If you're as sick of John McCain saying "My friends" as I am, this might help.
Excerpt:
McCain falls neatly into line: Roughly every generation since FDR, a candidate resurrects "my friends." But while used in its first few decades by good or great orators, it's notable that in the last half-century it's been exclusively resorted to by the worst orators in our presidential races.
What happened to change the phrase's status in our language after Eisenhower's 1956 speech? I have my own unprovable pet theory: It's because the following year saw The Music Man debut on Broadway. Ever since, the phrase has been irrevocably associated with old-timey con men in straw boaters: "My friends, you got trouble right here in River City!"
When McCain invokes "my friends," he's making an appeal to the old days—the really old days.
4 comments:
You may not be old enough to remember Red Skelton's weekly radio show. One of his bits every week was Senator Claghorn. The Senator started every speech each week by saying, "My friends -- and you are my friends. Don't try to tell me you're not my friends, because nobody is going to tell me who my friends are." I think of Red every time I hear McBush say that. Notice that Biden is using it too, but he says "Ladies and Gentlemen" rather than "friends." That's it for now, friends, and don't try to tell me you're not my friends, because ... :-)
I remember the name, and I remember seeing him on TV once or twice. The only thing I remember about that was him messy up his hair and pretending he was a (talking) seagull.
Is that possible?
That "my friends" line is a good one, in any case. You can almost see McCain saying it, through gritted teeth.
I also started thinking of the Red Skelton character a few months ago given mc cain's constant use of 'my friends' in his campaign.
I also started thinking of the Red Skelton character a few months ago given mc cain's constant use of 'my friends' in his campaign.
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