Stu Bykofsky: Why did Nutter use the tough talk?
WHAT WAS more unusual - Mayor Nutter's angry use of off-color remarks or 6ABC's decision to air them on the 11 p.m. newscast?
WHAT WAS more unusual - Mayor Nutter's angry use of off-color remarks or 6ABC's decision to air them on the 11 p.m. newscast?
Because 6ABC is the most conservative, image-conscious station in town, I was mildly surprised when it aired Nutter's emotional condemnation of the craven hear-no-evil, see-no-evil, speak-no-evil slugs who infest the Department of Human Services.
In a press conference, Nutter said that he was "pissed off" at the apathy, incompetence and dereliction of duty by some at DHS. Had they let down his own daughter as they had little Danieal Kelly, he would want to "kick their ass" himself. If it were my daughter, I'd want to do worse. Matter of fact, Danieal was not my daughter and I want to see the callous loafers' heads on pikes.
We'll get to why Nutter chose those words in a moment. First, why did 6ABC choose to air them?
I'd like to tell you, but after waiting more than 24 hours for a reply, I wave bye-bye to the pigeon-hearted at 6ABC. CBS 3, NBC 10 and Fox 29 all responded within hours after they aired the quote and received no or few viewer complaints.(The News and Inquirer also printed the quote.)
Using Nutter's mild profanity was journalistically justified.
Anyone who's read me over the years knows I've pushed the linguistic line myself, but I'm not the mayor.
"Politicians who choose to use profanity leave the impression that their vocabulary is lacking - that they are incapable of choosing proper, less vulgar words to express their emotions," says image consultant Amy Elizabeth Casson, whose company is called Polished Image.
The last local public figure to regularly go off on-mike was Eagles coach Ray Rhodes, who routinely cursed during post-game broadcast press conferences. He hit rock bottom when he likened losing a game to letting burglars steal his TV, and rape and sodomize his wife and daughters. That's not a mental image I'd ever create around my loved ones.
Not quite as "public" was state Sen. Vince Fumo, on the floor of the Senate, infamously calling Republican President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer a "faggot."
Excluded from this white paper are unguarded off-color remarks that were not intended for public consumption, but became so. I recall President Bush referring to New York Times reporter Adam Clymer as a "major league asshole," and Bush's dad's ungallant boast that he "kicked a little ass" in his vice-presidential debate with Geraldine Ferraro.
The most recent Dems caught potty-mouthed were Bill Clinton referring to Vanity Fair writer Todd Purdum as a "scumbag," and Jesse Jackson whispering he'd like to "cut [Obama's] nuts off."
Nutter is a highly articulate alum of St. Joe's Prep and the Wharton School. We don't expect - and don't want - him talking like Flavor Flav. (We also don't want him in gold-capped teeth and wearing a huge clock around his neck.)
Nutter told me that I could go back over his 15 years in public life and not find him using bad language.
True. That's why I find his off-color words noteworthy.
The profanity followed an "of-the-moment series of comments," he said, during which "emotional anger" built. "I'm a fairly passionate person about certain things . . . and the death of a child is tremendously difficult. I said some pretty kind-of rough things during the time of the Sgt. [Stephen] Liczbinski death as well.
"I wanted people to understand just how serious I was about this particular situation."
I share Nutter's fury and frustration, but here's the rub: If he uses profanity, however mild, to show passion over the death of a child, he can be asked why he didn't curse the cop-killers. Did he care less?
If profanity is the litmus test of how much he cares, what might he be obliged to say in an even worse case? *
E-mail stubyko@phillynews.com or call 215-854-5977. For recent columns:
