Give 'em hell, Kate!

Have we seen the last hurrah of Katherine Harris, the Bush-makin', GOP-defyin', word-slurrin', dogey-punchin', drama-playin', liberal-infuriatin', Christian-soldierin', chad-ignorin' diva who would be the Sunshine State's junior senator?

Looks like it. Harris barely squeaked out a victory in the Republican primary yesterday, collecting a mere 49 percent of the vote over her three rivals. She's now giving up 40 points to Democratic rival Bill Nelson in the general. She's out of favor with the Bushes, grinding to a halt in the election, plagued by scandals and personal dramas… You won't have Katherine Harris to kick around much longer. And I can say with total seriousness that I'm sad at the prospect. Every time I'm comfortable that my appreciation for Harris as a third-wave feminist—a sister who brings home the bacon, fries it up in a pan, loves Jesus, and fills out a Lana Turner sweater better than any other 49-year-old you can name—is just an ironic gesture, something happens to give me ironist's remorse: the suspicion that the thing you only sarcastically like may be something you actually like. This time, it's AP's litany of Harris' campaign woes:

Harris' campaign for the nomination was widely derided as spectacularly inept. Fundraising lagged. Her makeup, clothes and personality were mocked on national TV. She was linked to a corrupt military contractor. Staff members kept quitting in frustration.

Her clothing and makeup were "mocked"? What is this, the Betty Crocker bakeoff? We're supposed to be surprised when comedy vacuum Tina Fey sinks her nails into a high-profile Republican broad? Jealous! If America can't find a place for Katherine Harris, more shame on America.

Comments

[John]

It is interesting how sexist the media is. When is the last time a male candidate's hair and makup were mocked? Tina Fay is just bitter that all of her groupies are under 21 and frequently attend Star Wars conventions. I think she has bumped out the woman from X-files as top dork sex symbol.

[ChicagoTom]

Her makeup, clothes and personality were mocked on national TV

I seem to recall the same happening during the campaign in 1999/2000 --- someone else was being mocked about clothes (something about earth tone color patterns) and personality (serial liar about inspired books and technological invenetions and being a general big faker) -- only it wasn't Tina Fey doing the mocking...it was those comedic geniuses at the NY Times and the Washington Post.

hmmm.....who was it ....it'll come to me....

I shed no tears for Katherine Harris -- she has been her own worst enemy in this Senate run

[biologist]

I'm 35 and I find smart, attractive women like Tina Fey very sexy.

there is plenty to mock about Katherine Harris without knocking her appearance, though.

[biologist]

I'm 35 and I find smart, attractive women like Tina Fey very sexy.

there is plenty to mock about Katherine Harris without knocking her appearance, though.

[Marcvs]

Yeah, but biologist, you still live with your parents. 😉

[Tim Cavanaugh]

Unfortunately, there are still a few old-timers like me, who want Saturday Night Live to be funny, not sexy.

[Tim Cavanaugh]

Or rather, it's fine if it's sexy (though I would debate the sexiness of Fey and company). The problem is that it isn't funny.

[Dan T.]

When is the last time a male candidate's hair and makup were mocked?

John Kerry was mocked in the press for his fake tan and alleged botox injections.

[SR]

If, as Harris said, "God is the one who chooses our rulers," then doesn't the fact that she's trailing her opponent by 30+ points despite having near 100% name recognition strongly suggest that God wants her to lose? And if she does lose, will she public state that her opponent is God's favored candidate?

[Jesus of Norfolk]

She has a nice rack. Does anyone know if they are real?

[David]

It would be more entertaining if she blamed the devil, and cursed her district as the dominion of Satan.

Or rather, it's fine if it's sexy (though I would debate the sexiness of Fey and company). The problem is that it isn't funny.

I long for the days of Jackie Rogers Jr's $100,000 Jackpot Wad.

[ed]

I don't know nuthin' about politics, but I do like pictures of girls on horses.

Girls with large, firm...political ideals. Thanks.

[biologist]

Tim, I don't watch SNL anymore, so maybe that says something (namely, that I can't stay awake that long), but I've seen many funny weekend update bits with Fey. If new SNL episodes aren't funny, though, you're right, it's her fault and responsibility as the head writer and she needs to fix the problem or go.

[FXKLM]

I don't see the problem with the AP story. She was mocked pretty relentlessly, and I think that legitimately affected her campaign. It's certainly not true that all senatorial candidates are similarly mocked in the national media. Most of them are barely acknowledged by the national media at all.

[John]

Tim, SNL hasn't been funny in what 10 years? The bits on the 2000 Bush Gore debates were the last funny things I have seen on SNL and God that was almost six years ago now.

In truth Tina Fay is a really nice looking woman. But she doesn't seem to be very funny. Harris, while not as attractive as Fay but still not bad, seems to be unintentionally very funny. Perhaps the solution is for Fay to run for Senate and Harris to take over SNL.

[TrickyVic]

""but I've seen many funny weekend update bits with Fey""

If you've seen many, you probably saw all the funny ones. Weekend Update is very hit or miss, after all they are not, Chevy Chase.

I agree with Tim, SNL is not that funny any more. Hasn't been in some time. It has its moments but that's about it. The last time SNL had me on the floor laughing was with the Ashlee Simpson debacle and that wasn't a skit.

""I long for the days of Jackie Rogers Jr's $100,000 Jackpot Wad.""

I would kiss you but I've just eaten... What does that mean? ththththththth.

Long live Jackie Rogers Jr!!!!!!

[Tim Cavanaugh]

I agree with Tim, SNL is not that funny any more.

I don't think it's funny now, but it has gone through fallow periods in the past, and it's so tempting to hate whatever the current iteration is that you occasionally find out later that it was funnier than you were thinking. It's instructive for me to watch the five-year-old reruns on Comedy Central (which also benefit from having the dead wood chopped out) and realize that they were a lot funnier than I thought five years earlier, when I was saying the exact same "It's not funny anymore" speech that I am now. The Fey cast, however, does not pass this test: When I see their reruns they're just as bad as I remember them being. And the handful of members of the current cast who were funny have since departed-Dratch being the most recent expulsion. But they can always come back. I just hate the Weekend Update in particular these days because there's really this kind of in-group thing where if they just point out that they don't like George W. Bush, wackiness will ensue. And I'm even in the group: I don't like George W. Bush either. All I ask is: Show me the funny!

[Brian]

I'm going to miss her. She + Cynthia McKenny were the two greatest statesmyn of our time.

Yeah, they dogged Kerry on a bunch of stuff: hair, nails, tan, France (?), weird marriage, etc. Basically not-so-subtle code for "dude's a flamer".

[FatDrunkAndStupid]

Tina Fey did write "Mean Girls", which was a pretty good comedy up until the end when, like the Wedding Crashers, it opted for mopey sentimetalism rather than staying true to the story. At the very least it elicited from Lindsay Lohan the best performance of her career. So Fey deserves credit for that, especially considering the horrid track record of SNL associated cinema. SNL is a different story, but rather than focus on Fey, maybe the focus should be on the show itself. Show me a program that remained fresh and compelling for even 5 years, let alone 35. The reality is SNL should have been taken out shot decades ago. End it, don't mend it.

[sidereal]

Did you say donkey-punchin'?

She gets my vote.

[MUTT]

back when, in Northern Varmint, me & my friends were tryin to point out the creepy aspects of struttin around thumpin yer chest while boasting of butchering Latin American peasants. There was this crackpot outfit- Citizens for America- (founded by Lou Lehrman, & allied with the truly bizarre "Concerned Women of America) whose job it was to toss out bullshit enriched boob bait for the, well, boobs. In Varmint, it was run by this um, hard to believe fellow named Iron Mike Jacobs.
If Iron Mike didnt exist, we would of had to invent him, he was that good a comic foil. Ditto Kate Harris. On more occaisions than I can count, an actual, in context quote from Iron Mike would make our case for us....
You cant make these people up.....

[madpad]

Harris' campaign for the nomination was widely derided as spectacularly inept. Fundraising lagged...She was linked to a corrupt military contractor. Staff members kept quitting in frustration.

Who cares about her appearance being mocked? She's crazy as the day is long and as openly corrupt and self-serving a religious hypocrite as one can find in politics.

Lady's just plain creepy.