*groans*

This is why I wish celebrities would shut up about politics. Seriously, I like Angie Harmon as an actress and she’s definitely my favorite “token female ADA” of all the gals they cycle through on Law & Order, but now every time I see her, I have to deal with the fact that she likes Sarah Palin.

Also, this:

Is she the most experienced person in the world? But she was running to be the Vice President, so we then put the most inexperienced person as the President. That didn’t make any sense to me.

Seems to be implying that since (A) the Vice President should be experienced in case they become President and (B) the Republican party ran Sarah Palin as the VP pick, then (C) Sarah Palin was more experienced than widely credited.

Dodging the question of “Why not (D): the Republicans were looking for a celebrity to buy votes, and didn’t care about experience?” why can we not also apply her logic to Obama, i.e.:

(A) The President should be experienced and (B) the Democrats ran Obama as Presidential pick, thus (C) Obama is more experienced than Angie Harmon gives him credit for?

Fail, IMHO.

*groans*

This is why I wish celebrities would shut up about politics. Seriously, I like Angie Harmon as an actress and she’s definitely my favorite “token female ADA” of all the gals they cycle through on Law & Order, but now every time I see her, I have to deal with the fact that she likes Sarah Palin.
Essie Elephant on 03/31 at 10:06 AM

No way! Jill Hennessy’s Claire Kincaid is the best “token female ADA.”

Quick primer for Ms. Harmon:

“I don’t like the policies that President Obama is implementing”—not racist.

“He’s not that smart—he only got where he is because of affirmative action”—racist.

See?  Very simple.

Not sure if this says anything, but IIRC the first Law and Order DA actor (Michael Moriarty, a true human whack-a-mole game) claimed he was fired, at least in part, for his conservative views (the original Breitblart?). A show like L and O, with its police-and-prosecutors-can-do-no-wrong-are-saints themes, would probably attract the Harmons, Moriartys, Thompsons.

I liked the former Bond Girl best.  Angie Harmon’s character was actually the reason I stopped watching L&O;.  Who knew she could have written her own dialogue?

It’s been said before but it bears repeating:

“I’m not a racist, but…” = “I’m a racist”

I think there needs to be something akin to Godwin’s Law when it comes to self-declared non-racism.  Something like “the greater the lengths you feel you have to go to to establishe that “I am not a racist” the less that statement can be taken to be true”.

Of course, getting past “I am not a racist” takes getting past the “I” in that statement and understaning that racism is systemic - as in “its not about you”.

Here’s a quick tip:

If you have to make a point of saying that you’re not racist, you’re probably racist.  It’s like when people say, “No offense, but…”.

At least she didn’t say “Now, I don’t see race … People tell me I’m white, and I believe them, because I own a lot of Jimmy Buffett albums.”  That would be slam dunk proof of being a racist…

(apologies to Colbert…)

...had she chosen to endorse some less effective or revolutionary eyelash-growing formula, I might have been inclined to dismiss Ms. Harmon’s comments as some simple shot at grabbing a few headlines for the sake of publicity.  Since she’s throwing her support behind this new formula, however, I really think serious consideration should be given to the merits of her complaint…

During the election, a lady who works in my office told me straight up that she wouldn’t vote for Obama because 1)she wasn’t sure he wasn’t Muslim and therefore a terrorist, and 2) she didn’t really trust black people, which led to a bit of an argument between us.

A couple days later, with no trace of irony at all, I heard her complaining to another coworker that it wasn’t fair for people to be called racist just because they weren’t going to vote for Obama.

I have no idea what led to Angie Harmon’s complaint.  But I do tend to take protestation of people saying they’re not racist with a few pounds of salt.

No way! Jill Hennessy’s Claire Kincaid is the best “token female ADA.”

Claire? Pearl-clutching, couch-fainting, vacant-staring, almost-certainly-in-an-unprofessional-relationship-with-McCoy Claire? Surely, sir, you jest. She is the worst of them. Harmon is the best, after that is Borgia, after that is the blonde girl who is constantly pointing out how young she is, after that is whoever is left, and THEN in last place is Claire. On this, I cannot budge.

(All joking, Dave, I swear. )

As for Harmon, I’m willing to grant that someone somewhere called her a racist for simply being Republican. She’s a celebrity, she gets weird mail. Fine. But if you’re going to convince people that you dislike Obama for genuine non-race related reasons, it would be a good idea to have a complaint other than just “he’s changing things!!” because, um, what president hasn’t?

Although, really, I don’t even take that as proof that she’s a racist. Reading her quotes, she could just as easily be a non-racist idiot. It’s a close call.

It’s not just wingnuts who believe that the only people who can qualify for the “racist” adjective are cross-burning, sheet-wearing rednecks who drive around in their pickup truck looking for black dudes to drag to death.  People apologize the shit out of anything that’s less than the most hyperbolic, Hollywood bad-guy representations of racism.

I’ve been mired in the whole Resident Evil 5 racism issue, and it’s gotten to complete headdesking levels of wilfull ignance on the part of the apologists. Recently Yahtzee declared that after the first ten minutes of the game, when you see the occasional white person in the crowd of African “zombies” who need to be mowed down en masse by your white hero and his light-skinned vaguely African sidekick, you quickly go to grass-hut ooga-booga African Savage land to mow down those uniformly black “zombies.”* He then went on to declare that Capcom wasn’t racist, they were just stupid—as if having repeated warnings about their game’s problematic content that they chose to ignore and went on to release an incredibly racist game could not be a function of, I dunno, racism and instead had to be a function of intelligence. Let’s not forget that this is the same Capcom whose Street Fighter series has repeatedly and consistently shown different nationalities as hyperbolic stereotypes.

And people will line up eagerly to agree with him.

Sorry, I know this wasn’t about RE5, it’s just the same sort of rationalization. “I’m not a racist, so I could never do a racist thing, therefor, what I did was not racist, and you negroes need to stop being so uppity when I do non-racist things you decide are racist because you’re uppity and shit.”

*(I use “zombies” in quotes because these are not Zombies in the classic sense—they can reason, they can speak, they are “infected” with Bad Shit but they are not brainless things).

MP,

To continue the RE5 derail, I walked in on that ridiculous game last week and asked why the female African sidekick was wearing large hoop earrings because, you know, hoop earrings are forboden in the Zombie Survival Handbook, which I have memorized. The answer that got shot back to me was,

“Because she’s African.”

*facepalm*

[snark] wait, I thought she was supposed to wear hoops around her neck because she’s African? [/snark]

MP,

Lols. The good news is that the author of the rejoinder was not serious - he was tongue-in-cheek mocking the game designers for what he thought was their reasoning. IOW, he was mocking their racism, not displaying some of his own. The bad news, however, is that his 14-year-old son who has ben raised in the backwoods of Podunkville, USA, has serious race issues and I’m not certain that jokes like that don’t enforce it. I’d like to think that they force him to re-examine his beliefs on the subject (“Wait, was that supposed to be funny because Africans don’t all wear hoop earrings? Really?) but I kind of doubt it.

Not sure if this says anything, but IIRC the first Law and Order DA actor (Michael Moriarty, a true human whack-a-mole game) claimed he was fired, at least in part, for his conservative views (the original Breitblart?). A show like L and O, with its police-and-prosecutors-can-do-no-wrong-are-saints themes, would probably attract the Harmons, Moriartys, Thompsons.
paleotectonics

You’re off base there.  Moriarty claimed it was his extended protest over what he saw as Janet Reno’s efforts to censor Hollywood and L&O;for too much violence.  Anti-censorship is ordinarily a liberal position.  Producer Wolf claimed Moriarty was let go because of erratic behavior.  Moriarty’s politics are generally conservative, particularly his “pro-life” position, but it wasn’t traditional conservative politics which surrounded the talk about his departure.

I couldn’t determine Merkerson’s politics, but her appearance on Inside the Actor’s Studio did not show any conservative political leanings.  Waterston, as the actor with the next longest association with L&O;, is not conservative.  Neither, it would appear, is Jesse Martin who took a leave of absence from his 9 year run on L&O;to appear in the film version of “Rent”.

I liked the former Bond Girl best.

Do you mean Carey Lowell?

I also think if W or John McCain or Reagan would have gone and done a talk show, the backlash would have been so huge and in his face, and ‘What is our president doing? How unclassy!’ But Obama does it and no one says anything,” Harmon said.

Considering how much time McCain spent on talk shows before the election, I don’t see how Harmon could assume that McCain would have broken his habit once elected. From IMDB:

“Late Show with David Letterman” .... Himself / ... (10 episodes, 2001-2008)
  - Episode #16.57 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) .... Himself - Guest
  - Episode #16.28 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) .... Himself - Guest
  - Episode #15.90 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) .... Himself - Guest
  - Episode #15.41 (2008) TV episode .... Himself - Pre-taped segment/‘Late Show Candidate Spotlight’
  - Episode #15.40 (2008) TV episode .... Himself - Pre-taped segment/‘Late Show Candidate Spotlight’
    (5 more)
“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” .... Himself (12 episodes, 2001-2008)
  - Episode dated 11 November 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) .... Himself
  - Episode dated 25 August 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) .... Himself
  - Episode dated 31 January 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Himself
  - Episode dated 29 August 2007 (2007) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) .... Himself
  - Episode dated 28 August 2007 (2007) TV episode .... Himself
    (7 more)

“Saturday Night” .... Himself / ... (3 episodes, 2002-2008)
  - Ben Affleck/David Cook (2008) TV episode (uncredited) .... Himself
  - Steve Carell/Usher (2008) TV episode (uncredited) .... Himself
  - Senator John McCain/The White Stripes (2002) TV episode .... Himself - Host
“The View” .... Himself (3 episodes, 2005-2008)
  - Episode dated 12 September 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Himself
  - Episode dated 10 April 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) .... Himself
  - Episode dated 8 November 2005 (2005) TV episode (as Sen. John McClain) .... Himself
“Late Night with Conan O’Brien” .... Himself (3 episodes, 2004-2008)
  - Episode dated 18 July 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) .... Himself
  - Episode dated 25 May 2005 (2005) TV episode .... Himself
  - Episode dated 27 May 2004 (2004) TV episode .... Himself
“Live with Regis and Kathie Lee” .... Himself (1 episode, 2008)
  - Episode dated 14 May 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) .... Himself
“The Daily Show” .... Himself (11 episodes, 2001-2008)
  - Episode dated 7 May 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) .... Himself
  - Episode dated 16 August 2007 (2007) TV episode .... Himself
  - Episode dated 24 April 2007 (2007) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) .... Himself
  - Episode dated 24 July 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) .... Himself
  - Episode dated 4 April 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) .... Himself
    (6 more)
“WWF Raw Is War” .... Himself (1 episode, 2008)
  - Episode dated 21 April 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Himself

The EXACT same thing was said about Michelle Obama today in the Washington Post. Her poll numbers are way up but a Republican is quoted as saying that she isn’t a fan, makes a point of saying she’s not a racist and is glad that Mrs. O “doesn’t seem angry anymore.” Because, you know, all black women have a chip on their shoulder. Again, if you have to say it, it’s because you are.

Errrr….not really.

Yes, really. It’s a verbal tic along with “No offense, but…” and other such things. Republicanism is the crudest sort of identity politics. They are the “good people” who deserve to rule, and Obama is one of “those people” who isn’t. Everyone making the latter sort of argument against his election will use the “I’m not a racist, but…”

Lil Sam:

Jesse wrote this post, not Amanda.

Due to your absence of links to back up your claims, I can’t prove that Amanda didn’t write what you say she wrote, but based on this very basic reading comprehension error, I have my doubts.

OT, I know, but one of my fave moments ever on L&O;was the season finale where the blonde DA was fired by Fred Thompson, and she shoots back: “Are you firing me because I’m a lesbian?”  And Thomspon says, “No.”  And the episode ends!  Did I miss some crucial episode where this was previously intimated/revealed?  I don’t think so.  I’m still trying to figure that one out.  A strange, belated, half-assed attempt to increase the show’s diversity?

While we’re discussing L&O, the best season was when Sam Watterson, Jill Hennessy, Jerry Orbach, and Chris Noth were all in the cast at the same time.

While we’re discussing L&O;, the best season was when Sam Watterson, Jill Hennessy, Jerry Orbach, and Chris Noth were all in the cast at the same time.

Ah, the fifth season, indeed.  The best ensemble cast with the least sanctimony.

Although, really, I don’t even take that as proof that she’s a racist. Reading her quotes, she could just as easily be a non-racist idiot.

Would it be ok if I think Harmon is merely an idiot?

I’m willing to go with Claire for pure boomer-hate reasons.  There was an episode where they caught a former sixties radical and there was a profound reluctance to prosecute her: old wounds, blah blah, the sixties were sooooo different, blah blah went McCoy and Schiff.  Kinkaid’s cutting reply: “Oh.  I see.  I don’t get to prosecute a murderer because I didn’t go to Woodstock.”

Kinkaid’s cutting reply: “Oh.  I see.  I don’t get to prosecute a murderer because I didn’t go to Woodstock.”

If this is the same episode I’m thinking of, one of the ways Kincaid got her former colleagues to serve as witnesses for the prosecution was to point out that during her time in which she had adopted a new identity, she had joined the local Republican club.

The antecedent of “her” in that above comment being the “former sixties radical.”

Middleage Liberal,

Thanks for the correction! re: Moriarty

I’m still dressing for a recession over here buddy and we’ve got unemployment at an all-time high

This is the type of shit that makes me want to punch people. But more importantly it makes me want to punch her (half kidding). She’s an actress who was making upwards of 20,000 an episode (but probably more) plus what she’s making modeling and she’s married to a professional football player and she’s trying to use this as a talking point against Obama. 

And she’s “dressing” for a recession. HOW THE FUCK DO YOU DRESS FOR A RECESSION? Was she wearing a burlap sack for this interview?

and that was his number one thing and that’s the thing I really don’t appreciate. If I’m going to disagree with my President, that doesn’t make me a racist. If I was to disagree with W, that doesn’t make me racist. It has nothing to do with it, it is ridiculous.”

And yet, she and her ilk wouldn’t dare disagree with Dubya, because then the terrorists win and you’re not a True American and… holy shit I just popped a blood vessel.

*breaths*

And Obama has been in office for a little over TWO MONTHS. TWO MONTHS. No one, no one sane that is, expected him to come in and fix this clusterfuck of greed and idiocy in less than 90 days. At this point I think even gawd would look down and go, “Y’all are fucked,” and move on.

The Discoball would probably just shimmer brightly to make us feel better.

But Obama does it and no one says anything,” Harmon said.

I might be mistaken, but isn’t Ms. Harmon herself saying something right there???

And I read tons of things deriding President Obama for appearing on the Tonight Show.  It just wasn’t “presidential” you know.

I think it’s the GOP practice of saying things over and over and over trying to make them be true.  It was said, repeatedly, but since it didn’t convince most Americans, who approve of their President in increasingly higher numbers, the talking point is that everyone was afraid to mention how unpresidential appearing on the Tonight Show was. 

See, no one must have said anything, b/c if they had said something, then people would hate Obama now.  People don’t just roll their eyes at GOP talking points!  No they don’t!  They cower in fear of GOP talking points b/c the GOP is the party of power forever!!!!

Lil Sam, sticks are smarter than you.

No one, no one sane that is, expected him to come in and fix this clusterfuck of greed and idiocy in less than 90 days.

Which explains why Republicans all seem to have expected Obama to solve every problem even before he was inaugurated and are now running around like WATBs wondering why The One hasn’t fixed everything.  We were told he was so wonderful!  We were told he was the new Messiah!  Why aren’t we knee-deep in ponies and rainbows yet?

Dudes, perhaps you shouldn’t have taken your own mocking propaganda so seriously.  The only people who were talking about Obama being The One and the new Messiah were, uh, you guys.  Everyone else realized he’s just a smart guy who has some good ideas to try and fix the mess we’re in, not the savior of the universe.

(Great, now I have Queen’s theme from “Flash Gordon” going through my head.)

Dunt dunt dunt dunt dunt dunt dunt dunt… Obama! Ahhhhhh Ahhhhhhhhh! Savior of the Universe! Dunt dunt dunt dunt dunt dunt dunt dunt

Or, you know, there’s this. :D

Liberals have used the race card in bad faith for decades that it’s caused this behavior change. Even Miss Marcotte hated on the Duke LaCross team, demeaning them as racists . . . .

The really ugly part was when the team was exonerated, she continued the hate and really looked like a fool. This, in part, was one of the reasons John Edwards dumped her . . . .
Lil Sam

As a Duke lax team supporter I hasten to correct this gross rewriting of a minor historical point.  Amanda’s flap with the Edwards campaign had nothing to do with her injudicious comment on the Duke case.  It had to do with some inflammatory things she wrote about religion but mostly with the Edwards’ campaign either not knowing what was there or knowing and not being prepared to deal with it.  Either way, the Edwards’s campaign looked foolish.  That’s about the time I started reading this board, but apparently it was no secret that Amanda was an atheist and had often criticized organized religions, particularly Roman Catholicism.  The blowhard Catholic League guy Donohue (sp?) fanned the flames. One can’t really blame Marcotte for assuming the campaign knew something about her writing before they offered her the job.  As I understand the job offered, her views on religion shouldn’t have had any bearing on it.

Modify your initial sentence to change “Liberals” to “So many on the left and so many race baiters…” and I might agree with that portion of your point.  True liberals would not race bait. 

A show like L and O, with its police-and-prosecutors-can-do-no-wrong-are-saints themes, would probably attract the Harmons, Moriartys, Thompsons.

This isn’t necessarily true. 

Most actors who are at the L&O;level are really not in the position to pick and choose roles based on their politics. 

And aside from that, I’m not at liberty to say how I know this, but I have insider experience to the effect that it’s not true, anyway.  Despite having hired 3 conservative actors over the years, they’ve also had a great many liberal or thoroughly apolitical actors. 

Though I do agree with you on the overall message of the show - I just don’t think there’s a connection with the actors’ personal politics.

Oh, and @ Olivetti - no, you didn’t miss anything.  That’s one of the biggest Totally Stupid Random Twist Endings in recent TV memory.  It makes me feel really bad for Elisabeth Rohm, actually, who I quite like.

So we can’t call her a racist. Fine. I’d settle for self-important twit.

And Opoponax, thank you for confiming that I am not the only person in America who actually liked Elisabeth Rohm. I did get a little tired of her character’s debates with Fred Thompson, but that’s not Rohm’s fault.

Well, I liked her better on Angel.  But, yeah.

Olivetti, I liked her okay too.

Its kind of sad that this article was almost named after that character, though

I have to honestly say that of all the ADAs on that show, Carey Lowell was my favorite. (And Claire Kincaid was definitely sleeping with McCoy—it was established in canon a year after Kincaid was killed off.)

And the “older male-younger female” combo isn’t that strange—I was once in the jury pool for a rape/murder case here on Cape Cod (I wasn’t picked) and the two DAs working the case were totally Law and Order.

I have to honestly say that of all the ADAs on that show, Carey Lowell was my favorite. (And Claire Kincaid was definitely sleeping with McCoy—it was established in canon a year after Kincaid was killed off.)

I was just coming here to say this!  Jamie is without a doubt the best McCoy sidekick.

i have to admit i did like angie on L&O;, but i’m throwing my hat in for claire as all time fav., and then more recently for casey on SVU.