Daily Kos

Hunter Goes Postal II: Tucker's "Jacuzzi Case"

by Hunter

Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 12:58:04 PM PDT

This post is a followup to Hunter Goes Postal.  If you've read that diary, be warned.  This one might make you even madder.  We're going to follow the course of Tucker Carlson's two-year campaign to push a Republican lie into the public discourse.

Long story short: Edwards once sued a pool drain manufacturer on behalf of a five year old girl who was pinned to the bottom of a wading pool by a faulty pool drain by suction so powerful that it slowly pulled most of her intestines out, filling the pool with her blood and internal tissues.  Her life was saved, but having no intestines, she will now spend the rest of her life being fed intraveneously.  That doesn't mean she is fed through a tube.  Think needle.  As in, all her food must, every night, be supplied via IV directly into her veins.  Turns out at least twelve other children had been previously similarly injured by drains manufactured by the same company; nevertheless, the company did nothing, even though the proposed fix to remedy the problem consisted of a pair of simple screws, cost less than $1 per drain.

The counterargument to the case seems to be, as far as anyone has been able to tell me, that the pool drain was working as designed, and what-the-hell-is-your-problem-you-goddamn-communist-for-questioning-us.  The suction is supposed to be strong enough to pin children to the bottom of pools and perhaps suck out their intestines, apparently, so no harm, no foul.  Or maybe it's the children's fault for being so goddamn stupid as to play in a pool equipped with this particular company's products.  The precise defense of the company is never clearly described to me.  Or maybe, since I'm not a Republican, I just don't get it.

This, then, is the origin of the Jacuzzi case.  This case, more than any other taken on by John Edwards, trial lawyer, has the entire Republican establishment up in arms.  And none more so than Tucker Carlson, CNN's resident sack of shit.  Minus the sack.  Tucker has been working the Jacuzzi case angle, harping on this one particular case, for at least two full years.

This case is the one that infuriates Republicans.  This case, of a little girl being mechanically -- no, sorry, hydraulically disemboweled while playing in a public wading pool.  For this, John Edwards is, according to Ari Fleischer, an "ambulance chaser".  For this, John Edwards is, according to Dick Armey, part of a "well-connected swarm of trial lawyers who twist our legal system to pillage the productive sector for personal gain."

Note to Dick Armey:  Stay away from my fucking kid, pal.

Here is the first example I have been able to find of Tucker Carlson specifically pushing the "Jacuzzi case" talking point.

June 4, 2002

BEGALA:  Yes, sir?

ADAM SHAPIRO [caller]: Hi, this Adam Shapiro (ph) from Washington, D.C. And a question for you, Tucker. Aren't conservatives like you really afraid of Senator John Edwards of North Carolina because he is so popular with moderates, especially in the South?

CARLSON: In a word, no, Adam. This is a man who's been in politics less than four years. Before that, he was a personal injury lawyer, specializing in jacuzzi cases. Marvelous guy. Excellent manners. Very likable. That does not add up to a presidential profile.

So, there is is.  June 4th, 2002.  By that date, someone, somewhere, told Tucker Carlson that John Edwards specialized in "Jacuzzi cases."  And Tucker, being ever-agreeable to digesting good ol' fashioned talking points, runs with it.

Now, any defense of Carlson would probably have to rely on some notion that he didn't really know what he was talking about.  That he was repeating the phrase, and didn't know what the case really entailed.  After all, he said "Jacuzzi"... the actual John Edwards case involved a little girl being disemboweled in a shallow (public) wading pool.  Could he just be a tool, an empty mouth?

January 1, 2003
W/ Bob Shrum, Democratic Strategist

CARLSON: One of the leading candidates among the Democrats in 2004 is John Edwards. Smart guy, decent guy, articulate guy, doesn't have the resume in the current environment in politics, but four years [ago] he was a personal-injury lawyer specializing in Jacuzzi cases. That's not going to cut it in this environment, is it?

SHRUM: Well, first of all, he never did a case like that. And if you, by Jacuzzi, mean a young woman who had her insides sucked out by a defective pool drain, who has to for the rest of her life receive 24-hour-a-day care, and that he took that case and won that case, if that's what you're referring to, I think people in this country would like that.

CARLSON: And so you're saying -- just to make sure I understand you -- that that is the resume that he's going to run on for commander in chief in 2004?

SHRUM: No, of course not. No, I just have to correct the outrageous misstatement that you just made.  First of all, he hasn't decided whether he's running or not, number one. Number two ... he didn't do class-action cases. He defended very, very powerless people against very powerful interests for 20 years.

CARLSON: And made millions.

(...)

CARVILLE: What experience did [Bush] have, Tucker, that John Edwards didn't? You've attacked John Edwards viciously. Tell us what [Bush] had.

SHRUM: You took what was a really terrible tragedy, in which he did exactly the right thing, and tried to turn it into a joke. You ought to be spanked for that.

CARVILLE: They don't believe that babies sucked into swimming pools ought to have lawyers. That's the difference.

CARLSON: James, lighten up. Lighten up.

Ahem.  Holy.  Fucking.  Shit.

Yeah, James, lighten up.  After all, if you can't laugh about someone's five-year-old daughter getting her intestines sucked out in a public wading pool, what can you laugh about?

Well, so now we know Tucker knows the real story, at least of this date.  At least of this date, Tucker Carlson knows that it was a public wading pool, not a Jacuzzi.  He knows it was a little girl.  He knows the case he's talking about.

Februrary 11, 2003

CARLSON: When the Al Gore for president campaign, you must remember that, when it first began to unravel back in 2000, Gore decided to move his staff and headquarters out of Washington to Nashville. The idea being if we go to Tennessee, people will think you're authentic. Voters aren't so easily fooled it turns out.

 But don't tell John Edwards that. The Edwards presidential campaign hasn't completely collapsed yet, and already Edwards is pretending he's just another down home southern guy. According to this mornings "Washington Post," the Edwards campaign has rigged its phone system to make it appear that the staff is working out of North Carolina. Most Edwards aides are, in fact, safely inside the Beltway, of course. But to reach them on the phone, you must dial not 202 for Washington, but 919 for Raleigh. Pretty tricky. Now all Edwards needs is some way to disguise the fact that he used to be a trial lawyer specializing in Jacuzzi cases.

 BEGALA: Let me tell you about one those. One of those cases, in fact the one I think you may be referring to, the one he's most famous for, was a 5-year-old girl named Valerie Lakki (ph). She was caught in the drainage of a pool, she was disemboweled for the rest of her life. She has to go through 12 hours on a feeding tube. John Edwards sued the corporate bastards that should have protect her. God bless John Edwards for doing that. If that's the kind of advocacy he'll take the presidency. He'll be a damn good president

 CARLSON: He got rich from that little girl's suffering. He ought to be embarrassed about it.

 (CROSSTALK)

 BEGALA: There were 13 other example, that corporation knew about little kids being damaged by their product, they did nothing to protect them and thank god we have some people that are willing to protect us.

 (CROSSTALK)

 CARLSON: And getting rich in the meantime, good work, I love that.

 BEGALA: Opposed to Dick Cheney got rich selling oil field equipment to Saddam Hussein. All of a sudden Tucker going to criticize who people earn a living.

As of this date, February 11th of 2003, not only does Tucker Carlson know the little girl and the circumstances of her case, but he knows that the product involved had previously injured other children, and did nothing about it.

He doesn't have a problem with that.  But he does have a problem with John Edwards "getting rich" by taking that small girl's case.

At this point, the (ahem) goddamn Jacuzzi Case meme should have been dead.  Tucker Carlson knows the circumstances of the case.  He knows damn well that this was a bonafide case of faulty product design maiming little children for life.

And he doesn't give a crap, because a talking point is a talking point.

Are we all clear, at this point, why this is a "Jacuzzi case"?  Because it's a lot more fun to imagine John Edwards as someone who takes cases for elitist, hot-tubbing liberals than to think of him as taking cases involving fathers who took their five-year-old daughters to a public wading pool to play for the day, only to have her pinned to the bottom of a pool while her intestines were sucked out by a product that had already been demonstrated to cause similar injuries.

And he doesn't give a crap.

September 8, 2003

 CARLSON: As future historians may point out, the political career of John Edwards lasted fewer than six years. Elected to the Senate in 1998 after a lucrative career as a trial lawyer specializing in Jacuzzi cases, Edwards probably could have spent another couple of decades on Capitol Hill, giving regular press conferences, invoking cloture from time to time, brushing up on his senatorial image.

 But then hubris intervened. Every senator famously thinks he can be president. Edwards really thought it, so he ran. Today, Edwards announced that he will not stand for reelection in North Carolina. Instead, he will devote all of his considerable energies to securing the Democratic nomination. The only problem? Edwards is not likely to get the nomination. And he's even less likely -- far less likely -- to become the president of the United States. His relatively safe Senate seat in North Carolina, meanwhile, will probably go to a Republican. And at result, the GOP strengthens its Senate majority, Edwards goes back to suing people for a living. If it weren't so amusing, it might be a shame.

 (LAUGHTER)

 (APPLAUSE)

 BEGALA: This is one of my favorite kind of stereotypes of the elite right that you play into. And that is that somehow representing people against corporations who make products that kill their children is dishonorable.

 Which is more honorable, to sue a company that makes a product that kills children or to sell oil field equipment to Saddam Hussein, which is what Dick Cheney did when George Bush picked him to be on the ticket? I'll take the trial lawyers every day of the week.

 (BELL RINGING)

 CARLSON: I would love to take that seriously, but it makes so little sense, I can't.

 BEGALA: Which is more honorable? It's a simple choice, Tucker.

 CARLSON: All I can say is, suing people actually makes America a much less happy, friendly place.

Yes, but an America in which your daughter can have her f---ing intestines ripped out of her, while she's screaming for help, in a f---ing public wading pool -- that's OK with Tucker Carlson.

Suing the company would make America a less happy, friendly place.

November 26, 2003
w/ Dennis Kucinich, Presidential Candidate

 CARLSON: Well, if you're not an obscenely rich trial lawyer, chances are you probably have not given a dime to the John-Edwards-for-president campaign and you probably don't plan to. Well, Senator Edwards would like to change that, of course, which is why he's begun offering a copy of his autobiography to anyone who gives him $35 or more. The plan will help fund his doomed bid for the White House and move a few copies of his book, which is entitled "Four Trials" -- two birds, one stone.

 The Edwards campaign also hopes the book will explain why a former trial lawyer who, until just a very few years ago, was trying Jacuzzi cases, ought to be the president of the United States. As his spokeswoman admitted to "The New York Times" this morning -- quote -- "People don't necessarily understand how his career translates to the presidency."

 That's for certain, not that Edwards necessarily had much to do with his own book. According to his campaign, of the $150,000 Edwards received from Simon & Schuster, his publisher, $135,000 of that went to researchers and ghost writers.

 BEGALA: Now...

 CARLSON: The guy doesn't even pretend to write his own book.

 (APPLAUSE)

 (CROSSTALK)

 CARLSON: It's embarrassing.

 BEGALA: Jacuzzi cases you say? That case a little girl who...

 CARLSON: There were a couple cases.

 BEGALA: Excuse me. Let me -- let me finish. This is important. A little girl had her intestines sucked out by a pool that the manufacturer could have prevented with a $1 part. John Edwards stood up to a big corporation. Republicans support the big corporations.

 CARLSON: Stood up. Paul, Paul...

 BEGALA: Edwards supported that family whose little girl was devastated by that product.

 (BELL RINGING)

 BEGALA: God bless John Edwards, God bless trial lawyers for standing up to corporate America.

 (CROSSTALK)

 (APPLAUSE)

 CARLSON: Do you really think you're convincing anybody when you say, Republicans are for the company that kills the little girls? That's...

 BEGALA: Of course they are.

 CARLSON: That's not an argument. That's a bumper sticker.

 BEGALA: Of course they are.

 CARLSON: And you don't convince anybody.

 BEGALA: Tucker, they're trying to take away all of our rights to stand up to any kind of corporate power. That's what Republicans are all about, sucking up to corporate power.

 (APPLAUSE)

 CARLSON: That's so overstated, it's insane. Nobody believes a word you say.

Actually, Tucker, some of us do.  Because this case, of all the cases John Edwards took, is the one that apparently infuriates you.  This case, this "Jacuzzi case", suing a pool drain manufacturer, is, as we have been told by you for over a year at this point, is an unforgivable act of greed.

February 20, 2004

 CARLSON: Well, how do you hit a home run in New York if you're running for president? We'll show you one candidate's swing for the fences next.

 (APPLAUSE)

 (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

 CARLSON: Alex Rodriguez is a baseball player, American league MVP, and now a member of the New York Yankees. John Edwards is a former trial lawyer, specializing in Jacuzzi cases and a soon-to-be former U.S. senator from North Carolina.

 They have nothing in common, right? Well maybe not.

 (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

 SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you all for being here. The folks who work for me here told me that the people of New York were excited about having a new, fresh face from the South here in New York City. But, unfortunately, they were talking about Alex Rodriguez, not me.

 (LAUGHTER)

 (END VIDEO CLIP)

 CARLSON: You know, anybody who tells a good joke, I'm on their side. I'm not sure I'd vote for John Edwards, but good for him.

 CARVILLE: He's a good man.

Anyone else getting tired of this yet?  I wonder if there has been one show in which Tucker Carlson has mentioned John Edwards' name without the "Jacuzzi case" talking point.

But it keeps coming.

July 5, 2004

 CARLSON: Your point is fair. That's why I want to go to quote that's, I don't know, just about two weeks old. This Chris Heinz, he's Kerry's stepson and an adviser to the campaign. This is what he told "The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" on June 17. Quote: "I was very pro-Edwards in the spring, but now I think we need someone with stronger credentials on foreign policy.

 In other words, the guy is a lightweight. He was a trial lawyer specializing in Jacuzzi cases just six years ago, and now wants do be vice president.

 LEWIS: Let me be very clear. One, that Jacuzzi case that you're making a joke of is a child who was tragically harmed.

 CARLSON: Oh, I know, I've heard that, yes.

 LEWIS: And John Edwards went into court and got some compensation for the parents and the child. That was a great...

 CARLSON: And for himself, yes.

 LEWIS: So let's just (UNINTELLIGIBLE) fact there for a lot of Americans, keeping that quote...

 CARLSON: Well, let's address Chris Heinz's quote here.

I've heard that, yes, says Tucker.  Indeed you have, shit-for-brains.  You've heard it for two years, and yet you still can't keep from throwing the words "Jacuzzi case" wherever you go.  You know full well it wasn't a Jacuzzi.  You know full well the company history, the fact that other children were injured and the company did nothing.

And you don't care.  Not one goddamn bit.  Because this case, this case of all cases, makes you hate John Edwards with something approaching a passion.  You say Jacuzzi case, because you want every viewer of your program to think Jacuzzi case, and to hell with the truth.  For two years, at every opportunity.

July 15, 2004

CARLSON:  Compare that to John Edwards, this is his background. He has served less than one term in the U.S. Senate. Before that he was a trial lawyer specializing in Jacuzzi cases. This is my favorite. This is John Kerry's rationale, he says that John Edwards ought to be vice president because, quote: He has devoted a lifetime of caring."

Tucker Carlson.  Republican.

That's quite a talking point you've got there, Tucker.  Jacuzzi cases.  Sounds liberal, decadent even.  Sounds like he's a lawyer for yuppies.  Sounds like he's a shallow, greedy, ambitious elitist preying on American companies just trying to earn a buck, keep their stock prices high, and keep the corporate jet feuled.

A nice image.  Of course, the real image is of a small child being pinned to the bottom of a pool, her intestines slowly being sucked out, the pool filling with blood and her own entrials, while her father tries to free her, and of the wait for the ambulance, and of massive surgery to repair what little is left, and of a child now destined to be fed only through a needle for the rest of her life.  And of a company that let other children be injured, before, and did nothing.  Nothing.

But that part doesn't bother you.

LEWIS: Let me be very clear. One, that Jacuzzi case that you're making a joke of is a child who was tragically harmed.

CARLSON: Oh, I know, I've heard that, yes.

Yes, you have, Tucker Carlson.  Yes, you have indeed.

Tags: Tucker Carlson, John Edwards, jacuzzi cases, tort reform (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

Permalink | 65 comments

  •  Mojo or Antimojo. (4.00 / 103)

    Again, comments welcome.

    I think we'd all be especially interested to hear if anyone can find the "Jacuzzi case" talking point pre-2002.  It would be interesting to know the precise origin of that particular piece of very Republican crap.  Can it be traced to the White House, or did Tucker Carlson make it up on his own?

    by Hunter on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:01:24 PM PDT

    •  You know that part... (none / 1)

      in "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them," when FRanken says Carlson is the least objectionable conservative pundit (or words to that effect)?

      You have thoroughly disproved that theory.

      I am amazed and awed by your clarity, your passion and your commitment to this.

      And I, for one, will never look at Tucker Carlson again without wanting to vomit.

      -9.63, -7.03 Rage, rage against the Lying of the Right

      by Maryscott OConnor on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:13:41 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  An idea (4.00 / 4)

      I would think alot of people on this board have given donations to the their local PBS station. I know I have and I will withold my donation this year.

      When they send me one of those slips for the 'pre-membership drive' donation. I will send it back with a note. "Get rid of Tucker and you will get my donation".

      Most PBS viewers are liberal and would be sick to know some of there donations are going to this swine.

      Rant over for now.

      by Tommy in Ny on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:28:28 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Yeah (none / 0)

        I was really pissed when I read that Tucker Carlson was getting a show on PBS. I don't demand all-lefty news shows, but I do demand that PBS stick to showing stuff that you can't see on corporate TV. Tucker Carlson already has a voice in corporate media. Why does he need the protection of public broadcasting? Where are the other voices?

        by Safron on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 02:03:58 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  an interesting pre-2002 data point (none / 0)

      is that this case was one of Edwards's last cases before his Senate run.  The family of the little girl in this case supported the Edwards Senate campaign in a very public way, and looking back I think it was crucial in his winning the primary (against a better-known opponent) and defeating Faircloth.  That case got a lot of coverage here in NC and it helped establish Edwards's reputation.  Of course Republicans are going to try to spin this case!  Not only does it show Edwards in a very positive light, but it also reinforces Dem themes about corporate responsibility (or the lack of it), regulation, etc.

      Orange juice drinkers for Obama.

      by LB in NC on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:56:23 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Stunningly good (none / 1)

    Put up a tip jar. You deserve it.

    Finding God in a Dog

    by maxomai on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:03:18 PM PDT

  •  How much is Tucker paid? (4.00 / 6)

    He doesn't shill for free.

    The difference between John Edwards and Tucker Carlson is that Edwards defended children who were disemboweled by corporate America, while Tucker defends the corporations that disembowel them.

    Lovely man, that Tucker Carlson.

    Support Regina Thomas, GA-12

    by Drew on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:08:52 PM PDT

    •  Hm. (4.00 / 4)

      After I said that, I wonder - how much are all these talking heads paid?  I'd like to know.  The next time they attack the Democrats for their class warfare, I'd like to know exactly what class they're defending.

      Is there a site for that, or not?

      Support Regina Thomas, GA-12

      by Drew on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:10:59 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  You're right (4.00 / 7)

      And the biggest question of all - why didn't the drain maker pay the injured party from the get-go - obviating the need for lawyers entirely?   That's the question.   If the company had done what was right from the start, then the question of contingency fees for plaintiffs' attorneys would never come up.  

      But this isn't discussed.  It's taken for granted.  

      Everyone knows the answer.   In a capitalist system, corporations and individuals are compelled to economic action based upon calculations of profit and loss - not based on "what is right."    Now Edwards - an individual - should have spent thousands of hours on this case for free - when he did nothing wrong - but the company is not criticized for not doing the right thing in the first place - like fixing the drain's problem for a dollar or paying a giant amount of money after the injury had occurred?

      by NickM on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:16:25 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  That's exactly it. (4.00 / 2)

        I find that I am haunted by this case. The description of what happened that afternoon is chilling. Such an ordinary afternoon, and a child doing such an ordinary thing. I can hardly comprehend the terror that little girl must have gone through as she was complaining that her tummy hurt. And her father, when that pump was shut off and her realized the horror as his child's blood and intestines filled the water. The enormity of how awful it must have been for the family, for the witnesses for everyone involved, the enormity of that little girl losing her chance for a normal life overwhelm me just thinking about it. And I didn't make the product.

        How could the manufacturers live with themselves? If it were my product, I'd be almost unable to sleep at night after profuse apologies and doing anything I could to help the family. And these people heard about the first case, and then a second, and then a third. And on and on, and their priority was saving a few dollars. They didn't fix the problem until John Edwards made it more expensive not to. After all, what's a few disemboweled children here and there compared to the bottom line? I'm with Paul Begala. God bless John Edwards for that work.  

        Please support .Beyond the Storm: Shadows of the Big Easy

        by Magenta on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 02:51:45 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  You really need to lighten up. (none / 0)

    I mean, you can't expect 'em to eat their own young, can you? Tucker probably salivates over those  entrails every time he hears the word jacuzzi.

    Have you heard? The vice president's gone mad. - Bob Dylan, 1966

    by textus on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:17:48 PM PDT

  •  Well done (4.00 / 2)

    Hunter, you can go "postal" everyday if you want to. This is getting ridiculous. Edwards specialized in "Jacuzzi Cases". I'm picturing: "scantily clad", "champagne swilling", overly tan, "limousine liberals" lounging around their deck and suing the "Jacuzzi Company" for the water being so hot it melted their silicone implants. Do I have that just about right?

    "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag carrying the Cross" Sinclair Lewis -7.25, -7.23

    by Baseballgirl on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:20:28 PM PDT

  •  Maybe send (4.00 / 4)

    this detailed research to a media columnist (even one of the unreliable ones like Howard Kurtz -- who hates doing his own legwork, from all appearances).  It might just get some traction.

    by walden on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:25:23 PM PDT

  •  Thanks Hunter (4.00 / 2)

    Sent a nasty email to the president of my local PBS station praising their suicide pact with the far right, and pasting this diary.

    When they lose their liberal viewers, do you think the conservatives to whom they pander will replace the lost contributions?

    Ha.

    Little bow-tied asshole. Hope he drowns in a jacuzzi.

    by Aeolus on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:29:20 PM PDT

  •  Action Against Tucker Carlson (none / 0)

    What action could we take to draw further attention to this?  There are a lot of dKos people in D. C.  Could we do some informational picketing? Find out when Tucker is going to be on and throw beach balls at the stage?  I feel like we should do something, but I don't have any really good ideas.

    by eafredel on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:31:01 PM PDT

  •  Let's See If I Have This Right (4.00 / 4)

    Now when James Baker's little grandaughter was sucked to the bottom of a pool and drowned that's a tragedy, right?

    But when John Edwards represents a little girl who had her guts sucked out in a public wading pool - THAT'S a talking point for Tucker Carlson?

    Have I got that right?

    Hunter, please post again the contact info for both CNN and PBS who employ that  sick, sack of stinking shit, Tucker Carlson, a venue to spead his venom.

    I've contacted them already - in the strongest possible terms.

    You can't always tell the truth because you don't always know the truth - but you can ALWAYS be honest.

    by mattman on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:32:07 PM PDT

  •  Feedback to Tucker? (4.00 / 2)

    I'd like to share my thoughts with Mr. Carlson.

    Unfortunately, I'm not a big tv watcher so I don't know the most effective way to reach Tucker with a cc: to say, the network ombudsman.  Surely these tv shows have some kind of "contact us" email address and the network can be reached for more serious feedback (the producer)?  Or is that kind of public monitoring all done through the FCC?  (I'm not going to wait around for Tucker to flash a nipple...)  Anyway, some help here would be most appreciated.

    Loyalty comes from love of good government, not fear of a bad one. Justice Hugo Black.

    by Pondite on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:32:33 PM PDT

  •  Thanks (4.00 / 7)

    I have been reading DKOS intermittently for a while and your Postal yesterday got me to register in DKOS, just so I could say thank you for opening my eyes.

    Best regards.

    by elial on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:35:43 PM PDT

  •  re:I Think (4.00 / 3)

    we should all henceforward refer to Tucker Carlson as a Jacuzzi Asshole.

    by deminva on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:40:39 PM PDT

  •  Well.... (4.00 / 8)

    I suppose you could try to contact him through his publisher (Warner Publishing) or through the Washington Speakers Bureau, but perhaps we should see what his on-air/on-radio schedule looks like, perhaps we could give him a call.

    My more mischievous and sinister side thinks we should start sending him boxes of intestines (we can get them from roadkill).

    And Hunter, have you considered sending all this compiled info to the Jacuzzi company, who might have a problem being associated with a faulty drain that sucked out a child's intestines?

    by maurinsky on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:46:49 PM PDT

  •  Tucker should talk to James Baker III (4.00 / 4)

    He probably wouldn't find it so funny, or trivial. His granddaughter drowned because she was trapped by the suction coming from her pool's drain.  

    This item was posted in The Left Coaster; hell, maybe you posted it. It's another sad case that shows the damage done by those pool drains.

    by rafaelh on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:48:18 PM PDT

  •  Reading all of the vitrol (4.00 / 3)

    makes me wonder what the hell Tucker Carlson really has against John Edwards.  Almost sounds like a jilted lover.

    by Manny on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:52:20 PM PDT

  •  Thanks (4.00 / 4)

    Thanks for both your diaries on this subject.  I've been fishing around for how to explain why Edwards' law practice was quite honorable and you've handed it to me on a platter.  Please keep on this new hobby-horse of yours.  America needs you.

    More accurately "A Texan in Bavaria," but would YOU give up UID 422?

    by A Texan in Maryland on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:54:44 PM PDT

  •  re:My Email to Crossfire (4.00 / 2)

    I have just read an extensive review of Tucker Carlson's repeated use of the term "jacuzzi cases" to describe John Edwards' work as a trial lawyer.  

    The review can be found here:
    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/7/16/15584/3798

    I do not expect that you are unaware of the case to which Mr. Carlson is referring: It is the case of a five-year-old girl whose intestines were sucked out of her by the drain of a wading pool.  Hers is a tragic story, with a dim denouement: She will hooked to a feeding tube, twelve hours a day, for the rest of her life.

    Mr. Carlson by now knows all the details of this case, yet he persists in smearing John Edwards as a specialist in "jacuzzi cases," apparently intended to convey images of scantily-clad yuppies sipping Chardonnay.  Far worse, his continued use of the term is, by any moral and ethical standard, an inhuman dismissal of this girl's suffering.  

    How he sleeps at night I don't know.  But a more pertinent question is this: How can CNN allow him these words not only to go uncensured but apparently unnoticed?  It has become clear to many of us that CNN and other media outlets look upon political debate as no more than spectacle, with truth far less important than the spectacle of rival sides shouting.  If this were untrue, Crossfire would perform fact-checking, offering even perfunctory corrections of misleading statements, distortions, and lies made by its guests and commentators.  But like The Jerry Springer Show, once the shouting is over, it's time only for a new spectacle.

    I have news for you, CNN: We're sick of it.  Tucker Carlson must apologize for his smearing of John Edwards and his disdain for the young girl whose case he enjoys mocking.  Either that, or he needs to leave CNN.

    Write them yourself at:
    http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?7

    And how about putting this thread on the main page, with a suggestion that everyone at dKos besiege CNN?

    by deminva on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 01:56:25 PM PDT

    •  My own email to CNN/Crossfire (4.00 / 4)

      I am writing to complain about Tucker Carlson's incessant and reprehensible characterization of the John Edwards case (representing the Lakey family, whose daughter was violently disemboweled in a wading pool due to a faulty drain system) as a "Jacuzzi case."

      As you can see in this thorough review of Mr. Carlson's offensive and insensitive vitriol (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/7/16/15584/3798), his rhetoric appears to be deliberate and orchestrated to maximize the desired effect of reducing Mr. Edwards's achievement in the Lakey case to a Bush Administration talking point.

      I am a frequent viewer of Crossfire, but no longer. I cannot stomach watching a man who vilifies John Edwards for making a living defending people against corporations; especially as it is now perfectly obvious that Mr. Carlson makes HIS living defending corporations like the one whose negligence and greed resulted in the Lakey girl's pain and suffering -- which might have been avoided with the replacement of a $1.00 screw.

      I strongly urge CNN to censure, if not fire, Mr. Carlson. At the very least, he should be prohibited from using his vile and obscene misccharacterization of the Lakey case ever again.

      Sincerely,
      Maryscott O'Connor

      -9.63, -7.03 Rage, rage against the Lying of the Right

      by Maryscott OConnor on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 02:31:33 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Yeah, they'll fire him. (none / 0)

      Just like they did that rotten bastard who outed a covert CIA agent.

      What? You mean he still works there?  

      Please support .Beyond the Storm: Shadows of the Big Easy

      by Magenta on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 02:55:16 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  thanks (none / 0)

      here's my e-mail to cnn

      i have sent this message to tucker carlson.  i hope that you will take action to stop mr carlson from his callous references to the tragic case of a child.  

      i will also write to the jacuzzi company to point out mr carlson's references (numerous), to thehir company & their suggested association with this case.

      (original e-mail to carlson attached, see downthread)

      Dean DNC ka-ching! button

      by x on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 05:59:35 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  The World According To Bow-Tie Boy (4.00 / 5)

    A few weeks ago I was watching the classic Billy Wilder/Jack Lemmon movie "The Apartment", and in it Shirley MacLaine's character at one point made the comment: "There are two kinds of people in this world - those that take, and those that get took."

    I think that about sums up Tucker Carlson's "political philosphy" in a nutshell.  Tucker sees the world as being divided into the Lion class (which of course includes himself), and the Zebra class, which includes all the people put on this earth for the purpose of getting their guts ripped out (or in this case, sucked out) in order to provide sustenance for the Lions.  

    As Gov. Cuomo pointed out in his memorable Demo convention keynote address of 20 years ago, when you strip away all the bullshit, a fervent belief in Social Darwinism truly is at the heart of modern-day conservatism.  It falls to the Carlsons, Limbaughs and O'Reillys of the world to try to put a humane, moral and compassionate face on a philosophy and value system that is inherently inhumane, ammoral and utterly lacking in mercy or compassion.

    I believe it's literally true that Tucker feels no more empathy for the little girl in the wading pool accident than a hungry lioness would feel for a lame zebra foal that it happened to run across.  For whatever reason, it's just not in his genetic makeup.  Beneath the preppy wardrobe and the facade of sweet reasonable beats the heart of a merciless predator.

    I have to think this goes a long way towards explaining why liberals and "modern conservatives" have such a hard time communicating, and invariably end up resorting to shouting and name-calling instead.  I mean, what common ground can any person of conscience possibly find with an individual with such a degraded system of values?

    My conclusion is that trying to have a civil dialog with people like Tucker Carlson is a complete waste of time -- driving a stake through his heart would be better, but unfortunately I believe it also might not be altogether legal. More's the pity.

    Love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal.

    by nattering nabob on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 02:01:15 PM PDT

  •  A California Subject (none / 1)

    "Jacuzzi case" isn't meant to infuriate anyone, it's meant to make Edwards look 1) trivial; and 2) on the Hollywood hot tubbing out of the mainstream elite (with immoral implications of naked" hot tubbing thrown in).  See Thomas Franks's Op Ed piece in today's New Pravda.  This is a stinker for the repugs because the facts are so compelling.  James Carville's comment says it all -- they don't think little girls sucked into pool drains should have lawyers.  

    Personally, I hope ole Tucker gets this one above the radar.  Everyone should know that it isn't just corporations that should have lawyers.  The kind of law practice that made John Edwards rich depends on compelling stories of common people devastated by corporate malfeasance -- stories that that make normal people -- red state North Carolinians -- weep at the injustice.  

    Why don't some Dems make the point that Bush just hired a *trial lawyer to represent him in Plamegate, the same trial lawyer who is representing Ken Lay?

    This aggression will not stand, man.

    by kaleidescope on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 02:02:40 PM PDT

  •  For III or IV of HGP (4.00 / 3)

    For part III or IV I'd like to see an action manifesto. Names, phone numbers, and adresses. Just let us know what to do -- emails, letters, phone calls ... How do I contact the entire staff of Crossfire and the PBS' Unfiltered? Who do the boxes of guts go to?

    For starters, I read in Fox News that Carlson can be reached at CNN's Washington bureau at 202-898-7900. But, that may no longer be the case.

    By the way, according to this very funny story here's the scoop on how Carlson, a pathetic excuse for a journalist, got the PBS gig-- from his daddy, Richard.


    Richard Carlson used to head the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which partially funds PBS, and also contributes to the production of -- you guessed it -- "Tucker Carlson Unfiltered! Before that, Richard headed the United States Information Agency, which presumably explains the propaganda gene so prevalent in much of young Tuck's prior shouting . . .er, "reporting."

    by 2Huskies on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 02:07:12 PM PDT

  •  Republicans are for.... (none / 0)

    Republicans are for the company that kills the little girls.

    What a fucking terrific bumpersticker that would make.

    Blogging Rochester NY at The Greater Rochester Weblog

    by zubalove on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 02:20:37 PM PDT

  •  Republicans are for.... (none / 0)

    Republicans are for the company that kills the little girls.

    What a fucking terrific bumpersticker that would make.

    Blogging Rochester NY at The Greater Rochester Weblog

    by zubalove on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 02:20:45 PM PDT

  •  Please Do All The Contacts BUT (none / 0)

    Tucker Carlson will be on the CNN bus heading for Boston soon.  Shouldn't be too hard to see it.

    Anybody in Boston who gets a chance to say a word to him, please make it choice.

    So here's the CNN bus with Tucker and Bob (The Traitor) Novack.

    Makes me ill.

    You can't always tell the truth because you don't always know the truth - but you can ALWAYS be honest.

    by mattman on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 02:26:43 PM PDT

  •  my letter to crossfire (4.00 / 2)

    Can Tucker Carlson please shut his whiny patrician little mouth about John Edwards being a trial lawyer specializing in "Jacuzzi cases"?  He damn well knows that the case he so flippantly refers to concerns a 5 year-old girl who had her insides sucked out through a drain in a public wading pool (not a Jacuzzi) because the corporation that made the drain neglected to replace the $1 part that would have averted this tragedy.  At least twelve other children had been previously similarly injured by drains manufactured by the same company; nevertheless, the company did nothing.  But since they are one of our corporate overlords, I suppose we are not supposed to question them when their products disembowel little girls.  Right, Tucker?

    Carlson has been repeating this "Jacuzzi case" line for two years, feebly attempting to make a mockery of the case of this little girl, who now must spend 12 hours a day for the rest of her life on a feeding tube.  I'd really like to see Crossfire do a live remote from this girl's house while she's on the feeding tube, and have Tucker repeat his distortion to her face.  Better, how about doing a live remote from the pool, and let Tucker dive in and see if he can escape the drain's suction force?  

    Carlson obviously knows nothing about protecting the rights of the poor and powerless.  He knows even less about honesty.  You should be ashamed for putting this disingenuous rhetoric on the air.

    D-Day, the newest blog on the internet (at the moment of its launch)

    by dday on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 03:04:49 PM PDT

    •  I'm sending this to Jacuzzi (4.00 / 2)

      Dear Madam or Sir:

      I am attaching copy of a letter that I sent to CNN regarding their national broadcasting of Senator John Edwards' suits against "Jacuzzi".

      Is Mr. Tucker accurate in ascribing this defective product to your company?

      Please respond as I have young children who use your products.

      Thank you

      Ricardo de Anda

      "There's no housing bubble..." - Fed Chief Ben Bernanke, 10/27/2005

      by chuco35 on Sat Jul 17, 2004 at 08:40:28 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  This stuns me... (none / 0)

    ...I thought this was a ONE-TIME, flippant remark - and found it mind-bogglingly offensive for that. But to know this and continue to cite it is beyond reproach. How can someone be filled with so much hate as to keep up that meme?

    I used to think he was just mildly offensive...now he's right there with Novak and Coulter and O'Reilly and Limbaugh...the five douchebags for liberty. (TM Jon Stewart, noted above that Mary Scott used it as well. Man, it never gets old.)

    The Reign of Error

    by greebs on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 03:12:09 PM PDT

  •  Email from Valerie Lakey herself. (none / 1)

    Another blogger has received an email, reportedly from the victim in this case.  The blogger believes it to be authentic, for whatever that is worth.

    http://mrsun.us/2004/07/valerie-lakey.html

    First is the article by "Mr. Sun", followed by the usual web comments, and finally a comment from the host indicating that he had recieved the response from the victim in the case.

    by ericy on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 03:20:08 PM PDT

  •  My letter to Jacuzzi (3.87 / 8)

    After contacting CNN (http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?7) and PBS (http://www.pbs.org/tuckercarlson/feedback.html and http://www.pbs.org/aboutsite/aboutsite_emailform.html), I sent this to Jacuzzi at http://www.jacuzzi.com/about/contact_us.html :

    Dear Jacuzzi Whirlpool Bath:

    Your fine company should be aware that a Mr. Tucker Carlson, employee of CNN, has been repeatedly defaming the Jacuzzi Whirlpool Bath corporation in an attempt to disparage Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate John Edwards.

    Mr. Carlson repeatedly refers to Mr. Edwards as a "jacuzzi lawyer," the implication being that Mr. Edwards is a rich elitist with ample leisure time.  In point of fact, the incident Mr. Carlson uses to make this claim has nothing to do with Jacuzzi.  Instead, he refers to a horrific case in which Mr. Edwards won damages from a swimming pool company whose faulty drain disemboweled and nearly killed a five-year-old girl, Valerie Lakey.  There are more details of this sad case at this website: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/07/13/lawyers/

    I urge you to contact Mr. Carlson's employer, CNN, and request that he stop using his pulpit as a TV commentator to this negative association.  It defames Jacuzzi Whirlpool Bath as well as Mr. Edwards and the others involved in that tragic lawsuit.  You may be able to contact Mr. Carlson through CNN's Washington bureau at 202-898-7900.

    I appreciate your consideration,

    ....

    Angie and Bill: Colorado's bright future!

    by ubikkibu on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 03:26:33 PM PDT

    •  That (none / 0)

      is genius ....

      One Tin Liberal Street Fighter Rides Away ...

      by Madman in the marketplace on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 05:43:40 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  here's mine to jacuzzi (none / 0)

      for the last two years, tucker carlson, a personality featured on cnn's crossfire, and pbs, has used the term "jacuzzi case" to disparage john edwards, now the democratic vice presidential candidate.  the particular case he is referring to involves a five year old girl who's intestines were sucked out as she played in a public wading pool.  

      i am aware the the jacuzzi company was not involved in this tragic case, but mr carlson's repeated references have suggested you were, and the viewers of these programs probably associate you with the case.

      i hope you will inform mr carlson, cnn, and pbs that the jacuzzi company's name should not be used in this manner.

      Dean DNC ka-ching! button

      by x on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 06:39:58 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Here's Mine To CNN (4.00 / 2)

    I have just contacted the Jacuzzi company to learn if they were the makers of the drain that sucked the intestines from the body of a 5 year girl in a wading pool and on whose behalf John Edwards sued.

    If, as Tucker Carlson claims, they were the makers of that drain that destroyed that little girl, I want to know that, so that I may not purchase one as planned.

    If, however, Tucker Carlson has merely sullied their name so to imply that John Edwards
    brought frivolous lawsuits, I strongly suggest that both CNN and Mr Carlson retain lawyers for his slander perpetuated against the name of that company.

    I will let you know what their response to me is.

    You can't always tell the truth because you don't always know the truth - but you can ALWAYS be honest.

    by mattman on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 03:35:32 PM PDT

  •  Thanks, Hunter (4.00 / 3)

    I'm overwhelmed both by the case and by the effort you put into bringing it to our attention.  I happened to be watching CrossFire yesterday on CNN when Carlson made the remarks you quoted.  I knew about the case, and it made me sick.  But I had no idea that he had been pushing this piece of the Republican agenda for MORE THAN 2 YEARS.  I'm astonished by their stupidity.  Every decent person in the free world, after having read your account, would join you in your prayer to see Tucker Carlson in Hell.  

    Incidentally, the Republican candidate for US Senate from Florida is an attorney named Mel Martinez... he was picked by Bush and endorsed by Bush.  What does he do for a living?  He's a personal injury trial lawyer.

    Thanks again.  A marvelous piece of work.  I know you're mad, but you most have enjoyed exposing this bunch of cruel hypocrits.  Keep it up.

    I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat. Will Rogers.

    by tomathawl on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 03:56:02 PM PDT

  •  ok, i can't take anymore (none / 1)

    i e-mailed this to tucker carlson:
    xxx

    tucker carlson,

    what part of "a five year old's intestines were sucked out of her body" don't you understand?

    ".. fathers who took their five-year-old daughters to a public wading pool to play for the day, only to have her pinned to the bottom of a pool while her intestines were sucked out by a product that had already been demonstrated to cause similar injuries. ..."

    how callous can you get?

    hopefully you  don't have children, & if you do, hopefully they won't be disembowelled in your "jacuzzi"....which i'm sure is a dang side more posh than a public wading pool.

    the more you repeat the "jacuzzi" rethuglicon talking points, the more piggish you look.

    shame on you!

    Dean DNC ka-ching! button

    by x on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 05:30:44 PM PDT

  •  Any Lawyers here? (none / 0)

    How much does it cost to try a case on a contingency? I thik a lawyer would have to pay out for: paralegals; legal secretaries; court costs; court reporter for despositions; copying; lexis/nexis access; his time; private investigators ... there's probably more I'm not even thinking of, all with no promise of payment. Hours of hard work, against companies paying well-heeled legal teams.

    I'm so tired of the 'he got rich' attack. He learned a profession, became very good at it, and could have taken law work doing less risky cases. Someone who does their job well deserves compensation.

    This is so much less important than what happened to that little girl that Edwards battled for, but it gives me another reason to admire the man ...

    One Tin Liberal Street Fighter Rides Away ...

    by Madman in the marketplace on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 06:12:23 PM PDT

  •  Okay, concede me the torture point forever (none / 0)

    Remember when Tucker first got his show, and it was up on IMDb, the quote from him going on about how there was a good case to be made for it, he wasn't sure he accepted it, but he thought people were dismissing it too glibly as bad and he was going to give the pro-torture people equal airtime?

    And I went somewhat bugfuck about this, and was told that no, no, Tucker was really a moderate and a goodish guy for a wingnut columnist and could be reasoned with etc etc, he's just trying to be fairminded, and just chill okay?

    And now we see that he is an Evil Straussian - and always was, dammit! - hiding behind that cute bowtie. He's like the sweet little cheruby things in Galaxy Quest that are savage carnivorous cannibals.

    And anyone who thinks there's a case to be made for torturing people is a) Evil, b) Stupid As Mud, c) Both.

    There aren't any other choices. And since Tucker is clearly C, we stop making excuses for him, and we undo all the past excuses for him this past year, because The Truth Is Not In Him. He is gone over to the Dark Side, and pretends to be harmless.

    Yes, I rant. I imagine one of the children I have raised or cared for, that happening to them, and I want to make Tucker the star in a Braveheart reenactment.

    "Don't be a janitor on the Death Star!" - Grey Lady Bast (change @ for AT to email)

    by bellatrys on Fri Jul 16, 2004 at 07:35:40 PM PDT

  •  What makes his lack of empathy even worse... (none / 0)

    Tucker Carlson and his wife have four small children. That he can so divorce himself from human feelings to crow a dismal RNC talking point is truly soulless.

    by Major6th on Sat Jul 17, 2004 at 07:40:38 AM PDT

  •  Makes me sick (none / 0)

    Thanks for the well informed diary. Keep it up. While it may make me sick to my stomach, the truth needs to come out. We need to stand up and fight the conservative right, and exposing them is a fantastic.

    "Question Everything"

    by Zomanji on Sun Jul 18, 2004 at 01:31:56 AM PDT

  •  This case shows Edwards is pro-business (none / 0)

    Most businesses are small businesses. Most small businesses are run by honest people who do their best to produce a great product or service to their customers.

    There is nothing worse, when you are an honest small business owner, than an unethical, unscrupulous competitor who is undercutting you on price by producing defective products.

    Sta-Rite's competitors probably owe Edwards a thank you.

    For those of you who really like to argue, remember that there are two ways to control dishonest businesses: regulation and law enforcement, or torts. You have to pick one - dismantling them both is a recipe for disaster.

    Fry, don't be a hero! It's not covered by our health plan!

    by elfling on Sun Jul 18, 2004 at 08:17:41 AM PDT

  •  I have one thing to say (none / 0)

    John Edwards Jacuzzi

    My favorite is Social Security.

    by DelRPCV on Thu Jul 29, 2004 at 05:08:59 PM PDT

  •  For those of you coming from outside links... (none / 0)

    The third and final part of this series is available here.

    by Hunter on Sat Aug 14, 2004 at 03:24:51 PM PDT

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