We took our new look to the next level and moved! Goodbye, Oak Grove. We have fond memories of our little peach stucco house, but we’re happily settling into our new suite just up the highway.
This month features the best-rounded trio of winners in a long while: corporate (Burger King), celebrity (Jennifer Lopez) and political (Hamas). Other nominees include Jesse Ventura, Verizon, a stripper on Ocean City’s boardwalk, fashion company Zara and, of course, the token political BIMBOs. We also saw examples of trying to use the power of a word to drive debate and overdoing “personal” emails. Finally, Desmond Hague, newly resigned CEO of Centerplate, is the latest to discover there really are cameras everywhere.
Tweet #BIMBOnominee to submit contenders for next month’s memo!
THE WINNING BIMBOS
“This is not a tax-driven deal,” said Burger King Chairman, Alex Behring, about moving the company’s headquarters from the U.S. to Canada after acquiring Canadian-based Tim Hortons. (This is a perfect example of why denying negatives is a mistake. Behring went on to say, “It’s fundamentally about growth and creating value through accelerated expansion.” Note that the BIMBO comment became the headline.)
Wall Street Journal, “Berkshire, Burger King Deal Draws Criticism Over Taxes: Canadian Move Would Lower Tax for Some: ‘This is Not a Tax-Driven Deal,’ Executive Says,” Aug. 26, 2014
“I’m not one to like, whore around and stuff like that – that’s not my thing,” said Jennifer Lopez when asked if she would marry for a fourth time. (While we applaud her endorsement of family values, we think she could have found a better way to express herself. The reader who submitted this gem noted that “including the word ‘like’ twice makes it perfect.” Note the comment became the headline.)
Dlisted, “JLo Says She’ll Get Married Again Because She Doesn’t ‘Whore Around,’” Aug. 22, 2014
“We are not fanatics,” Hamas spokesperson Khaled Meshaal told Charlie Rose in a lengthy interview where he also declined to retreat from their pledge to eradicate Israel. He flatly stated that Hamas and Israel “actually are enemies.” (The excerpted interview should be required reading for sentimental Americans. As strong supporters of Israel and of a workable two-state solution, we are unable to think of what Meshaal could or should have said.)
Bloomberg BusinessWeek, “Charlie Rose talks to Hamas’s Khaled Meshaal,” July 31, 2014
THE RUNNERS-UP
Jesse Ventura gave an interview following the favorable jury verdict in his libel suit against the estate of Navy Seal Chris Kyle, author of “American Sniper.” The former wrestler and governor did an excellent job explaining why he pursued a controversial suit against a sympathetic widow until the middle of the interview when Gayle King asked him, “Does it bother you that you may have won the case but you’re getting hammered in the court of public opinion?” Ventura repeats the words “I’m not getting hammered in the court of public opinion” followed by, “How am I getting hammered in the court of public opinion because I sought the truth? The truth will get you hammered in the court of public opinion?” (Ventura should have begun by acknowledging the comment, “On the contrary, I think the jury’s verdict vindicated that I was telling the truth.” He concluded by insisting he was standing up for the truth and sounded very credible, particularly in the context of the jury’s decision that the fight described in the book was part of a fabricated tale. He won a $1.8 million judgment.)
CBS This Morning, “Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura on defamation suit victory,” July 30, 2014
“We do not ‘show up unannounced’ to people’s homes,” said Verizon spokesperson John Bonomo responding to a charge that, you guessed it, they show up unannounced to try to get customers to replace copper network wiring. (This is another great example because the article clearly reports the allegation and it’s obvious the Verizon spokesperson fell into the trap of repeating it back. In fairness to Verizon, this report is really much closer to a column with a predetermined point of view.)
ARS Technica, “How Verizon lets its copper network decay to force phone customers onto fiber,” Aug. 14, 2014
“I’m not doing anything trashy. I’m not out there in a thong and pasties…I’m just doing pole tricks,” said new Ocean City resident Chelsea Plymale. Her street show on the boardwalk has been attracting attention that store owners say is unwelcome. (“I’m not doing anything raunchy or nude on the Boardwalk,” added Plymale, who confirmed she is indeed a stripper and came to Ocean City for an extended vacation. Plymale also did her First Amendment homework and discovered that others had sued the town claiming a right to free speech. About the only thing the other business owners can hope for is cold weather.)
USA Today, “Pole doll’ goes public, clothed on beach boardwalk,” Aug. 14, 2014
“These reforms are not just the whim of an authoritarian leader,” said Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. (The writer of the column, Marco Venturini, wrote that “Italy’s PM has made the same mistake that felled Richard Nixon,” recalling the famous “I am not a crook” comment. The reader who submitted the blurb noted, “Sounds like this author went to a Spaeth seminar!”)
The Week, “When denying is as bad as admitting,” Aug. 15, 2014
WRONG THING TO SAY
“Exterminated” was the word chosen by Zara, a fashion company, in its announcement that it was pulling a child’s T-shirt with stripes and a Star of David from its clothing line. The product, which inevitably evoked World War II concentration camps, caused an outcry made worse by the Hebrew word – “exterminate” or “hashmada” – chosen to announce the change. (What were they thinking? The outcry was predictable so it never should have happened. In pulling the product, Zara should have stopped with the phrase “it was decided the product would be removed from shelves across the world.” Of course, it would have been better to say “Because we care about and listen to our customers, we decided the right thing to do was to pull the product.” And, once again, note the negative phrase became the headline.)
+972 Magazine, “ZARA apologizes, says yellow star shirts will be ‘exterminated,’” Aug. 27, 2014
“This is part of the war on whites that’s being launched by the Democratic Party,” said Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., to talk radio host Laura Ingraham. She asked Brooks about an interview he’d done with columnist Ron Fournier on a Sunday news show. (Fournier couldn’t resist keeping the argument going and authored a piece in National Journal. Our view? Both sides lose, but Republicans lose most. They’re still talking about “war” as opposed to the kinds of policies that allow individuals and families security, opportunity and freedom.)
National Journal, “You’re Wrong, Congressman: I’m Not Waging a War on Whites,” Aug. 5, 2014
“We don’t have a strategy yet,” said President Obama at the end of a press conference addressing a number of foreign policy challenges. (Both Republicans and Democrats seized on this comment as an indication of weakness. Administration defenders pressed the view – with which we agree – that the president was trying to say that America and its allies need to agree on and formulate an approach. However, even longtime Democratic partisans noted a president should expect every word will be parsed. Our view? This may be an inside the Beltway brouhaha. The public is less concerned about points scored and more concerned about the greater truth behind the comment.)
The Washington Post, “Why Obama’s ‘we don’t have a strategy’ gaffe stings,” August 29, 2014
POWER OF WORDS
“Impeachment” was the word of the month as Democrats either seized on the ravings of a few extreme Tea Party types or fanned the flames themselves to create a competitive controversy to distract voters from the Administration’s failures. (The attempt to fan the flames was called to our attention by one of our readers, a Democrat, who was annoyed by the Administration’s rat-a-tat emails. “Joe Biden has emailed you. Michelle has emailed you. And now I’ve emailed you,” came the email from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, sent in the president’s name.)
Time, “Begging for Impeachment,” July 30, 2014
NEW MEDIA – NEW CHALLENGES
Security cameras to the rescue again! An elevator security camera in Vancouver caught Desmond Hague, CEO of stadium catering company Centerplate, kicking a one-year-old female Doberman pinscher named Sade. Unnamed sources, probably the apartment janitors, sent the video to the SPCA which then raided the man’s apartment and found Sade “trembling in a urine-soaked cage with no food or water.” (Hague issued a less-than-impressive apology with the mealy-mouthed, “I take full responsibility for my actions” but without doing anything substantive. He claimed Sade belonged to a friend, which makes us wonder what the “friend” is doing about the incident. The lesson? Technology invades our privacy but also reveals incidents like this. Fortunately, the CEO has now resigned.)
New York Daily News, “Heartless Connecticut CEO caught kicking puppy in Canadian elevator,” Aug. 27, 2014
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