Welcome to the Club, Mr. President: Obama Apologizes to Kamala Harris for "Best Looking" Remark

White House press secretary Jay Carney today revealed that President Obama had apologized to Kamala Harris for calling California's attorney general "by far the best looking attorney general" in the country. The story can be found here.  The remark, made during a DNC fundraiser, generated immediate MSM criticism of Obama's uncharacteristic unforced error.  According to Carney, "[Obama] fully recognizes the challenges women continue to face in the workplace and that they should not be judged based on appearance. They're old friends. He certainly regretted that [his comments] caused a distraction." As for Harris's reaction, her camp released a statement reaffirming the attorney general's longstanding friendship with and strong support of Obama.

Maybe they are friends, but this falls squarely in WGT (Why Go There) territory. Kind of like Obama's infamous Special Olympics bowling comment on The Tonight Show--just gratuitous and dumb. He obviously knew that commenting on a professional woman's appearance was sexist, or at the least would be interpreted as sexist by many, and, after the escapades of the Big Dog, Bill Clinton, should know that the public is not ready for another casanova-in-chief.   Not to mention that with his second term initiatives stalling and public approval declining, his high favorability numbers, based significantly on the perception of Obama as a loving husband and father, is the best thing he has going at the moment.  So what to make of this "old friends" defense?  Seems like a weird kind of differentiation strategy, redefining the comment as relationship schtick rather than condescending come-on. Does that make it okay because, what, he routinely compliments Harris on her looks?  I can't imagine Michelle, nor the millions of Americans who adore Michelle, being thrilled about that.

Obama's quick apology (mortification strategy) and a plethora of other news stories (North Korea, today's jobs report, the president's budget, and next week's gun control debate in Congress) will take the air out of this incident in short order. But it was a stupid thing to say and he should know better. The "best looking" comment came just after Obama praised Harris as "brilliant," "dedicated," and "tough," instantly undercutting what should have been a shining career moment for the fast-rising California pol.  I guess what bugs me most is that the president seemed to hand out that praise just to make the flirty banter more palatable, hence, the odd opening to the passage:  "You have to be careful to, first of all, say she is brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough..."  Why would he need to be "careful" about espousing those qualities. It seems more likely that what he really wanted to remark on was how the attorney general's beauty made her more serious qualities a surprise, or something along those lines. 

But, in the end, Obama ends up relatively unscathed and Harris gets national exposure (and a lot of Google image searches). The real loser in all of this is Eric Holder, who's probably thinking, "Yeah, she's attractive but, c'mon, by far the best looking attorney general? What am I, chopped liver?"

Meanwhile, Kelli Goff, a blogger for The Root, offers a different take on the episode here, criticizing the double standard at work in the media's criticism of Obama. It's worth a read.

Bully Pulpit: Schwarzenegger Calls California Democrats "Girlie Men" (July 19, 2004)

What was the deal?  At a rally on July 17, 2004, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, addressing shoppers at a megamall rally and frustrated at delays in the budget process, called state Democrats "girlie men" for their refusal to publicly embrace their special interest loyalty to unions and trial lawyers.  The phrase alluded to a then well-known Saturday Night Live skit in which two Schwarzeneggerian (just go with me on that) weight lifters named Hans and Franz regularly wielded the term against the unbuff and unmanly.  An example of the routine can be found here.  Democrats objected to the remark as sexist, homophobic, bullying, and beneath the dignity of the governorship.

What did he say?  Not much.  The governor responded only through his staff in the days after the rally.  A report about the incident can be found here and a video clip here.

How did he do?  Well, no one was exactly shocked by Schwarzenegger's bluster.  One spokesman scoffed at the the idea of an apology (mortification strategy) but did employ a few image repair strategies, such as correction (the line was dropped at a subsequent rally) and denial (the term was not intended as a comment on the masculinity or sexual orientation of Democratic lawmakers).  The actual intent was explained as the governor's "way of saying they're wimps" for giving in to special interests. Okay, I'm pretty sure that differentiation doesn't help the quality of political discourse in our country, but I guess it's less offensive...?  In response to the criticism that the line is not typical of U.S. political rhetoric, Schwarzenegger's camp even offered the controversy as further evidence of his popular outsider brand (bolstering strategy) by arguing that "there are a lot of things that are not normal in politics about the governor."

Final Call?  Cakewalk.  Although the "girlie men" remark may have been beneath the dignity of the governorship, it probably wasn't beneath the dignity of the mall food court where Schwarzenegger delivered the line.  Frankly, Schwarzenegger probably could have ignored the flap altogether and still emerged unscathed, as evidenced by the fact that he used the term again later that summer during his high-profile speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention.  No, really he did, as you can see here, although his newly-coined "economic girlie men" was a bit awkward.  Yes, this case appears somewhat silly at the surface, but it clearly illustrates Democrats' precarious standing in the post-9/11, post-Iraq invasion world of 2004.  Positioned as outsiders on national security and military issues, the party endured endless attacks for being "weak" and is still struggling to break free of that easy-to-tell media narrative.  There's also probably something to say about a parody subject's appropriation of parody for political attack.  But I think I've probably written enough about this...

Late Night Slights: David Letterman Jokes About Bristol and Sarah Palin - Part II (June 15, 2009)

What was the deal?  As recounted in my last post, David Letterman took the low road in responding to the controversy surrounding his comedy bits about Sarah and Bristol Palin. The host's trademark irreverence and caustic comic sensibilities hamstrung his attempts to address seriously the criticism of his remarks.  Sarah Palin wasted no time rejecting Letterman's effort and his invitation to appear on The Late Show:  "The Palins have no intention of providing a ratings boost for David Letterman by appearing on his show.  Plus it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman."  Calls for protests, advertiser boycotts, and Letterman's firing no doubt made CBS and the host nervous enough to take another on-air shot at making amends and quelling the controversy.  

How did he respond?  Letterman's second public statement, delivered three years ago tomorrow, can be found here.

How did he do?  What a difference five days make.  The June 10 apologia provided very little--if any-- of what is called mortification, where the accused offers a sincere apology, takes responsibility for their actions, and seeks forgiveness from those aggrieved. However, by June 15, Letterman decided, in essence, to throw in the towel.  Gone are the snarky tone and attempts at humor at the Palins' expense.  Every time the host mentions Sarah Palin, he respectfully uses her title of "Governor."  He repeats his earlier defense strategies, that he didn't know Willow was at the Yankees game, that this had never happened before in his 30 years of broadcasting.  Letterman quickly concedes, however, that none of that matters and, if any of his jokes could be perceived as crossing the line, the responsibility was his ("It's not your fault that [the joke] was misunderstood, it's my fault."  

Letterman then concludes:  "So I would like to apologize, especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the Governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke. I'm sorry about it and I'll try to do better in the future."


Final Call?  Save.  Letterman's job probably was not hanging in the balance; his show makes CBS too much money.  Nonetheless, if the controversy dragged on, The Late Show may have experienced erosion in ratings, bookings (especially political guests), and advertisers.  Ultimately, those costs, and perhaps Letterman's own second thoughts about his conduct, persuaded the host to stop riffing and start repairing.  His apology comes off as sincere and heartfelt, especially as it pertains to the Palin daughters.  In a statement to FOX News, Palin accepted the apology and the furor faded with no long-term effect. 

Late Night Slights: David Letterman Jokes About Bristol and Sarah Palin - Part I (June 10, 2009)

What was the deal?  On June 8, 2009, comedian David Letterman, host of the CBS late night talk show, The Late Show, made two on-air jokes about former vice-presidential candidate and Alaska governor Sarah Palin.  One comment appeared on a "Top Ten List" of highlights from Palin's trip to New York City and compared Palin's appearance to that of a "slutty flight attendant."  Also, during his monologue, Letterman joked that professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez "knocked up" one of Palin's daughters during a Yankees game.  According to Palin, only 14-year-old daughter Willow accompanied her to the game.  Letterman's comments led to immediate criticism from Palin and others in the media and general public, who viewed the jokes as sexist toward Palin and Willow while also making light of statutory rape.  The controversy intensified during the following week with Palin supporters calling both for boycotts of Late Show advertisers and for CBS to fire the host.  A protest rally in front of Letterman's theatre was also planned.  In an effort to quiet the public uproar and secure his job, David Letterman addressed the controversy in on-air statements during his June 10 show.


How did he respond?  Letterman's response, delivered three years ago today, can be found here.


How did he do?  Comedy wise?  Pretty well, I would say.  Ending the controversy?  Not so much.  Letterman does explicitly deny that his bawdy jibes were aimed at 14-year-old Willow, and that's really the strongest part of the speech from an apologia perspective.  He also uses a transcendence argument in placing this one incident in the context of his 30-year comedy career:  "These are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl. I mean, look at my record. It has never happened. I don't think it's funny. I would never think it was funny. I wouldn't put it in a joke."  This works in the sense that mentioning his longevity, along with the suggestion that no similar accusations have been leveled during that time, reinforces his primary strategy of denial.


Even in the few effective moments, however, the veteran host undermines his efforts with irony and snark.  For example, Letterman comes close to expressing actual contrition before veering off into a punchline:  "Do I regret having told them? Well, I think probably I do. But you know what? There are thousands of jokes I regret telling on this program."


More problematic is that Letterman doesn't actually seem interested in alleviating the controversy.  Otherwise, he would not have spent several minutes of his statement repeating the disagreeable jokes verbatim and then analyzing why each one is not deserving of criticism.  Or, in the case of the "Sarah Palin as slutty flight attendant" gag, respond with "Now, the only thing I can say about this is I kinda like that joke."  Surely, Letterman knew this irreverent approach would only infuriate further the Palins and their supporters.  He just didn't care.


Final call:  Sinkhole.  David Letterman was too busy mining the situation for comedy gold to engage in a serious apologia effort.  As a result, the criticism intensified and the comedian had to address the issue again a mere five days later.