There's little 'faux' about folksy Graham (Lindsey, not Bob) BLUMENTHAL ALERT

The State ^ | 6/1/03 | Lauren Markoe

[NYC GOP Chick]

I understand all that, but WHY OH WHY has he repeatedly been quoted in various wire reports as practically *gushing* about her?!

[NYC GOP Chick]

I'd like to see Ms. Bono come out and say that Slimy Sid made that up or that it was taken out of context or something along those lines.

[GOPJ]

Here's my guess on Blumenthal's book -- Hollywood and DNC fat cats will buy thousands of copies and dump them in thrift stores and homeless shelters. Then they'll take a tax deduction for giving to charity on our (the taxpayer's) dime.

Yep, it'll be a bestseller...

Expected to land in the top 10 on The New York Times best-seller list, Blumenthal's account describes Graham alternatively as "bumbling," "peevish," and possessed of a "shambling, faux-folksy manner."

[wimpycat]

I didn't read it as "gushing", just that he was trying to be nice because he can afford it.

[NYC GOP Chick]

It was a bit more than that in a few of the articles. Frankly, I found it alarming and appalling, as I expect better from him.

[wimpycat]

He was then and still is a country boy and a pitbull in the courtroom.

But does he "mash" buttons? He's not a real country boy unless he "mashes" buttons, like the buttons on the phone or in the elevator. (As opposed to "pressing" them like everybody else does.)

[NYC GOP Chick]

Very kewl. Got any good stories from those days? :)

[NYC GOP Chick]

What is "mashing"?

[wimpycat]

LOL! Something rural Southerners do instead of "pressing". Like if you get in an elevator and you're next to the buttons and someone says, "Could you 'mash' 4, please?", you'll know he's Southern, and most likely rural.

[NYC GOP Chick]

LOL! Thanks for the info -- as you can see, I'm just a provincial, sheltered NYC girl. :)

[CholeraJoe]

He did indeed "mash" buttons when riding the elevator. Since I grew up in Alabama, it didn't sound strange at all to me.

[CholeraJoe]

See post #51 for an explanation of button "mashing."

I don't have any Lindsey stories to speak of. He won a pretty big case defending a B-52 pilot who turned up positive for drugs on a random urinalysis. Kept the guy out of prison but he was ruined just the same.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Yeah, I heard about that trial. So, is he pretty much the same as he seems to be these days, or has he changed?

[CholeraJoe]

I haven't seen him in 18 years but he seems about the same now as he was back then.

[wimpycat]

Always happy to oblige. Another way you can tell a Southerner with rural roots (as if the accent wasn't a dead giveaway...) is if they "cut the lights out" when they leave a room, as opposed to "turning the lights off". Also, they don't have a "water heater" in their home, it's a "hot water heater", a redundancy similar to "widow woman" or "preacher man".

I didn't even notice that "cutting" the lights off was 'different' until my co-worker from Orange Co., NY made a joke about it. I thought that was the way everybody says it, until I checked with my boss, who is from Ohio, and he indeed verified that everywhere else in the country they "turn" the lights off.

I'm as Southern as they come, but sadly, growing up in a military town bleached out my accent. People don't know I'm southern until I say something like, "I reckon", or "I'm fixin'" to do something. Also, I "hit" buttons, but my parents still "mash" them.

[NYC GOP Chick]

That's good to know -- that he's apparently as genuine as he appears to be. Thanks. :)

[NYC GOP Chick]

Thanks, I definitely appreciate the education you guys are giving me. :) I'm not sure, but I *think* that "hot water heater" is used up here too.

Most people not from around here are surprised to find out that not only am I a New Yorker, but a native NYC (GOP) Chick, as I have virtually no accent. None of that harsh "Noo Yawk" and "toity-toid street" from me! I've been told that I just don't have any accent. Even though my dad grew up in Brooklyn, he has never had a Noo Yawk accent either, and my mom...well, she was from Westchester, so she escaped Accent Hell.

I've heard most of the things you just said as being southern, except for "mashing buttons." I think that's so *cute*! Here it's more like "Hit the effing button, ya freakin' bozo!" :)

[NYC GOP Chick]

Also, I forgot to thank you for serving to protect and defend our great nation.

Having survived a brutal attack on our soil (9/11/01), the one comforting thought I had that day was that some assclowns just bought themselves the wrath of the U.S. military.

[CholeraJoe]

Why thank you. It's genetic in our family.

[NYC GOP Chick]

I am always grateful and somewhat in awe of those who have served.