The fight between Karl Rove and the enviro-celeb duo of Cheryl Crow and An Inconvenient Truth producer Laurie David is the best piece of news I’ve read in a long while. It’s the sort of story that’s easily twisted to fit your political persuasion.
At last weekend’s White House Correspondents Dinner those three got into an argument that on the surface was about the environment but was really tinged with politics. I would have liked to tell you about this first hand but it looks like the post office lost my invitation. They do this every year. I really should lodge a complaint one of these days. At the dinner Crow and David decide to approach Rove, who was sitting at his table, and make a plea for him to reconsider his opinion on the state of the environment. That much is plain. Lets look at the exchange though their eyes.
Crow/David Filter
Crow and David approach Rove discretely and respectfully.
Crow: Hello Mr. Rove. Do you have a free moment? I was hoping we could discuss your stance on the environment. It’s a topic that is dear to me and I wonder if you would be willing to re-examine the science on the subject.
Rove: Shut up you stupid bitch!
Rove turns away.
Crow: Excuse me?! Please Mr. Rove, be reasonable. I just wanted to have a rational discussion. Why won’t you listen for just a few minutes?
Crow taps Rove’s arm to get his attention.
Rove: Don’t touch me you goddamn liberal!
Crow: You can’t speak to us like that, you work for us.
Rove: I don’t work for you, I work for the American people.
Crow: We are the American people.
Rove Filter
Crow and David march up to Rove’s table wearing malicious grins.
Crow: Hey, I want to talk to you about your idiotic environmental stance. There are all these scientists who say we have to do something about global warming right now. Why won’t you? Seriously are you retarded?
Rove: Excuse me I’m just trying to have a nice night. I don’t want to get into an argument with you. This isn’t the place for this.
Rove turns back to his table.
Crow: Oh no, you are gonna listen to everything I have to say!
Crow grabs Rove’s arm and tries to jerk him away from his table.
Rove: Don’t touch me. What’s wrong with you?
Crow: You can’t speak to us like that, you work for us.
Rove: I don’t work for you, I work for the American people.
Crow: We are the American people.
Both of these groups are wrong but who is closer to being accurate? I wish I knew. I have a feeling it’s Rove though. The guy was just sitting at his table having a few drinks and chatting it up. I doubt he wanted to get into a policy debate, especially with celebrities who often have an inflated sense of importance. It’s easy for Crow and David to think they were being tactful because they think they are in the right. When you believe your own argument, it’s more difficult for you to imagine that others might not see your evidence the same way. Also, Dana Milbank discussed the dinner on Monday night’s Countdown, and he said word was that Crow and David made their way up to Rove’s table pretty aggressively. It’s a shame he didn’t have any news on the actual exchange of words.