OT

[wisteria]

Well, sort of. I was posting to find out what others' opinions were regarding the DUI -day 2 story. This is really not news and I would assume many people barely remember who Kerry is. So why does this story have such a fire under it? Who could be pushing this negativity?

[beachmom]

1. Well, I will follow the lead of the Senator who says it is a private matter.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34049295/ns/today-today_people/

"Alexandra Kerry was pulled over for an expired registration and was released after the results of a breathalyzer test at the police station were under the legal limit," says Jodi Seth, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Democrat. "Senator Kerry supports his daughter and will have no further comment on a private matter."

I didn't realize there was a Day 2 of this nonstory. There barely was a Day 1.

Anyway, that is all I have to say on the matter.

[wisteria]

2. Oh no it is day 2, any google of Kerry brings up a page full of stories.

I realize it is a private matter, and I do not want to discuss that. I was just curious why this was being given so much press- you know tin foil hat therory stuff.

[beachmom]

4. Actually, the tabloid culture is vicious. And extremely cruel.

TMZ.com has it in for John Kerry anyway (with their misleading story on his picture taken with the college girls). Not sure a tin foil hat is needed. Any story, and they push, push, push it. I admit to reading some of the "trash" after Michael Jackson died. So many lies, so little truth, it was incredible. I would say they all got about 75% of the story wrong. Plus they pay for stories (anyone see the pic of MJ's corpse at the supermarket? That is how low it goes). Tabloidland is a very vile place on the internet and in dead tree form as well.

[karynnj]

5. Absolutely true - and I think we know what to expect next week on the tabloids

They are vicious and cruel.

[karynnj]

3. I think I will follow Beachmom, who is following the Senator's lead

The best we can do if it blows up, is post the Senator's statement. He and Alexandra are dealing with whatever they have to deal with. It has to be hard that this is an amazingly busy time for him.

The story has fire because there are people on the right that genuinely hate John Kerry. Just as they were willing to trample his heroic war record and portray him as someone who has accomplished nothing, they likely are happy to push this because, for the most part, other that AK's dress, there has never been anything negative on either the Kerry daughters or Heinz sons. They are credits to their respective parents. They have done the same thing on the serious charges against Gore's son.

I was surprised that the comments in the Boston Herald were actually less nasty than the comments when Kerry does something like get a bill passed. On the left, there was and should have been people who were against drunk driving, but in general there was very little desire to attack her, and less to attack her dad. Surprisingly, Blue Mass was pretty nice - my quess, they do know Kerry enough to know that he was a good father. She is 36 years old.

Whatever does come of this and it hopefully is nothing, this has to have been a brutal experience for Alexandra. It likely is true that she shouldn't have been driving, even if she was under the limit. I would assume that she now knows it. I also assume her father will be there for her no matter where this leads.

As to day 2, it really isn't - just some new right wing blocks, that gossip site, and a RW site that seems to write an article every few hours (The examiner out of Newark, which I have never heard of and which is virulently anti-Kerry. edited to add their libertarian views now have them defending AK in their newest story! )

[wisteria]

6. Well, I do not want to be augmentative, but it has been a major topic on twitter and on non-blog

sites such as Comcast. It has subsided within the hour I have been around here.

And, I still hold that this story was overkill for some reason. But, we can agree to disagree.

Nothing more will be said about it here.

[karynnj]

7. I agree that it is overkill

My point is that it is far less than yesterday - and many are now speaking of the fact that the BAC when measured was .06. (I know that could be seen as limiting the story to some degree, but it does bring it up again.)

[beachmom]

8. The pundits I read did not discuss it. So, it is a tabloid only story.

Even the Right didn't seem to make pie about it with a few exceptions. Huff Post and the Herald pounced, of course (and it came from the AP), but it was a tiny story that did not get discussion by the thinkers I am interested in reading. I don't know about cable news, as I have banned those channels from my life, :).

[MH1]

9. I admit, I missed it entirely except for what I read here

But I've been on a "news diet" of sorts lately, and in some sense I guess for years. I get most of my news from NPR (who I imagine didn't even cover this - if they did I missed it), or a local all-news station that mostly does local news, and I can't imagine would ever cover something like this. (My biggest news gripe is that KYW over-sensationalizes any trial where a cop is killed or even hurt. Different topic though.)

Anyway it does sound like completely a non-story. The minute details of the latest Philly cop-killer trial really is more significant to society than the daughter of a famous person being not DUI.

But there's our media for ya. :eyes: The Kerrys are well acquainted with it and I'm sure Alexandra has enough sense to let it roll off her. She shouldn't have got behind the wheel after even one drink, but I have no room to talk, and neither, I think, do 99.99% of the people who will read and tut-tut about it. Even if they don't do it now I can guarantee that a huge majority of Americans have done the same thing AT LEAST once in their lives.

[Luftmensch067]

10. I wasn't going to comment on this because you all wrote what needed to be said

And I figured it was time for this non-story to sink, but Google Alerts just brought up an article that I thought was an interesting and different take from the sensational reporting seen so far. It's from a website I know nothing about called "DUI and Criminal Law News and Opinions Dispatches from the American Justice System" so one can see why they would weigh in!

Senator John Kerry's daughter arrested for Los Angeles DUI, cleared by blood test

Los Angeles, CA - According to a CBS News/AP report, Alexandra Forbes Kerry, Sen. Kerry's daughter, was arrested in Hollywood on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol on Thursday.

It is important to note that Ms. Kerry, like all persons arrested for impaired driving, is presumed innocent.

It turns out that, according to bodoglife.com, she had a blood alcohol content of 0.06, which is less than California's DUI legal limit of 0.08. While it is still possible, under California DUI Law, for the prosecutor to proceed with a case against Ms. Kerry based on an allegation that she was impaired to the slightest degree by alcohol which affected her driving ability, many would argue that such a prosecution would be more publicity stunt than substance.

The fact that Ms. Kerry "failed a field sobriety test" and then was exonerated by a blood test goes to show what DUI defense attorneys argue every day is real. The field sobriety tests are inaccurate and should not be relied on to estimate a person's alcohol level.

I really like the way JK's office handled this situation with a strong, succinct and dignified response shutting down all further discussion. As it should be.

More here: http://www.duiattorney.com/news/6185-senator-john-kerrys-daughter-arrested-for-los-angeles-dui-cleared-by-blood-test

[karynnj]

11. Thanks for posting this - as you said this is a site that had reason to weigh in

They do an excellent job in putting it into perspective.

[karynnj]

12. TMZ reports they will not charge her per LA law sources

and that this is routine because she was below .08. http://www.tmz.com/2009/11/23/john-kerry-alexandra-forbes-kerry-dui-l-a-city-attorney-drunk-arrest-bust/

[karynnj]

13. People as well - and their article is better

"We reviewed the arrest report and have declined to file criminal charges due to insufficient evidence," says L.A. City Attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20322149,00.html

[ProSense]

14. It's too bad a Senator

can't kick the media's...never mind.

Kerry's daughter not to face drunk-driving charge

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The daughter of former US presidential candidate John Kerry will not be charged after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, Los Angeles prosecutors have said.

Alexandra Kerry, 36, a film producer and director, was detained early Thursday after being pulled over in Hollywood.

"We've declined to file charges in that matter due to insufficiency of the evidence," Frank Mateljan of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office confirmed on Monday.

US Senator John Kerry issued a statement criticizing those who rushed to the conclusion that his daughter had been inebriated.

"Despite some speculation, my daughter was pulled over for an expired registration, not for erratic driving," he said.

"A breathalyzer test at the police station revealed she was under the legal limit. She was released a short time later, not at 5:30 am or after being held overnight, as some reported," said the Massachusetts senator, who as Democratic Party candidate lost the 2004 presidential election to George W. Bush.

The senator added: "While she regrets driving with an expired registration, and takes full responsibility for it, that mistake should never have been compounded by erroneous reports suggesting she was driving drunk."

Alexandra Kerry was arrested after she allegedly committed a traffic violation. Officers then conducted a field sobriety test and placed her under arrest. A blood alcohol test produced a reading of 0.06, under California's legal limit of 0.08, according to news reports.

She wrote and directed a short film in 2004 and had a bit part role in David Mamet's 2004 thriller "Spartan."

Under California law, individuals can still be prosecuted for DUI -- even if the level is less than 0.08 -- if a vehicle was judged to have been operated unsafely due to alcohol.

Notice how much they hyped the Kerry story, but not the very real and disturbing story about Lugar's wife?

[Luftmensch067]

15. It really does seem like a double standard

I'm glad JK released a further clarifying statement to cut through the confusion and insinuation, but reading about Mrs. Lugar (sounds like a sad situation) it's clear that the Alex Kerry story was hyped to the limit and something like the Charlene Lugar incident, which was truly serious, is buried, by comparison.

[beachmom]

16. I don't know what cable reported, but I certainly knew about Lugar's wife via the internet.

This is where media criticism gets in muddy waters. The "media" reported on both stories, but the tabloids who are entrenched in Hollywood celebrity stories decided to focus on the incident that happened in Hollywood. I sense no conspiracy, no unfairness, etc. Just that one story was near the epicenter of tabloidland and involved a famous father, while the other story was in Virginia and involved a decidedly less famous husband.

[karynnj]

17. I think the difference was more the fame of Kerry vs Lugar

but there was a big difference in the number of "news" stories. Google finds 269 articles on Lugar's accident and arrest, and 746 for Alexandra. More telling, but not more surprising, while there were 746 articles on her arrest, there were only 277 when no charges were brought. The former likely reflects the difference in interest - there are 204,000 hits for Mrs Lugar, 731,000 for Alexandra. In addition, many articles had both - and in all I clicked into many had just Alexandra's photo. (even less a surprise)

I agree with you that the only thing going on here is normal press values. The only thing that would change that would be if there was a law on what could be reported on arrests before formal indictments or trials. That is highly unlikely to happen here.

The fact is that one consequence for both is that it is likely that this will be the first thing seen on either when their names are googled for a long time as neither are really public people.

[beachmom]

18. It's also cultural. A German relative of mine was looking at the

local paper and noticed the DUI postings and was truly flummoxed by it. "Why aren't they given their privacy?" he asked. I have to say I agree. The "public shaming" thing is a bit ridiculous (except when it involves residents abusing the water supply :)). And in this free local paper it is Page 2 news. So after the front page, you're going to read WHO in your community was arrested and why.

Let's add a few more factors regarding more interest in Alexandra over Lugar's wife. SHE herself is known from her speech at the DNC convention, and she is quite attractive, so they can show a pretty picture of her while discussing the story. That sort of thing sells. I guarantee you if one of the Bush twins were in the same situation (except that Fox would have gotten the "truth" sooner), it would have gotten lots of play. They are also attractive and known.

[karynnj]

19. It really is cultural - and I think there is a lot of merit to the European way

- at least until charges are pressed. Here, it never was clear who the source of several things repeated enough to become "facts" was. From Senator Kerry's statement many of the "facts" were not true.

My local paper does the same - down to speeding tickets - no matter how trivial.