I am bald, and though I am not...

[slor]

personally offended by Kerry's "we have better hair" comments, I really wish he would stop. There are so many authentic complaints that can be made about smirky and snarly, Kerry should not diminish those facts by making such statements. Kerry can be so eloquent and presidential, that such statements appear beneath him, and he should keep it that way. And if the electorate is so close, why risk alienating anybody. I know I was very sensitive when I first began losing my hair, but that vanished quickly. For many, that may not be the case. And sadly, there are people that may be stupid enough to NOT vote for him for this reason.

[Az]

1. Yes, we want our politicians to be dry and humorless

Enough with these charismatic politicians that fancy themself one of us. We should never poke fun at our opposition as we should show them the respect they show us.

A walk down the path of history is crunchy with the crispy corpses of
those who pooh-poohed or ignored the clown car of ridicule when it
pulled-up to the curb. Who would have thought such a tiny car could
contain so many infectious and revolutionary guffaws? Satires,
parodies, blue humor, pants to the ground ass-wavings, tea-dumping,
Modest Proposal submiting, 7 dirty word spewing, flag burning, frankly
impolite, just plain rude and improper expressions of ridicule have
either ignited reform, fanned the flames or kicked the corpse to make
sure it was dead. - A quote from the net

[Bunny]

5. Right on, Az.

You're on the mark once again. :toast:

[slor]

12. I did not ask that he not use humor...

he should use it. But make it funny, and do not risk alienating people in the process. He can compare and contrast the appearances of Edwards and cheney with humor, without mentioning hair, I am sure we can all agree.

[Az]

15. Actually it is selfdepricating humor

Do you think that there is any chance that they actually believe that better hair makes them in some way superior to team Evil? The jab of this humor is a means of owning the potential pretty boy attack that the right is ramping up to blast Edwards with. They are going to pitch that he is just a pretty face and nice hair. By getting the jab in on themself before the right does they effectively own the joke and disarm the rights assault. It takes the attack away from them.

[sendero]

2. I'm bald also...

... and am not remotely offended by the comment, and here's why.

It is the Repugs who are constantly touting physical attributes, i.e. Bush* is "young" and "fit" and "handsome". Well, may be I wouldn't have an opinion on the "handsome".

But I can't help but wonder if Kerry is making a satirical jab at the Reps focus on these sorts of things, which they often do, a lot more than the Dems anyway.

[xocolatl]

3. For what it's worth....

... I generally find bald guys kinda sexy (all other things being equal).

'Course, I'm a gay guy with a full head of hair, so you might not be interested in what I have to say about it ....

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

8. Welcome to DU!!

And don't worry - we're interested in what you have to say. :grouphug: :yourock: :toast: :party: :bounce:

[xocolatl]

13. Thanks for the enthusiastic welcome....

:)

[jukes]

17. xocolatl

hi and welcome!

actually being gay is so cool w/us, some of us "straights" have been tempted to try to "pass" so we can get noticed!

seriously, no judgementalism on your orientation here: we love you for who you are, brother!

:hi:

[xocolatl]

19. Hi Jukes

I'm not worried about being accepted (or not) over being gay.

It's just that straight guys don't always like to be told that gay guys find them attractive.

PS Thanks for the welcome....

[jukes]

22. i'm a handsome devil

& have been hit on by quite a few gay men. they've never been rude, never pushy or "recruitive", & i've always been flattered by the attention.

very glad you're at ease w/yourself. it's a harshass world, and gaybashing is rampant, & very repugnant!

[MotorCityMan]

18. Been bald and shaving my head for 10 years now

And I found the comment funny and a comment on the ridiculous focus on candidates' personal appearances. Yes, it makes a difference, but I don't give a damn what the president looks like, as long as he's a good one.

Also a gay man, and I find bald men sexy as hell.

[xocolatl]

21. AGREED

The whole focus on appearance is stupid.

:toast: cheers, motorman :)

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. IMHO, if there is anyone stupid enough not to vote for Kerry because...

...of a joke, they should seek professional help.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Actually, I'm voting FOR Kerry because of a joke.

Bush is the joke.

Edited to add:

Oh, yeah--I'm bald too. When I heard the line it never even occurred to me to take it personally--I just thought it was a great one-liner.

[displacedtexan]

6. Kerry was only killing a ridiculous rightwing attack meme.

Edwards' "Breck-girl hair" and the cost of "Kerry's Haircut" would have been blasted continuously by the freeper enabling media.

It's not a slur against the follicle-challenged.

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Another hopeful little sign of the political mastery of this pair.

These guys really seem on top of things. We're now entering Phase 2 of the Rope-a-Dope game.

[MarkTwain]

16. EXACTLY! - and apparently that fact was lost on some of our...

... follically challenged (FC) members here.

Christ, finally we see a strategy to deal with the cabal and its ghouls by reducing them to a humorous aside and now the "bald" constituency starts going all politically correct and gets its feathers ruffled about such a strategically obvious remark.

And yes, I too am a member of the FC and it didn't bother me one bit; indeed, it gave me hope that the democratic nominees are not going to take the bullshit any longer.

Anyone for a comb?

[wishlist]

10. Kerry was just reacting to snide remarks about his and Edwards hair

that have been made in the media and internet and turning it around as something to jokingly brag about as a bit of a jab to those who have ridiculed or poked fun at their hair. He likes to turn negative perceptions into positives as does Edwards. I doubt he will continue joking about it much now that his point has been made. But I agree that many in the public including a couple of apoliticial friends of mine did not quite understand the hair remarks since they had not followed all the political coverage before now (such as the critical remarks in the past even here on DU about his and Edwards hair)

[BiggJawn]

11. Might appeal to the Swing Sheep...

Those undecideds who go into the booth and say "hmmmm...I don't know...I'd like to have a beer with Dubya, but John Edwards DOES have nice hair..Oh, and that Cheney is just a nasty little man, isn't he? Where's that Democrat lever?"

Hey, they wanna use "I'm too Sexy for my HAIR" as a campaign song, it's alright by me. Gives those handsome young folks on FAUX less ammo...

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

14. I have one thing to say to anyone who would be swayed by this BS - grow up

I mean REALLY!!!!

[jukes]

20. slor

nick=ghostbuster allusion?

no offense to you, but i think you're fixating on a minor detail.