Comments on: The Sweater!

The Sweater!

XQUZYPHYR — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 09:40:16 -0800

For sale: one argyle sweater, previously used as target of media ridicule.

By: Argyle

Argyle — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 09:43:09 -0800

That's one man with style I can admire!

By: y2karl

y2karl — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 09:54:23 -0800

Current bid: US $2,275.00 Wow, that's getting into the price range of one of President Bush's Oxxford suits. When brothers Louis and Jacob Weinberg founded the company in 1916, they were determined to make the best suit. They used the finest fabrics and designed only simple, timeless shapes. This guiding principle ensures Oxxford continues to create top-notch garments for a price --$2,000 to $14,000 --that loyal customers are willing to pay. Oxxford produced 25,000 handmade garments and had $30 million in sales last year, according to Roger Parfitt, the company's chief operating officer.

By: SealWyf

SealWyf — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 10:01:23 -0800

But... but... he should have donated it to the Smithsonian, to keep Mr. Rogers' sweater company!

By: dhoyt

dhoyt — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 10:52:13 -0800

I'd never wear an Argyle sweater myself simply because it just ain't me--but is it a huge faux pas? I'm just surprised he got so much flack for it. It's not like he showed up with a circa-1991 Gumby haircut or a flowing caftan or something totally out of place. /is trying unsuccessfully not to defend Argyle

By: Steve_at_Linnwood

Steve_at_Linnwood — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 11:25:36 -0800

I duno, I think he could use some more earth tones...

By: matteo

matteo — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 11:33:30 -0800

Clark's sweater thing kind of reminds me of Lamar Alexander's red flannel shirt President Bush's Oxxford suits JC Penney suits are the thing to wear this year, I hear he could use some more earth tones... he's gonna win the election, too, then!

By: matteo

matteo — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 11:41:46 -0800

oh, karl, JFK (who is probably the 20th century's most elegant US President) used to (secretly, to try not to look too elitist) wear Charvet handmade shirts . Freedom Shirts, anybody? Beverly Hills Frank Mariani used to be Regan's tailor. I consider Regan a very well dressed -- if somehow BeverlyHills- flashy -- President, actually. and a quite underrated actor (a terribly overrrated -- well, in the US, at least -- President, but that's entirely another matter)

By: weston

weston — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 11:45:29 -0800

Oh, don't forget the link mentioned in the article. I swear, writing about clothing/fasion choices of candidates should be a CAPITAL CRIME.

By: mcsweetie

mcsweetie — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 11:51:04 -0800

clark's conservative fashions choices coupled with dean's explosive and uncontrollable anger will certainly spell disaster for "dems" this year.

By: y2karl

y2karl — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 12:45:12 -0800

I duno, I think he could use some more earth tones... As noted, Michael Duffy's story in Time didn't mention "earth tones". According to Duffy, one unnamed Gore adviser had "downplayed" Wolf as a "wardrobe consultant." But Duffy stressed the fact that most Gore advisers didn't know what Wolf was doing for the campaign. (Wolf lived in New York, where she worked with Gore's daughter; the Gore camp was based in DC and then Nashville.) Simply put, there was no way to tell from Duffy's piece if Wolf had ever consulted on wardrobe. But Duffy didn't say a word about "earth tones." There's no sign that anyone ever told Duffy that Wolf told Gore to wear tones. But earth tones popped up one day later, offered as a "speculation" in a piece by—who else?—Ceci Connolly. One day after Duffy's piece appeared, the Gore-bashing spinner wrote a page-one piece about Wolf in the Washington Post. She spoke with former Clinton aide Dick Morris, who had worked with Wolf in the'96 campaign (later praising Wolf for her mainstream advice). Here's the sentence in which "earth tones" got its start: Connolly (11/1/99): Morris speculated that Wolf, who has long contended that earth tones are more "reassuring" to audiences, is the person behind Gore's recent wardrobe change. That's the sentence in which Naomi Wolf told Gore to wear earth tones was born.? It was born in a "speculation" by Morris, offered to the egregious Ceci Connolly. Next: more stories about Kerry's expensive haircuts rather than a [rich] folksy man-of-the-people [-with-fingerbowls-on-their-dining-room-tables] President who buys $14K suits. Now, what was that about framing a story by repeating the same Big Lie over and over and over, again?

By: Mo Nickels

Mo Nickels — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 12:48:00 -0800

But what size is it?

By: y2karl

y2karl — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 13:32:12 -0800

Speaking of earth tones, how about brown shirts? Now, there's a meme.

By: Space Coyote

Space Coyote — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 13:48:23 -0800

Jesus, y2karl, that's some scary shit. Notice how the copy still managed to make the little republican thugs look somewhat less horrifying.. only quoting one of them, saying that Jett was the one who pushed back 'violently'... the slant in that copy is pathological.

By: inksyndicate

inksyndicate — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:25:28 -0800

explosive and uncontrollable anger Do you repeat everything you hear? I don't remember Dean ever looking "explosive and uncontrollable," but I keep hearing this line everywhere.

By: Space Coyote

Space Coyote — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:27:47 -0800

inky: I think mischief was being a bit sarcastic, predicting doom for the democrats and all. Besides, it's been widely reported, that makes it factesque. (I could kiss you, stephen colbert).

By: rushmc

rushmc — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:31:19 -0800

Strangely enough, Carol Mosley Braun's panties are only listed on eBay Japan....

By: inksyndicate

inksyndicate — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:37:16 -0800

Oh, ok, sorry for sounding uncivil in that case.

By: Steve_at_Linnwood

Steve_at_Linnwood — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:46:24 -0800

Very Good Karl! It seems that you too can use Google and hit "I'm Feeling Lucky!" A+ for effort! At first I thought that maybe you are just really dull and don't get a joke when you see one, but then I read more and saw you 'oh, so clever' Nazi reference... So I have come to the conclusion that you are just insane. Funny thing too, according to this story from WHO Channel 13 in Des Moines, I get the impression that the Midwest Caucus Leadership Conference was already planned in advance at Olmstead Center, and that perhaps (pure speculation) the Democrats where crashing their 'party'. But oh well, I guess it is safe to assume that since they College Republicans, and the spawn of the Devil, that they must be Nazis and not far from a Kristallnacht of their own.

By: greengrl

greengrl — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:55:43 -0800

Y'know, somehow I like Clark even more after this. At least he's got a sense of humor about how ridiculous the whole thing is, and now Liberty House will have at least $3200+ more than they had before. Does anybody care what a candidate wears, as long as he's not dressed as the Easter Bunny? [Well, even dressing as the Easter Bunny around Easter time might well be acceptable...]

By: y2karl

y2karl — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 15:17:21 -0800

But oh well, I guess it is safe to assume that since they College Republicans, and the spawn of the Devil, that they must be Nazis and not far from a Kristallnacht of their own. Actually, I got the story from Eschaton, from where the brown shirt part comes. I thought that to have one minor incident in one town in Iowa described as evidence of College Republicans are acting like brownshirts was way over top, myself. But you know, if you repeat a Big Lie--like Al Gore said he invented the internet, Al Gore brought up Willie Horton first, Hillary Clinton channeled Eleanor Roosevelt in the White House and Naomi Wolf told Al Gore to wear earth tones--often often enough, it becomes a fact that the ignorant and benighted repeat. It just depends on whose ox is getting Gored, now doesn't it? Sucker.

By: riviera

riviera — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 16:32:31 -0800

that perhaps (pure speculation) the Democrats where crashing their 'party'. For 'pure speculation', read 'wearing my Young-Republican-lovin' spelling-challenged biases on my sleeve'. (Don't worry, Steve: Google's introducing an 'I'm Feeling Fuckwitted' button soon.) since they College Republicans, and the spawn of the Devil, that they must be Nazis and not far from a Kristallnacht of their own. Gosh, hark at the passive aggression! Perhaps -- just perhaps -- the 'bourgeois riot' of flown-in GOP activists in Florida set a precedent that hasn't been forgotten?

By: Steve_at_Linnwood

Steve_at_Linnwood — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 17:12:00 -0800

But you know, if you repeat a Big Lie...often often enough, it becomes a fact that the ignorant and benighted repeat. Yes, it is exactly like "Bush Deserted / Dogged the Draft" meme. No proof what so ever (Thought I am sure you link to some bullshit that ignores reality, Karl), but repeated (on this site as well as else where) often enough... Though I think accusing someone of not being able to color coordinate their clothing is just a bit less serious of a charge, don't you think? spelling-challenged biases What exactly was misspelled? (Not that fast typing proves or disproves a point... very weak argument) Google's introducing an 'I'm Feeling Fuckwitted' button soon Oh? They finally answered your request?

By: y2karl

y2karl — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 17:43:26 -0800

I duno, Steve, the commonly accepted spelling of the colloquial as-it-sounds contraction of don't know is dunno. Riviera referred to that typo, I believe. Please note that I didn't tweak you for it. At first I would never have thought that maybe you are just really dull and don't get a joke when you see one, Steve--and if I did, what's the point of insulting someone when you can get him to act the fool?--but then I read more and saw you took my 'oh, so clever' brown shirt link so seriously when it was as obviously a joke as your earth tone quip. You insist you were joking,--which I never doubted--but can't extend the courtesy of considering that I might have been joking, too. So, you read minds, do you--then how come you fell for that brown shirt link hook, line and sinker? Talk about shooting fish in a barrel--I feel so ashamed of myself.

By: y2karl

y2karl — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 17:46:39 -0800

Oh, upon re-examination, the where crashing for were crashing is the typo to which Riviera most likely referred.

By: The God Complex

The God Complex — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 21:03:40 -0800

I like argyle sweaters and would consider wearing one.

By: Space Coyote

Space Coyote — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 21:19:44 -0800

Google's introducing an 'I'm Feeling Fuckwitted' button soon
Oh? They finally answered your request? Oh please, I come to MeFi for slightly better flamewar fare than "I know you are but what am I?" Be sure to do better next time. Also, on the young republicans link, nice effort at speculation there that proves sweet fuck all since it contradicted the basic facts of the story, since the republican kids were the ones who made their way down to the get out the vote show. Oh well, perhaps I'll speculate that Karl Rove sneaks into babies' rooms at night and nibbles their toes.

By: mcsweetie

mcsweetie — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 22:57:02 -0800

Do you repeat everything you hear? I don't remember Dean ever looking "explosive and uncontrollable," but I keep hearing this line everywhere. I was makin' a silly. I've heard it too many times as and I know it's just a desperate smear.

By: y2karl

y2karl — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 23:18:31 -0800

Thought I am sure you [will] link to some bullshit that ignores reality, Karl How about The Nation, New York Times, Boston Globe and Washington Post ? David Corn in the Nation quotes George W. Bush thusly: I was not prepared to shoot my eardrum out with a shotgun in order to get a deferment. Not was I willing to go to Canada. So I chose to better myself by learning how to fly airplanes. He also makes the following statements: Bush, whose father was then a congressman from the Houston area, has said no strings were pulled on his behalf. Yet in 1999, the former speaker of the Texas House of Representatives told The New York Times that a Houston oilman who was a friend of Bush's father had asked him to grease the skids for W. and he obliged. In Bush's campaign autobiography, A Charge To Keep, he wrote that he completed pilot training in 1970 and "continued flying with my unit for the next several years." But in 2000, The Boston Globe obtained copies of Bush's military records and discovered that he had stopped flying during his final 18 months of service in 1972 and 1973. More curious, the records showed Bush had not reported for Guard duty during a long stretch of that period. Had the future commander-in-chief been AWOL? Now, I wish that he would source that quote--I wonder if it is from the same Texas interview quoted below--but the I have no reason to believe he made up the New York TImes story and know for a fact the Boston Globe story is paraphrased fairly--but you have to resister to view it. At Height of Vietnam, Bush Picks Guard is from the Washington Post. Their quote from a 1989 Texas interview: I'm saying to myself, 'What do I want to do?' I think I don't want to be an infantry guy as a private in Vietnam. What I do decide to want to do is learn to fly. The article points out there never a chance he would have been called up for Viet Nam service. Also from the Post article: Among the questions Bush had to answer on his application forms was whether he wanted to go overseas. Bush checked the box that said: "do not volunteer." There seems to be a number of reputable sources that suggest his National Guard service was, well, kind of hinky. Of course, he was not alone in this among members of his administration: Chicken Hawk Database. Well, at the very least,. Well, you no doubt agree that for a guy who got out of the draft on the grounds of an anal cyst--having one, not being one: but really, in this case, what's the difference?--Rush Limbaugh is a total fuckin' hypocrite for calling Bill Clinton a draft dodger. Right?

By: y2karl

y2karl — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 23:20:47 -0800

Ah, shucks you have to register not resister to read that Boston Globe story. Damn you, spell check, damn you.

By: riviera

riviera — Mon, 19 Jan 2004 07:00:22 -0800

Yes, it is exactly like "Bush Deserted / Dogged the Draft" meme. No such meme exists. Woof! Now, if you're actually referring to the 'Bush was unaccounted for during the last year of his cushy stay-home fly-guy commission, and was disiciplined for not taking a medical, coincidentally after drug testing was introduced' meme, then no, it's not 'exactly like' it. And my earlier point stands: Republicans set a precedent for centrally-organised disruption made to look like 'spontaneous reaction' back in 2000. They also made sure that friendly TV news cameras were in attendance, too. So I suppose the organisers of political rallies should prepare for incursions from badly-dressed, sweaty types for the next ten months or so. Though I don't think there'll be much market for those poly-cotton button-down shirts on Ebay.

By: alms

alms — Mon, 19 Jan 2004 08:40:12 -0800

Back on the subject at hand: I think this maneuver shows tremendous class on Clark's part. It's not just that he can poke fun at himself, it's also that the money is going to a charity and not to his campaign. Really great.

By: y2karl

y2karl — Tue, 20 Jan 2004 08:58:27 -0800

Current bid: US $16,412.69 Time left: 4 days 11 hours Bid History grandma1234 izmaylovo frenchcat35 kha-dizzle frenchcat35 vegan12 jizzbucketdouchebag bongnpinoy stevefplc mukilteobowlingleague

By: y2karl

y2karl — Tue, 20 Jan 2004 15:23:22 -0800

Here's a brownshirt related sidenote from brushstroke.tv : Not long ago, almost as a joke, I stuck a Howard Dean bumper sticker on my brother's 25 year old, buttercup yellow, diesel Mercedes sedan. He's not very political, but didn't object to the sticker. I stuck one on his Republican girlfriend's car too, over the Bush/Cheney sticker already there, but that's another story. Let's just say she didn't appreciate my sense of humor. Over the Christmas holiday, my brother left Atlanta for Louisiana with his two Catahoula hounds loaded in the back seat of Buttercup. Ordinarily, he could reach the relative civilization of Covington before needing to refuel the diesel, but that's without the dogs. Shortly after entering Alabama, he pulled over at a rest stop and followed the signs for pet owners. As he got out of the car, a redneck trucker parked close by began to heckle him. Less than a minute later, the rest stop attendant zipped up in a golf cart and told him to move. Not wanting a confrontation, he piled the dogs back in the car before they had a chance to "go", and headed down the road. A few miles further, he pulled over on the side of the road to let the dogs out. As he got out of the car, he noticed a different trucker (but one he'd also seen at the rest stop), pull off the highway, onto the shoulder and head straight for his car. As he tried to pull the dogs away from the car, the trucker veered off at the last millisecond, just before hitting them. A couple of hours later, while still in Alabama, but close to the Mississippi border, he stopped at a gas station for a drink. As he got out of the car, a team of three crackers approached him and tried to pick a fight. Seeing the large dogs, they backed off, but by this point he'd had enough. Before entering Mississippi, he pulled off the road and ripped the Dean sticker off his bumper. I can't say as I blame him. If my brother's experience is any indication, things are going to get much worse before they get better. This president exploits the basest instincts of his basest supporters and by doing so, is playing with fire. In recent months I've noticed a disturbing trend as each success in Iraq has been accompanied by an increase in hostility toward progressives here at home. It's a similar dynamic that drives rabid sports fans to rampage against their fellow citizens after "their" team wins. Until my brother's experience, I thought the recent wave of hostility unleashed by Saddam's capture was confined to verbal abuse via talk radio, neo-con blogs and hate e-mail. But apparently, the level of polarization in the deep, green south is much worse than even I expected. If this keeps up, when Osama is caught, I expect the Orcs will come after us with pickaxes. To which I say (waving a boney fist at the sky), bring it on. The climax of Easy Rider comes to mind.