Posted on 06/28/2004 9:26:07 AM PDT by John Lenin
EDITORIAL
Mr. Kerry's French
Every now and then, U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, lets slip that he speaks French. He chats with French reporters, has occasionally responded in French to a French-language question at a news conference, and once participated in a phone-in talk show in France. But lately Mr. Kerry has been at pains to keep his language skills under wraps.
Why? Because the senator and his advisers seem to have bought into the idea that his fluent French, far from being an asset in his quest for the presidency, is a liability. It is disappointing, as well as somewhat insulting to the American electorate, that he lets his political opponents get away with this.
People in other countries of course think it is a good thing when an American -- any American, but especially a public figure -- speaks a language besides English. There are not that many who can, after all. President John F. Kennedy didn't speak French, but his wife, Jacqueline, did, and was feted for it in Paris. Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Edwin Reischauer is still revered here for his fluent Japanese. Familiarity with a foreign language suggests an excellent education, intellectual curiosity and cultural broad-mindedness.
But foreigners aren't the only ones who think so. It's tempting to see the slurs against Mr. Kerry's French as signs of American insularity and ignorance, but the truth is Americans themselves usually take pride in their linguistically able countrymen. Actress Jodie Foster is admired at home for speaking French like a native in Cannes. Americans approved when former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Madeline Albright spoke to their European counterparts without interpreters. Nobody denigrates the current national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, for speaking Russian, Spanish and, yes, French. Even President George W. Bush has won kudos for his passable Spanish.
So it seems both odd and hypocritical when Republicans sneer at Mr. Kerry's French. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay began a speech to Republicans last year with "Good afternoon, or as John Kerry might say, bonjour." Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh routinely pillories Mr. Kerry as "a French-looking Democrat," whatever that is. And Mr. Bush himself recently made fun of an American reporter who asked French President Jacques Chirac a question in French, saying, "The guy plays like he's intercontinental" -- an unmistakable jab at Mr. Kerry. Why is the senator's language ability, which should be a clear plus, so vulnerable to that kind of obtuse ridicule?
The brilliance of the Republicans' shots is that they zero in on two classic objects of American ambivalence: France and wealth. Ms. Foster, Mrs. Kennedy and cooking icon Julia Child could hobnob with the French without being criticized. But they are associated with the frivolous, acceptable aspects of the country: things like culture, fashion and cuisine. To many American men, such things are France, and to those who don't remember Charles de Gaulle, a man speaking French (especially a politician) just sounds unmanly. The strained relations between America and France over Iraq have only compounded this old ambivalence: What kind of American leader would chat to backstabbers in their own language?
And then there's the issue of where Mr. Kerry learned his French, in a Swiss boarding school and at his family's summer vacation home in Brittany. Certainly, that is a picture of privilege beyond the dreams of most Americans -- although not of Mr. Bush. The president, however, has crafted a self-image as a regular, plain-speaking guy from Texas who picked up Spanish from poor folks along the Mexican border.
Given Mr. Kerry's admittedly aloof New England demeanor, it is almost too easy for Republicans to use his French connections against him. In America today, Spanish is largely the language of working-class immigrants. What is French? The language of diplomats, obscure film directors, graduate students and over-educated America-bashers.
Republicans, at least, are betting that Americans think that way. Otherwise they would hardly be so willing to portray themselves as intellectual dolts. So far, the tactic does seem to have hurt Mr. Kerry more than it has them, despite the efforts of Democrats such as Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware to expose it as "anti-intellectual" and "anti-culture."
To foreign observers, it seems obvious that part of the reason for that is Mr. Kerry's failure to follow Mr. Biden's example and seize the initiative in this debate. Americans may be ambivalent about the French and the rich, but they are surely as clear as anyone else about what a leader is: a man who refuses to let his opponent turn his knowledge, experience and abilities into something he feels he should apologize for.
Yeah...but I'll betcha 'ol JFK can't pronounce "Nuculer".
I have never heard Kerry speak a word of French. As far as that goes, this could be another Purple Heart story. What if the guy speaks no French at all?
I'd like to know what Kerry was saying while he was on the phone to the Frenchies in the months leading up to the war. Inquiring minds want to know...
aaaaah, he certainly is "The Common Man."
Kerry is a rich SNOB, and his french speaking is just an extension of that.
"...turn his knowledge, experience and abilities into something he feels he should apologize for."
Indeed people really should stop attacking John Frenchie Kerry's whimpy French view of America and American commoners. After all, John Frenchie Kerry has much more and far worse stuff for which to apologize than just his snotty French fluency and whimpy French attitude.
Here's a pair of John Kerry “Flip Flops” fuppet you can print out and wear to annoy liberals. (A 'fuppet' is a finger puppet). They also can be used ‘free-standing’ for desktops. Just copy, paste and print. It should automatically printout the right size:
Click on the picture to give Kerry the finger:
That's just stupid.
This line is hilarious!
The American People recognize that the French see themselves as rivals to the United States in terms of prestige and power. This annoys the American People, who know full well that the French are a bunch of cheese eating surrender monkeys. It further annoys the American People when we can bail the French out of two World Wars at murderous cost, only to have them sneeringly refer to our policies as simplesme when we want to kill terrorists.
If John F'n Kerry spoke Spanish or Portuguese, the American People would have no problem with that.
Most Americans are smart enough to know that having anything to do with France is a liability.I just wish our govt would get the messsage.
Great tag line!
The difference is not the fluency, it's the usage. When Bush speaks in Spanish, it's because he's speaking to a Spanish-speaking crowd and trying to conenct with them. Kerry uses his French likewise, but also does it to appear "cultured" -- an elitist bad habit.
" And then there's the issue of where Mr. Kerry learned his French, in a Swiss boarding school and at his family's summer vacation home in Brittany."
The media is too lazy to report that Kerry's mother Rosy, while technically an American citizen- was born in Paris and lived most of her life in France.
Rosy emigrated to the US in 1940, where she married Richard Kerry, an Air Corps pilot she first met when he visited her village in France.
Rosy wrote to her fiancee that America was a country " that she was afraid of coming to."
She remained in the US until 1954, when she and Richard moved back to Europe.
Kerry's mother, aunts, cousins, etc- spoke English with a French accent.
Kerry's paternal grandparents-Ida and Frederick " Kerry " ( nee Kohn ) emigrated to the US from their native Austria in their early 30s. They spoke English like Wolfgang Puck and Arnold.
Kerry's mother and her whole family spoke English with a French accent and his paternal grandparents spoke English with an Austrian accent-but, somehow Kerry thought he was Irish.
Go figure.
The last paragraph of the article notes that we are "ambivalent" about the French. No, we aren't: we really don't like them at all, for reasons you outline in post #11.
Where was John F'n Kerry born?
" Where was John F'n Kerry born? "
He brags in campaign appearances that he was " born in a military hospital " in Colorado. He even uses it in his ads.
Time to do a little research. Never take a 'Rat's word for nuthin'. If a 'Rat says it's daytime, I'm lookin' out the window to make sure.
But, seriesly, wouldn't that be a kick in the pants if he was born outside the US...
Of course, of those of us in New Jersey, it has echoes of the Torricelli/Lautenberg fiasco. Imagine if you will, about six weeks before the election, if it was suddenly revealed that John F'n was not eligible to be President, since he is not "native born". Who could the 'Rats put on the ticket to take his place?
C'mon. You know who...
" But, seriesly, wouldn't that be a kick in the pants if he was born outside the US... "
There doesn't seem to be any doubt that Kerry was born in the US.
But, his mother and her family lived in France- they didn't occasionally jet there from America for a summer vacation-which is the impression he tries to give.
The "magnificent estate " in St Briac was the place where the Forbes clan lived most of the year and logically, they also " summered there."
And wintered and falled and springed there.
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