Friday, January 11, 2008

The Things We Do for Our Daughters' Love (and to Help Elect GOP Senators)

I do not have children, nor do I work as an elementary school educator, so if I were to hang around girls between the ages of 9-13 that would just be creepy. Nevertheless, I am aware of the Hannah Montana phenomenon and that said phenomenon is such a big deal that sadistic radio stations are basically having a field day getting middle age men to embarrass themselves in new and creative ways to give away promotional tickets that would otherwise cost hundreds of thousands of dollars from a scalper. To date these devoted fathers have dressed up like Ms. Montana and even gotten Montana tattoos ... and this is just in Wisconsin. God knows what else is going on in other places.

Say what you will, but there's something kind of endearing about fathers suffering through various indignities for the privilege of standing next to 20,000 twelve year old girls screaming at the top of their lungs for two hours -- even if only to cling to their daughters' fleeting youthful innocence before they become teenagers and begin their all-out assault on parental authority ...

In fact, I'd go so far as to say there's something noble about that.

But I'm having a hard time finding anything noble in this:

Disney's Hannah Montana strutted through Washington last week, and it wasn't just the show's teen pop sensation Miley Cyrus who hit pay dirt. So did the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the group that funds GOP Senate candidates. A few weeks before the hottest show of the year arrived, the committee alerted donors that it had some choice seats. The catch: Winners had to raise or pony up $10,000. "I love my daughter, but," jokes one donor. A committee spokesperson says the seats were great, and the final take was in the ballpark of $100,000. "NRSC hearts Hannah Montana!"

This falls into the "kinda creepy" category ... and if I ever see bumper stickers that reads "NRSC ♥ Hannah Montana!" it will be officially creepy.

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