

Note to Lawrence Henry: If you find the key to financial success, please share it with all the rest of us! We don't all inherit it from wealthy hotel owners.
-- Vern Crisler
Gilbert, Arizona

Ben Stein is showing precisely the same lack of self-deprecating humor that has gotten the Obama campaign in so much trouble. Personally, I thought the Hilton spoof ad was a hoot, which showed Paris Hilton doesn't take herself all that seriously and at least has the ability to laugh at herself --unlike Mr. Obama, and, apparently, Mr. Stein. He seems to think the Hilton spoof is a knock on Mr. McCain. If I were the McCain campaign, I would openly embrace the film. Sure, it describes McCain as an "old, white-haired dude" and as "older than dirt." But the way in which this is done is so light-hearted and over-the-top (flash to the Crypt Keeper, Col. Sanders and Yoda) that in fact it entirely deflates the age issue. Besides, what's wrong with being compared to Yoda. "Mighty Jedi is he. Look this good you should when you 900 years old are, hmm." And, of course, Hilton's energy policy is actually not bad, and much closer to McCain's than to Obama's (no mention of tire gauges from Paris). So lighten up, already.

Of course, some people might see this as a pro-Obama ad, but in fact it's really pro-Paris. It is the way in which the Obama Campaign should have responded to the original McCain ad, but their humorless, heavy-handed whining about it (paying attention, Ben?) now makes it impossible for them to use the Hilton spoof to their benefit. All around, a good job by McCain for raising the issue of empty celebrity, and kudos to Paris Hilton for knowing how to play the game better than the opposition candidate or some old writer/actor/economist dude.
-- Stuart Koehl
Falls Church, Virginia

Are you kidding? John McCain includes images of Paris Hilton in his attack ad against Barack Obama and Paris Hilton responds -- with no endorsement of any candidate, and you are criticizing Barack Obama? The logic is tortured.
-- Maureen Dearden
Torrance, California

I read your recent essay in The American Spectator and have some comments:

1) The McCain campaign is the one that originally dragged Ms. Hilton into this fray, co-opting her image without compensation in a manner designed to denigrate her and Mr. Obama with some sort of celebrity-label taint. That is a bizarre smear coming from a Hollywood commentator, actor, performer (a celebrity!) like yourself and Mr. McCain, who has appeared in many more Hollywood movies and tv shows than Mr. Obama (none at all). McCain's website has previously called him a "political celebrity" (a term since removed now that the campaign decided the label is best used as a pejorative), plus he is associated with multiple ghost-written biographies (celebrity pumping).

2) Nowhere do you prove that the Paris Hilton response video came from the Obama Campaign. Using a capital "F" on Friends of Obama is a grammatical assertion with no authority. It's most likely that Ms. Hilton and friends made it themselves to promote Ms. Hilton, which is her only talent and job. You live in L.A. and must know that promotion is key.

3) You are upset that Ms. Hilton uses her celebrity to poke fun in a follow-up manner at McCain and Obama, but I think you are mostly upset that the campaign's original juvenile action is hoisted with its own petard.

4) You conveniently forget that as a younger man the married Mr. McCain seduced and eventually married the Paris Hilton of his day, a young, attractive, rich, slender, vapid blond who was clearly slutty in her own way, dallying with a much older married man. It's a juicy irony that Mr. McCain and his campaign (and you, too) now look to ridicule this type of person. And Mr. McCain's pimping of his wife's physical assets at the Bikini Beauty Pageant at the Buffalo Chip show last week is a bizarre continuation of this irony, too.

5) I look forward to the day when you are funny again. I suspect that Mr. DeLay's corruption trial could use some yuks.
-- Ted DiSante
Tucson, Arizona

The article on your web page written by Mr. Ben Stein concerning the commercial degrading Obama as a celebrity shows the conservative media's continued attempt to sway the minds' of Americans through ignorant commentary. While Mr. Stein clearly does all he can to praise Mr. McCain and degrade Mr. Obama, I would like to point out a few important point that the commentary clearly disregards in order to portray a false viewpoint to your readers:

1) The article clearly ignores the fact that the commercial has insulted the family as well as the person of Ms. Paris Hilton. While I do not approve of her lifestyle, the Hilton family has contributed greatly to Mr. McCain's campaign and so it should be expected that those that are insulted (aside from his political opponent) may feel the need to respond.

2) The commercial mentioned is not in any way endorsed by Mr. Obama, his campaign or its supporters. No where in the commercial is Obama named and the only referenced to him are "the other guy" so to accuse Obama or his campaign for producing said commercial is not only ignorant, it is a lie and an insult to his readers and conservative this nation over. For you to allow such an article to be published shows a blatant disregard for honest reporting.

3) Lastly, the article completely ignores McCain's promise to run a clean campaign. While most (admittedly not all) of Mr. Obama's campaign ads focus on Obama and what he can offer this country, McCain's ads generally (though not all) spend their time attacking Obama with generally false or poorly stated negative information (see the recent "Is he the One?" internet video). This clearly shows that McCain has not acted in accordance to his word to the American People. The commentary further praises the McCain campaign for finding its footing, specifically in its attacks on Obama. Correct me if I am wrong, but are we not attempting to elect the most capable leader, as opposed to the candidate that most skillfully degrades and insults his opponents? Since the McCain campaign has recently gone so far as to state that McCain himself does not speak for his own campaign, perhaps this is understandable, however as a voting American it is frightening when I am not supposed to listen to the words of one of the two major candidates. How am I supposed to gauge what Mr. McCain will do as president if I can't take what he or any of the people working for him as references for his plans as our future president?

Letter to the Editor

topics:
John McCain, Barack Obama, Abortion, Hollywood, Movies, Law, Iraq, NATO, Energy, Oil