Are Politicians' Families Fair Game for Critics?
Are families out of bounds in politics?
Start here: A newspaper humor columnist — a phrase found in a surprising number of journalism controversies — at the Austin American-Statesman wrote either a tasteless and sexist, or an edgy and funny, column on Anita Perry, the first lady (headline: “Somebody needs to goose Anita Perry to get a smile out of her”).
John Kelso’s column quickly became the talk of what passes for a Royal Court at the Capitol — the lobbyists and consultants and reporters and staffers who traffic in political gossip. And that quickly morphed into a conversation about who is ...
Comments (10)
Neil Sapper
I've read Paul Burka's condemnation of John Kelso's column about Anita Perry. Now, Ross Ramsey piles on poor ol' Kelso. Full disclosure: I've taken my own shot at Kelso. After he wrote columns about his experience as a cancer patient, I wrote in my blog that he was the Austin Fishwrap's tumor columnist. Mrs. Kelso flamed me in an outraged e-mail: how dare I write such unkind words about her husband? I had an old prof who claimed that John Dos Passos said, "It's all a matter of whose ox is being gored." In Kelso's defense, I read his column as a sympathetic view of Mrs. Perry's life as a prop in a series of staged photographs for publicity to further her husband's political career. Kelso was trying to gore an ox named Rick Perry, but Burka and Ramsey have seen Mrs. Perry as Kelso's victim and I see Kelso's take as sympathetic to the governor's wife. I imagine that my own poor ox is in for it now that I have written this comment.
Ted McKnight via Texas Tribune on Facebook
re: last paragraph--Kelso forgot funny long ago. He might be palatable on the op-ed page.
Daniel M. Kowalski
It was funny! For Pete's sake, Kelso is a satirist, not a journalist. His critics need to lighten up. What's not funny is His Hairness running Texas into the dumper.
Susan Surman via Texas Tribune on Facebook
blah, blah, blah! Give us some real news!
Erika Holzinger via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Thought perry was gay lol.
Kirsten Dietz Voinis via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Kelso's column is never funny, but this one was mean and totally uncalled for. Low attack and a very nice lady.
Mark Paulson via Texas Tribune on Facebook
It's sad when people have no sense of humor. The Perry's are no exception. In any case its like Palin or Obama parading their kids around and then asking for people to leave them alone. If you want them left alone, dont parade them, then there will be no issue.
Mary Lynn VanZandt Neill via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Wives are part of the political package.Kids, however, are not. Women up!!! ,Anita!!!
Mark Wentlandt via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This is likely the most press John Kelso's received in the last 10 years. Longer than that if we're only talking about his column.
Choose your battles, man. Devoting a column to Kelso is a waste of bandwidth.
Rudy Gonzales
No! Families are in the mix also. But I digress. Texas should get more Hispanic legislators based on the percentage of increases in Texas. Redistricting should be to guarantee Hispanic legislators gain office to the proportion of their population in Texas. There will shenanigans based on Perry and the Republicans actions in the past. This what you get when there's a one party rule in Texas! The Republican party has been bought by the well-connected and fully funded. We're not laughing here in Texas! Texas has been awash in red tape and mismanagement for too long. Rick Perry is a career politician with no real world experience, who forces his warped narrow-minded religious beliefs on Texas women instead of addressing the 16 billion dollar budget deficit! These guys are so out of touch and a good example is Rick Perry of Texas. Texas has beeen under Republican rule for quite some time now. So how is possible that we are running a deficit? Elections matter people. If you don't vote you can't complain. VOTE next time.
This what you get when there's a one party rule in Texas! The Republican party has been bought by the well-connected and fully funded. We're not laughing here in Texas! Texas has been awash in red tape and mismanagement for too long. Rick Perry is a career politician with no real world experience, who forces his warped, narrow-minded, religious beliefs on Texas women instead of addressing the 16 billion dollar budget deficit! These guys are so out of touch and a good example is Rick Perry of Texas. Hey Trick Ricky - where's the jobs? Remember we're open for business? Where's the jobs?Texas has been under a "Conservative" Republican rule for quite some time now. So how is possible that we are running a deficit? Conservatives should have seen the writing on the walls and fixed the issues. Elections matter - people! If you don't vote you can't complain. VOTE next time.