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BIMBO Nominees for April 2008

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• Bimbo
• April 1, 2008
• by Spaeth Communications
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FOREIGN BIMBO OF THE MONTH

A special award to the creators of the MissBIMBO.com game, a website pitched at nine to twelve-year-olds who sign up for an almost naked, busty girl, which they dress and ‘enhance’ with everything from breast implants to diet pills. In the face of a worldwide outcry, Nicholas Jaquart said it was “harmless fun’” and that “It is not a bad influence for young children. They learn to take care of their Bimbos.” However, when responding to a CNN interviewer’s question, “Would you like it if your sister were called a Bimbo,” Jaquart responded, “I wouldn’t like it. No one should want to be a Bimbo.” Precisely, which is why they get the special, Global BIMBO award.

MissBimbo.com  http://missbimbo.com/

CNN.com, “Alarm as dolls get breast implants in ‘Miss Bimbo’ game, March 26, 2008

WINNING BIMBO

"It's not a 'gotcha' story about some kind of quid pro quo," said New York Times editor Bill Keller, defending the paper’s publication of thinly and anonymously sourced rumors that Senator McCain may have had a romantic relationship with a lobbyist.

NPR, 'Times' Draws Criticism for Timing of McCain Story,” February 21, 2008

BIMBO’S FROM THE SPITZER SCANDAL

“I just don’t want to be thought of as a monster,” said Ashley Dupre, the prostitute who brought down New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

MSNBC.com, “Call girl in Spitzer case ID’d,” March 12, 2008

The best comment, from New York U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia, about the office’s prosecution of public corruption cases. “The ethics here, the real guiding principle of this office, is that we do the right thing for the right reasons…this office doesn’t benefit from us bringing prosecutions for the wrong reason. Even if we win.” (From a 2006 interview. Proving our point that print and anything posted on the internet never dies.)

The New York Times, “Prosecutor Handling Spitzer Investigation Is Described as Aggressive but Fair,” March 15, 2008

“Private” is how Gov. Spitzer repeatedly described his patronization of a ring of prostitutes. (Numerous commentators pointed out the link between prostitution and organized crime, the Governor’s role as chief law enforcement officer and his many former statements about the responsibilities of those in positions of public trust.)

The New York Times, “Mr. Spitzer’s ‘Private Matter,’” March 15, 2008

James Carville and law professor Alan Dershowitz looked very foolish scrambling to defend Spitzer in print and on TV. Carville kept pushing the “it’s just sex” argument, overlooking entirely the Governor’s role in law enforcement and the link between prostitution rings and organized crime. Dershowitz, who taught Spitzer at Harvard Law School, tried to say the episode was no “big deal. Married man goes to prostitute. In Europe, this wouldn’t even make the back pages of the newspaper.”  Dershowitz added, “Men don’t use their brains when it comes to something like this. They think with a different part of their body.”

CNN.com, “Is scandal enough to sink Spitzer for good?” March 11, 2008

The Huffington Post, “Dershowitz Comes to Spitzer’s Defense,” March 10, 2008

RUNNERS-UP

“There’s no secret deal,” said the lawyer for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, after the Michigan Supreme Court forced the city to release hundreds of e-mails and text messages showing that the Mayor and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, lied under oath about having an affair and firing two police officers who stopped Ms. Beatty for speeding. “This unethical, illegal lynch mob mentality has to stop,” said Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick during a state-of-the-city speech. (The Mayor was reported to use the ‘n’ word as well. He has retained an attorney and the PR person who represented Monica Lewinsky after her affair with President Clinton.)

The New York Times, “Detroit Mayor Loses Fight Over Secret Papers,” Feb. 28, 2008

The Washington Times, “Detroit Mayor swamped with calls to resign,” March 17, 2008

“We’re not in anybody’s pocket,” said “Superdelegate” and long-time Clinton aide Harold Ickes, insisting that his financial relationship with the campaign was not connected to his support. (Ickes’ company was paid $125,000 for voter contact lists. A classic BIMBO, although perhaps it’s better to say an example of mutual back scratching.)

The Washington Post, “Herding Superdelegates,” February 18-24, 2008

“Any military person who concludes (Obama) is a left wing, hair-on-fire, Kumbaya child of the ‘60s has sadly misunderestimated him,” said Obama advisor and retired General Merrill McPeak. The general was responding to concerns about the Senator’s declaration that he would pull troops out of Iraq immediately. (“Misunderestimate?” Where was the media that ridiculed President Bush’s malapropisms?)

The Washington Times, “Military fears ‘unknown quantity,’” March 3, 2008

“We never pressure clients,” said Matthew Copley from Senior American Funding, a company that “advises” elderly people to take out reverse mortgages. (The story is Exhibit A, about the kinds of enforcement and regulation needed in the housing/mortgage industry. It won’t affect very many people, but it’s important to get the bad guys.)

The New York Times, “Tapping into Homes Can be Pitfall for the Elderly,” March 2, 2008

A SERIES OF BIMBO’S FROM MISSISSIPPI

“I know I didn’t take a bribe,” said Mississippi state judge Robert DeLaughter. The judge ruled that famed tobacco lawyer Richard Scruggs, now indicted for trying to bribe another judge, only needed to pay a co-counsel $1.5 million for his role in the litigation, not the $15 million as established by an outside expert. (More back scratching. Lord Acton’s famous dictum illustrated again.)

The Wall Street Journal, “Tort King’s Path to Bribery Charge,” March 14, 2008

“These are not just legal wars, they are public relations and political wars,” said Mr. Scruggs in 2007. (Apparently he forgot to take his own advice.)

The New York Times, “Guilty Plea by Lawyer to Bribery,” March 15, 2008

HONORABLE MENTION

“I’m not some money-hungry person trying to make a buck off McDonalds,” said the mother of a man suing McDonalds for $10 million in punitive damages for putting cheese on his quarter pounder when he had asked for none. (Even the local trial lawyers said it looked as if “the request for damages appears to be excessive.” Incidentally, the trial lawyers in this case have renamed themselves the “West Virginia Association for Justice.”)

Lawsuit Abuse Fortnightly, “Cheesed Off,” January 2008 (Vol. 7, No. 1)

 “We’re not trying to humiliate anyone,” said union-opposing attorney Rick Berman, regarding the offer of $10,000 to the “worst union teachers” of the country if they’ll quit the profession. (We’re very sympathetic to the problems caused by rigid teachers’ union contracts, but this is a classic BIMBO. It will make good publicity for Mr. Berman but we doubt it will advance the cause of getting the unions to retreat from their lockstep, knee-jerk opposition to flexibility and quality.)

USA Today, “A Contest for ‘worst unionized teachers,’” March 11, 2008

“We’re not rednecks,” said Joe Way, portraying a Confederate general in a Civil War reenactment. (An example of inverted speech. Mr. Way actually said, “We’re historians, not rednecks.” He was trying to explain why the group had not invited the public. An example of how a word, ‘redneck,’ gets picked up and obscures what the speaker is trying to explain.)

The Birmingham News, “Blue, Gray clash again,” March 3, 2008

“I never smoked dope: Rudd,” was the headline of an article about Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The article was generated by the admission of the country’s treasurer and the prime minister of the Queensland region admitting they had smoked marijuana. Reporters methodically canvassed officials to see who would own up. (The article also reprised last summer’s revelation that the prime minister had visited a strip club in New York City on a visit to represent Australia at the U.N. In that story, Rudd said he was too drunk to remember details.)

The Sydney Herald, “I never smoked dope: Rudd,” March 4, 2008

THE WRONG THING TO SAY

“I’m a really good judge of character,” said Paris Hilton about her new series, “Be my new Best Friend Forever.” Ms. Hilton has plenty of experience with “best friends,” blaming an ex-boyfriend for a video of the two of them having sex. (The responsibility of the new series is delaying Hilton’s plans to visit Rwanda or build a transitional home for women leaving prison. Ms. Hilton’s plans for her BFF include “teaching them how to be on the town, see if they can get into clubs, just the usual things we all do.”  All? As far as we can tell, Ms. Hilton doesn’t do anything.)

The New York Times, “Return from the Serious Life; Reality TV has Paris Hilton Again,” March 15, 2008

“A Monster,” was what Samantha Power, an Obama supporter, called Senator Hillary Clinton. The word was repeated endlessly on websites and in the media, and Ms. Power resigned as Sen. Obama’s foreign policy observer.

The New York Times, “A Monster of a Slip,” March 16, 2008

“Pigs will fly over the statehouse before there’s a realistic level of new taxes or spending cuts that can fix this mess,” said New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, in a presentation suggesting floating $38 billion of bonds to be paid by the state’s toll roads to make up for the anticipated short fall in pensions and benefits promised to state employees. Taxpayer groups suggested reducing the rich benefits or raising retirement age or both, which the Governor and unions nixed, so they have begun releasing pig shaped balloons where the governor is speaking. (The Governor has been promoting his idea to raise tolls 50 percent every four years in a series of public speeches, complete with what is described as the worst PowerPoint ever done. The New York Times wrote, "Maybe it was his plodding speaking style. Whatever the case, he managed to deliver his presentation as if he were a business school professor.” Speaking as a guest lecturer of The Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, I protest the unwarranted slap at business school professors, most of whom know that they need to be star performers these days.”

The Wall Street Journal, “Corzine Hits a Speed Bump,” March 22-23, 2008 

The New York Times, “Hard Times Road Show on New Jersey Finance,” February 12, 2008

MORE INTERNATIONAL BLUNDERS AND BIMBO’S

“Then get lost, you poor jerk,” said French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, to a bystander. The incident was caught on videotape. Not good, but made worse by a report from Le Parisien the next day, which inserted the footage into its coverage of the incident, and an apology Sarkozy did not make. (News coverage made it clear that libel laws in Paris make the media receptive to changing what the speaker actually said to what he or she wished he had said – after the fact. We in the U.S. can only sigh in envy.)

International Herald Tribune, “Sarkozy’s office edits interview transcript to add an apology for outburst,” Feb. 26, 2008

President Sarkozy needs someone to tell him the truth. His lavish lifestyle is alienating voters who he depends on to back the needed reforms for the hidebound French economic and political system. During a recent visit to a Louis Vuitton handbag factory, he took a “free sample,” a $650 handbag, for his new wife, model Carla Bruni. Mathilde Agostinelli, director of communication for Prada, told the press that these ‘perks’ are perfectly fine. “The fact that Mr. Sarkozy is dressed in Prada has no bearing on his work as president.” (She’s wrong. Capitalism, the direction France needs to go, depends on transparent and free markets and on equal opportunity or the perception of equal opportunity. Using political power for influence and luxury unavailable to the average person only generates resentment, a sentiment Sarkozy can’t afford if he’s to loosen up the deadly regulations weighing down enterprise.)

The Wall Street Journal, “Bling Makes France’s Sarkozy into Fashion Victim,” March 17, 2008 

”Given that many are saying the DNC is broke, I’m wondering what the standard is,” said Democratic National Committee communication director Karen Finney in an email to reporters, trying to explain a Federal Election Commission report showing them with $5 million in the bank and the Republican National Committee with $25 million. (Looks like someone caught Ms. Finney on a bad day. She continued, “We raised $6 million, have no debt and have $4.7 million cash on hand. McCain has $3.7 million cash on hand when you take his debt into account…Is McCain broke too? Happy Friday.”  Happy Friday to you too, Ms. Finney.)

Politico.com, “Is the DNC broke?”  March 21, 2008

“I understand people think I am a ditzy moron,” said Mariah Carey about her “sexed-up” image. (We can’t imagine why. Perhaps she needs to register on MISS BIMBO.com.)

AP, “Mariah Carey: Sexed-up image makes me look ‘ditzy,’” March 18, 2008

 

 

“We do not need to be heroes,” wrote Cerberus Capital Management founder Stephen Feinberg, in a letter to investors about their plans for Chrysler and GMAC. He also said that they don’t “need to transition the car industry or even return Chrysler to a much stronger relative position in the U.S. car market in order to be successful.” (Predictably, the letter reached a much broader audience and raised eyebrows with the implication that the new owners didn’t care much about the company one way or the other. The next day, they were backtracking with a second letter touting their “enthusiasm” for Chrysler. Our view is that if the Democrats prevail in November and slap all kinds of anti-business/anti-growth policies in place, business leaders like Mr. Feinberg have no one to blame but themselves. However, it’s an example for the rest of us on how a message to one audience will almost certainly “bleed” through to others.)

The New York, “A Savior for Chrysler? Read on”, February 19, 2008  

“I did the duty assigned to me as a spy,” said the prisoner Kashmir Singh, released after 35 years in prison on espionage charges, to the Indian media. The comments created a furor in Pakistan where the release was supposed to be a humanitarian gesture to create goodwill between the long time enemies. (An example that nothing’s ‘local’ any more. The remarks to Indian media instantly caused headlines around the world.)

AP, “Spy confession could mar India-Pakistan relations,” March 9, 2008

“It wasn’t expensive cases of Bordeaux or trips on jets like the other cases,” said Doug Bailey, speaking for iconic investor Peter Lynch who was fined by the Securities and Exchange Commission for accepting tickets to golf tournaments and concerts. The tickets were actually provided by brokers, although Mr. Lynch didn’t know it. (The spokesperson’s quote was wrong. Saying “we weren’t as bad as the others the SEC caught,” doesn’t align with Mr. Lynch’s reputation as a straight arrow. Indeed, Lynch issued a much better statement saying, “In asking the Fidelity equity trading desk for occasional help locating tickets, I never intended to do anything inappropriate and I regret having made those requests.”  Even that is a negative, and he should have said, “My reputation has always been of the highest integrity, and I regret doing anything which could call that into question.”)

The Wall Street Journal, “Gifts Case Nabs a Star,” March 6, 2008

“If my showing up and endorsing him helps him, or if I’m against him and it helps him, either way, I want him to win,” said President Bush at a press conference endorsing Senator John McCain. (This really didn’t go very well. The president got there before the senator. The “endorsement” wasn’t ringing. What was going on?)

www.whitehouse.gov, “President Bush Meets with Senator John McCain,” March 5, 2008

YOUTUBE EXAMPLE

Senator Obama continues to demonstrate his mastery of the YouTube age, posting a short video talking about why he chose the Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr. as his pastor. (Hearing ‘person-to-person’ communication from Senator Obama on YouTube lets him say things that cannot be true – that he hadn’t heard any of the snippets such as “GD the United States” or that we “deserved to be attacked on 9-11” – but because he is so compelling, the listener believes him. Note that the Senator also asked viewers to forward links to their contact list for others to log on and watch.)  

The Wall Street Journal, “Obama Under Fire as Personal Ties Stir Controversy,” March 17, 2008