Ban Ali G?
Speaking of TV encounters with fictional characters, Jesse points out that a guest on Da Ali G Show has posted a complaint that he was tricked into an interview with Borat, the crass, hapless Kazakhstani TV reporter played by the show's creator, British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. James Broadwater, a Southern Baptist minister who unsuccessfully ran for the Republican congressional nomination in Mississippi's 2nd District last spring, worries that Borat/Cohen made him look anti-Semitic by asking him whether Jews can get into heaven.
Broadwater answered honestly according to the teachings of his religion, and he's right that it would be unfair to characterize those beliefs as anti-Semitic, since they do not discriminate among non-Christians (although it may be unreasonable to ask people not to be offended when you tell them they're going to hell). In any case, Broadwater's main problem was not that he came across as a Jew hater but that he seemed pathetic and awkward as he sought people's votes--not unlike Borat himself, who comes across far worse than just about anyone he has interviewed.
In fact, Broadwater's complaint makes the failed politician look worse than the interview did. "This stunt pulled by HBO," he concludes, "is just one more reason why I believe that the liberal, anti-God media needs to be brought under the strict control of the FCC, and that as soon as possible."
