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Such Lovely People

by: David Dayen

Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 22:31:49 PM PDT


So you expect a couple of conservative bitter-enders like KFI shock jocks John and Ken to depict Italian-American Don Perata as a Mafia boss.  Slightly less expected was that the same graphic would make its way onto local news in Sacramento.  

A televised graphic depicting Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata as an apparent Mafia leader, pointing a gun skyward, has angered Italian-Americans.

Bill Cerruti, who is chairman of a state Italian-American task force and leader of the Italian-American Cultural Society, blasted the characterization today and demanded an apology.

The graphic, depicting Perata in a purple suit and white tie, was broadcast by Sacramento's KOVR 13 - with anchor Chris Burrous - and on the website of talk-show hosts "John and Ken" of KFI radio in Los Angeles, Cerruti said.

Burrous goes on to blast Perata for suggesting the state raise taxes to help balance the state budget.

Yes, anyone who doesn't want to see thousands of teachers fired and elderly people denied health care is most certainly a gangster.

I'm not wired for outrage, so you tell me if this slur is beyond the pale or not.  What I do know and expect is that the Denham recall will provide plenty more opportunities for the "Don" Perata slur to manifest itself, and the dead-ender anti-tax forces running his recall opposition campaign are not likely to disappoint.  Hopefully they have Perata shoot bullets from a Tommy gun into their "No on the Recall" logo!  Hey guys, pay me for that idea before you use it!
David Dayen :: Such Lovely People
UPDATE: I've got a transcript:

Chris: Got a new outrage alert for you this morning, and I think you'll enjoy this graphic, Stephanie.
Don Perata. [laughter] You know, he's termed out. He's going to lose his job here in a couple months and now he is calling for a major tax increase. He's trying to make you worry that the school...

Stephanie: That's hilarious.

Chris: Isn't that a great one. [laughter] I can't stand him.

Stephanie: Nice purple suit.

Chris: He's trying to scare you in saying the schools are going to go bankrupt, and your kids are going to be in classrooms with 50 students each, if we do not increase taxes.

Chris: Watch for him to do this major tax push. He's already got Governor Schwarzenegger considering raising money by closing tax loopholes. So watch out. If you benefit from some of those loopholes. Don "The Don" Perata and his Ram Charger already have Governor Schwarzenegger...

Stephanie: Is that what that was?

Chris: Isn't it the Ram Charger? Or the Viper?

Stephanie: I guess. I don't...

Chris: He's the one. Remember, Don Perata's the one who got carjacked over in the Bay Area...

Stephanie: Sure.

Chris: ...with the 22 inch dubs or something like that on his car.

Stephanie: Mmm hmm.

Chris: I don't know what they call it, but I thought that was a great graphic. That's from radio station KFI. That is Don Perata.

Stephanie: Very nice.

Chris: That's his reputation. The valour suit is a nice touch.

Stephanie: Yes, and a shade of purple or violet, whatever you call it. It is a nice touch as well.

Chris: Nice. Gotta watch out. This guy wants to raise your taxes. That's the thing. He's out of office in a couple more months. Why don't you just lay low? Take a couple lunches? Write a book like Willie Brown or something? But instead, he's going to try and stick it to us one last time before he gets out of a job.

I didn't know the CBS morning news was drive-time community college talk radio.
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Such Lovely People | 10 comments
You don't have to be Italian-American (0.00 / 0)
...to be offended by this, but it helps. The worst part is this paraded as "news" on CBS13.

You may recall that CBS13 employed ex-Arnold flack as its political news "analyst." Nevermind that he was on the payroll of the California Republican Party at the time. The station thought he was giving a fair and balanced viewpoint on the State of the State and  other news. (Yes, this is a CBS affiliate, not Fox).

We've been able to get a few Dems on the news there lately, but the morning show hosts are as bad as John and Ken.

It'd be nice (8.00 / 2)
to get the same outrage over policy.
Oh simple villager... (8.00 / 1)
You lack the experience and wisdom to appropriately determine whether something is or is not outrageous.  For example:

Outrageous:
- Conservadroid Shock Jock attacks on elected Dem leadership using ethnic stereotyping
- naughty words

NOT Outrageous:
- Policy
- Belittling insults of reliable supporters of the Democratic Party by spokespersons for elected Democratic leaders

I know these seem like ad hoc categorizations, drawn up on a purely situational basis according to whose ox is gored, but that's because you are a mere simple villager, incapable of seeing the wisdom of the underlying structures.

[ Parent ]
but (0.00 / 0)
this actually IS about policy.  It's about taking a reasonable position of revenue sanity and tax fairness and turning it into a shakedown from a gangster.  It's a familiar conservative trope, to deride and mock the other side.  You can dismiss it, but when the policy actually comes up the imagery will remain.
[ Parent ]
Well, no (0.00 / 0)
It's about the substitution of imagery and smear for policy discussion.  And the outrage is over the imagery and smear, not the devil-take-the-hindmost policies for which the imagery and smear are being deployed.  

If you start showing actual outrage over the underlying beliefs and policies, you run smack into the angry leftist / class warfare defensive barrier, which requires a substantial institutional effort and discipline to overcome.  Far easier to attack the superficial imagery.

[ Parent ]
Right (0.00 / 0)
That was my point.  The outrage is about stereotyping Italian-Americans.  Without that, nobody would give a second look at the policy.  I don't necessarily want to blame it on Bill Cerruti or his organization, cause frankly for all I know they get involved in policy all the time and nobody bothers to cover it cause it isn't a story.

But this sort of misdirection just flat sucks because it trivializes the actual issues of policy.  It makes it all about emotion and ethnicity and hot-button topics that won't accomplish much and removes the public interest from the discussion.

[ Parent ]
Which is the typical Republican MO (0.00 / 0)
"makes it all about emotion and ethnicity and hot-button topics that won't accomplish much and removes the public interest from the discussion."

One of the central questions to politics in 2008 is whether voters are tired of this kind of crap, given the extremely serious problems we face as a state and a nation. And unfortunately we have just as much evidence to suggest this crap is still as effective as it was in, say, 2004, even though Obama is showing how a better kind of politics can be constructed.

You can check out any time you like but you can never leave

[ Parent ]
Giving a crap (0.00 / 0)
This can cut a few ways.  Up to and including voters hearing this stuff, not giving a crap, but not getting any substance and thus assuming there is none.  Yet another way in which this sort of thing f's with the potential for a worthwhile public discourse.

But instead we're going to hear about non-political moral outrage from politicians and people who know politicians.

[ Parent ]
I should note (0.00 / 0)
that the elected Dem leadership has made some praiseworthy strides in trying to reset the underlying conversation around taxes and budget.  No doubt that's part of the reason why the smears are so histrionic and clumsy just now.
[ Parent ]
How about this recent take on Perata: (0.00 / 0)
Saw this column by Clint Reilly in the Oakland Tribune on Tuesday:

"Perata is Oakland's Hope"

Oakland is fortunate to have one of California's most able politicians protecting its interests in Sacramento - State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata.

He gives a some pretty pointed criticism of Dellums too. Here's the link: Perata is Oakland's Hope

Such Lovely People | 10 comments
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