Just checked my inbox, where I found scads of emails about my comments on the twins (for which, click here). Nearly all the comments falls into one of two piles.
The first pile: Emails letting me know that in calling Chuck Barry the host of “The Gong Show” I made a pop culture error of the first water. To quote one reader: “‘The Gong Show’s’ host was Chuck BARRIS. Chuck BERRY was a groundbreaking rock and roller. I don’t know who Chuck Barry is.” I confess. I don’t know who Chuck Barry is, either.
The second pile: Lots of folks thought Barbara and Jenna did just fine. There’s no accounting for taste, and I feel no inclination to apologize for mine—those girls made me cringe—but here’s a sample of one of many eloquent emails in which readers of this happy Corner have begged to differ with me, making some darned good points as they did so:
“I was surprised to see the girls come on stage, and, yes, I was
predicting a disastrous speech by them. But I was pleasantly surprised
by their corny humor and their unprofessional delivery. I know you are
all professional political analysts, but these girls were not brought
out for their political acumen. They were there to introduce their
mother and to show a side of the Bush family that nobody knows.
Remember, the president’s critics have compared him to Hitler, Stalin,
etc. Do you think the twins might have shown that their father is not
simply an unfeeling brute?
“I consider myself to be a severe critic of all things disingenuous in
politics, but the twins made me laugh and they made me admire their
parents. These two girls made fun of themselves, their family, and they
did it on national television. How many young people today could manage
this and remain endearing? If they were my daughters, I would be proud
of them.”