Impeachment Ornament Won't Hang on White House Christmas Tree
Tommy Christopher
Contributor
Posted:
12/2/08
Update 2: The Post now says the ornament won't hang on the tree.
Update: I contacted Rep. McDermott's office, and his Press Secretary, Mike DeCesare, had this to say:
"We would fight for artistic freedom all day long, but we also reserve the right to disagree with any piece on any given day...We disagree with this piece...There's a lot going on in the country, it's time for us to come together."
He also said that the Washington Post story was the first they had heard about it, and that they were not involved in the selection process.
According to the Washington Post, this year's White House Christmas Tree will feature an ornament with an un
usual theme: The impeachment of George W Bush.
The ornament is a red ball with McDermott's face, surrounded by white swirls with tiny handwriting in it. As art goes, it's on par with my 8th grade Trapper-Keeper. The artist seemed surprised that the ornament had been accepted. "Apparently, they didn't read it," she said," or Laura Bush is more progressive than I believed."
Yes, hard to believe the White House accepted the ornament they invited you to make, and that they didn't perform an inspection of each with a giant, Sherlock Holmes magnifying glass.
I have a couple of problems with this. First of all, it's a frakkin' Christmas Tree. Do we want to set this kind of precedent? Do you want to hand out rock candy to carolers whose opening line is, "Hey hey! Ho Ho!"? There's a time and a place, as they say.
But, secondly, how much are you really fighting the power, how subversive are you, if you were invited?
Sally McDonough, a spokeswoman for the first lady, confirmed the ornament would not be displayed. "It's inappropriate and it's not being hung," she said. She said that when asked about the issue yesterday, the White House tree decorations were not complete. "We reviewed the ornament along with all the [other] ornaments, and Mrs. Bush deemed it inappropriate for the holiday tree."
Update: I contacted Rep. McDermott's office, and his Press Secretary, Mike DeCesare, had this to say:
"We would fight for artistic freedom all day long, but we also reserve the right to disagree with any piece on any given day...We disagree with this piece...There's a lot going on in the country, it's time for us to come together."
He also said that the Washington Post story was the first they had heard about it, and that they were not involved in the selection process.
According to the Washington Post, this year's White House Christmas Tree will feature an ornament with an un
usual theme: The impeachment of George W Bush. Laura Bush asked members of Congress to pick local painters to decorate ornaments for this year's (tree). Rep. Jim McDermott contacted a local arts organization, which asked (Deborah) Lawrence, a collage artist, to create the local entry.Yeah, way to go. Hey, there's ol' Jim "Jerks for Constituents" McDermott! Can we have him tazed? I guess it could have been worse. How would kids visiting the White House feel about an ornament depicting a hooded, electroded reindeer? How about a pyramid of nude elves?
"I was at first nauseated, then realized it was an opportunity," said Lawrence, 55, who frequently combines politics and satire in her work and saw this as the perfect way "to highlight Jim McDermott because he's a hero of mine."
The ornament is a red ball with McDermott's face, surrounded by white swirls with tiny handwriting in it. As art goes, it's on par with my 8th grade Trapper-Keeper. The artist seemed surprised that the ornament had been accepted. "Apparently, they didn't read it," she said," or Laura Bush is more progressive than I believed."
Yes, hard to believe the White House accepted the ornament they invited you to make, and that they didn't perform an inspection of each with a giant, Sherlock Holmes magnifying glass.
I have a couple of problems with this. First of all, it's a frakkin' Christmas Tree. Do we want to set this kind of precedent? Do you want to hand out rock candy to carolers whose opening line is, "Hey hey! Ho Ho!"? There's a time and a place, as they say.
But, secondly, how much are you really fighting the power, how subversive are you, if you were invited?
Tommy Christopher co-hosts "Unusable Signal" , on BlogTalkRadio Tues - Thur at 10pm, and Fri, & Sat at 11pm. Click here for the Unusable Signal homepage.