Politics of Personal Grooming
Tommy Christopher
This seems to be a simple case of a politician scoring points and trying to do some good in the process. A closer look, however, reveals deep and cruel ironies that Tancredo probably never intended to highlight. The Republican-controlled Congress, at the behest of the White House, passed a law in 2002 that would deny parents of autistic children their day in court against pharmaceutical companies. Now, Tancredo shovels $400 at the autistic kids to gain priceless free publicity.
The defoliation in question was to take place at the Hair Biz Salon in Concord, NH. The salon's owner, David Holden, said he got the idea about raising money for charity from the Edwards flap, but didn't immediately pursue it. Now, I personally have had enough of "political coverage" centering around haircuts, Aqua Velva, diner tipping, Halloween masks, and every other bit of insubstantial nonsense you can think of, but in this case, the candidate is literally asking for it. Remember that the Republicans used the Homeland Security Act to ramrod the Eli Lilly provision through Congress. This isn't Tancredo's first coif related photo-op, as you can see below.
Update: 9:30 pm My interview with David Holden is at the end of the story. He talks about Tancredo's reaction issues a challenge to the other candidates, and talks about how autism has affected his family.
Update: 6 pm A spokesperson for the John Edwards campaign declined to comment for this story.
Update: 4:02 pm - Tancredo response - $400.00 haircut yes, autism funding veto override, no. Details at the end of the story.
A further irony is that Tancredo is using the haircut stunt as a swipe at John Edwards, who made his name protecting children from negligent companies through our court system. The Repbublicans love to demonize the American tort system, but it is our most effective and immediate weapon against companies that would do us harm. The next time a Republican tries to tell you a story about hot coffee, ask him about Valerie Lakey.
Equally curious was my colleague, Eric Schultzke's interpretation of Tancredo's bargain-basement atonement to autistic kids as an example of how Conservatives are more generous than what he calls "the secular left." You can see some of our spirited debate in the comments section of his very well-written post. As you can see, I fail to understand the logic, but reasonable people can disagree.
I hope that Mr. Holden reconsiders accepting that $400.00, or that perhaps The Autism Society of America will tell Tancredo where to put his $383.00 tip. Anyone who has been touched by the suffering of autism should be disgusted by this cynical attempt by a politician who, even this year would not approve funding for Autism research and prevention, to cash in on a measly "gift" to their cause.
I hope that this is the last time I have to hear about something as frivolous as a haircut this election cycle, but I know it will not. That's a shame, for as Tancredo is quick to remind us, the stakes couldn't be higher.
Updates: I spoke with Mr. Holden briefly this morning, and he said that he had contacted all of the campaigns about the $400.00 haircuts for charity. We arranged to speak this evening, I will post that interview tonight. He also described his contact with the Edwards campaign, and an encounter with John Edwards at a campaign stop. More on that later.
He also told me that Dennis Kucinich is scheduled for his haircut tomorrow, so I contacted the Kucinich campaign for comment on this story. Here is their statement: "If the other candidates and the members of the House would support a truly national not-for-profit health system, then Americans dealing with autism and every other medical and health care problem would be guaranteed coverage for anything they need, without paying insurance premiums, co-payments, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket costs.. That's the real solution," Kucinich said. "Until then, we have to focus attention on those issues any way we can. But, if publicity stunts run contrary to the voting records and positions of candidates and members of Congress, the word 'hypocrisy' comes to mind, and it undermines a real dialogue and real legislative action." Update: 4:02 pm I called the Tancredo campaign and asked if, given that Rep. Tancredo's $400.00 haircut was to benefit the Autism Society of America, whose website asks members to urge Congress to override Bush's veto of a bill containing funding for autism issues, would he pledge to override the veto and urge his colleagues to do the same? Here is his campaign's response, via email: "If President Bush vetoed a stand-alone bill to give money for Autism research, then Congressman Tancredo would consider voting for a veto override. He will not, however, vote to override a veto of a bill which calls for a monstrous $606 Billion (HR 3043) for various social programs." So, no. Tancredo will uphold the President's veto. He will exploit autism charities to get national publicity for his campaign at a rate comparable to a classified ad, but he won't vote to fund autism research and prevention. I interviewed Mr. Holden this evening. You can hear the interview below. I was surprised by a lot of what he said. At first blush, the Tancredo story seemed designed to embarass John Edwards, but after speaking with Mr. Holden, I got the sense that he is highlighting the absurdity of the story while raising awareness for a great cause. Anyone wishing to donate can visit the home page of the Autism Society of America.
The Congressman plans to urge every member of the House -- especially those who voted against the original spending bill to meet crucial domestic needs in health, education, and social services -- to reverse their positions and override the President's veto.