Ned Lamont’s Stroker Ace moment

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Ever seen the movie Stroker Ace? Ok, probably not unless you’re from North Carolina (it was filmed right here in Charlotte at Charlotte Motor Speedway – before they started selling Speedway name sponsorships – in 1982/83). In the movie there is a scene towards the end that I was reminded of today when I read about Lieberman opponent Ned Lamont’s big lie regarding his relationship with certain lefty bloggers.

The movie, starring Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Jim Nabors, and Loni Anderson, is about a race car driver named Stroker Ace (Reynolds) who signs on with Clyde Torkle (Beatty) who, in turn, sponsor’s Ace’s car. Torkle owns a chain of southern fried chicken fast food restaurants, and Ace spends most of the movie trying to get out of the contract with Torkle (in addition to trying to get – ahem – closer to Anderson’s character Pembroke) after Torkle makes him do promotional things like dress up in a chicken suit and circle around the track on top of a giant egg. Towards the end of the movie, one of the characters in the movie (name I can’t recall) is asked by Ace to pretend to be a representative of a big company and meet Torkle to negotiate a deal where he (unnamed character) buys Torkle’s company. The underlying goal (which the character doesn’t mention but the viewer knows) is that if Ace’s friend can convince Torkle to sell his company, Ace can get out of his sponsorship contract with Torkle (for Stroker Ace history buffs – all two of you – please correct me if I got any of that wrong [Note: Check the comments section of this post for a clarification – I may have gotten the particulars wrong re: the negotiation between Torkle and Ace’s friend – but the main part, where I mentioned Ace’s friend lied by acting like he “knew nothing” is correct]).

Before the big meeting, Ace trains his countrified friend to speak just a few sentences, the main one being “I know nothing. I am only the messenger.” So everytime Torkle asks him a question at the meeting, the guy replies “I know nothing, I am only the messenger.” He’s trying to hide the fact that he’s a country boy and friend of Ace’s, as well as the fact that Ace is using him to try and get out of his contract with Torkle.

Now that I’ve thoroughly bored you, here’s the quote from Lamont that reminded me of that line from Stroker Ace. In response to questions from reporters about his relationship with Jane Hamsher, the infamous proprietress of the blog Firedoglake as well as the gal who posted the altered photo of Lieberman in blackface, candidate Lamont answered:

Lamont brushed past reporters Wednesday night in Bridgeport, saying: “I don’t know anything about the blogs. I’m not responsible for those. I have no comment on them.”

Bzzzzt. Wrong answer. As Maguire clearly points out in detail (as does Malkin) candidate Lamont most certainly does know something about the blogs. A lot, in fact. For starters, there was lefty blogstar Markos “Screw them!” Moulitsas aka Daily Kos – who starred in a Lamont campaign ad back in May. Maguire and Malkin note more extensive ties to Kos as well as Hamsher at their respective blogs.

Thanks to lefty bloggers like Kos and Hamsher, Lamont saw his popularity rise considerably. Now, it may be the cause of his downfall, perhaps by being (as I noted in my earlier post on Hamsher) his Wellstone-memorial-turned-political-rally moment. On a more national note, ST reader and friend Les wrote in response to Hamsher’s stunt:

This is the Blue political cult’s Gettysburg moment. If they are defeated in CT, it is as far as they will ever advance.

I think he’s right. Or more to the point, I hope he’s right. Hamsher’s stunt was bad enough, and Lamont’s Stroker Ace “I know nothing, I am only the messenger” lie moment only makes it worse for him.

This has been your Southern-fried recap of the latest on l’affaire de Hamsher.

Sidenote I: I wonder if the NYTimes, who this past weekend endorsed Lamont over Lieberman, will weigh in? :))

Sidenote II: Speaking of the NYT, I just read where they actually reviewed Stroker Ace back in 1983. LOL …

Others blogging about this: Outside the Beltway, All Things Beautiful, Liberty and Justice, Sundries Shack, Decision ’08, Jawa Report, Dean Esmay, McQ at QandO

Friday PM Update I: Welcome, Michelle Malkin readers!

Friday PM Update II: ROTFL – Today, Fox Sports, in honor of the new flick Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (opening today) has posted their list of “must-see” NASCAR movies … Stroker Ace is on the list at number 9 ;)

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