The Manolo: The Gucci Shoes of the Fred Thompson
Fred Thompson got blasted for having the gaul to wear Guccis in Iowa. Instead of criticizing Fred, and condescending to the "rubes and hayseeds at the Iowa State Fair", the media should recognize that "Fred is the man of sound judgment, at least in the matter of feetwear," according to the only man with an opinion that matters, The Manolo.
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Manolo says, two things immediately leap into the mind of the Manolo regarding the news that the not-yet-presidential-candidate Fred Thompson made the grievous error of wearing the Gucci loafers to do his non-campaigning at the Iowa State Fair (which is dollar to the donuts the best state fair in the state!)
First, the Manolo did not know that they made the Gucci loafers in the size 13, which is the shoe size of the 6 feets and 6 inches tall Fred Thompson. The Manolo thought that 12 was the largest size offered.
And secondly, this is yet one more fashion tempest in the presidential campaigning pot of tea.
What do those who are promoting this story wish us to think?
“Ooooooh. Fred Thompson wears the Gucci loafers! Look at the Fancy Lad Fred, the pretty boy who wears the pretty boy shoes?”
Ha! The Manolo laughs!
Of all the things one may say about Fred Thompson, one may not say that he is the fancy lad pretty boy. Indeed, much of his appeal is that he is the bald, jowly, basso-profundo, hyper-masculine, ugly-as-the-mud-fence antidote to the pretty boys of politics. It is difficult to seem slick when you look like the aged blue-tick hound.
Instead, perhaps this observation about the Gucci loafers was intended to convey that the Fred Thompson was clueless about his audience.
It is common knowledge, this line of thinking goes, that the fly-over rubes and hayseeds at the Iowa State Fair (I’ve got Ioway in my ears and eyes and nose!) would object to any candidate who does not appear before them in the pig-feces-encrusted work boots.
Please, do not insult our intelligence.
The Manolo, who has hundreds of internet friends in the Midwest, can assure you that many peoples in Iowa love the beautiful and expensive shoes. And that even those Americans in the most remote parts of the country now have access to the internets and the satellite television, and thus know how public peoples should dress, and how much the good men’s shoes cost.
That Fred Thompson wears the well-made and handsome shoes should not be the cause for alarm. Instead, it should reassure us that he the person who knows the good value when he sees it.
The Manolo must now quote to you the wise words of the Cary Grant.
“I’m reminded of a piece of advice my father gave me regarding shoes: it has stood me in good stead whenever my own finances were low. He said, it’s better to buy one good pair of shoes than four cheap ones. One pair made of fine leather could outlast four inferior pairs and, if well cared for, would continue to proclaim your good judgment and taste no matter how old they become. It is rather like the stock market. It makes more sense to buy just one share of blue chip than 150 shares of a one-dollar stock.”
Or as the Tony Blair recently put it, “cheap shoes are the false economy.”
By this standard, Fred is the man of sound judgment, at least in the matter of feetwear.
Of the course, these observations should likewise cause us to worry about those candidates who wear hideous and inappropriate shoes, such as the Ron Paul, who habitually sports the same pair of cheap Reeboks trainers favored by generations of tyrannical junior high gym teachers.
Better, the Manolo says, the man who wears the Gucci loafers to the state fair, than the man who wears the old tennis shoes onto the floor of the House of Representatives.
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14 Comments
Salvatore:They aren’t even Guccis, they’re Ferragamos. Shame on Carl Camerson and Fox News. And just a little curious - how many pairs of Guccis do you think you could find at the Fox studios?
Aug 19, 2007 - 10:18 am Samantha:Have you not taken a good look at Fred Thompson. He looks very old and very ill. No one loses that much weight on purpose. He has trouble concentrating when it came out that Grassley had to direct him to people calling his name and after walking for 20 minutes had to rest. Then he rides in a golf cart.
There is something really wrong with a man with this little energy when he hasn’t been out campaigning every day. He doesn’t look up to campaigning every day and I want to know why people are encourging an obviosly sick man to run. He needs to be home with his family and if his wife is behind this it makes it even more bizarre.
I don’t care what shoes he wears but no one in their right mind wears good shoes to a fair for obvious reasons.
If all of you care for Fred Thompson like you say you do, then you would not be encouraging him to run. This isn’t about politics but about a man’s health and he looks very unhealthy. It was the same way in NH when he got in a car to ride to his room at the hotel which was a 2-minute walk. The Fred of old would have walked and talked to everyone along the way. This Fred does not go into crowds or talk for very long.
Time some of you put Fred’s health of your obvious selfish interest. BTW, he is not even that conservative which means you are seeing Fred the actor not Fred the person.
Aug 19, 2007 - 10:29 am Stubbs:Samantha says: “This isn’t about politics….” Ahh, Samantha, I think it is all about politics, yours especially.
Aug 19, 2007 - 1:50 pm stubbs:Oh, the Manolo:
One says that someone has the “gall” not the “gaul.” “Gall” means “brazen boldness with assurance;” a “Gaul” is a Frenchman. So, you can say that Gauls have gall.
Aug 19, 2007 - 1:59 pm Robyn:Where do you get the idea he doesn’t go into crowds? Have you been to an event where he has been? When he came to Tennessee in June it took him about 50 minutes to walk from the entrance to the terminal to his car which should have taken about 2 minutes max. He stopped and talked, shook hands, hugged, signed autographs, posed for pictures and treated everyone he connected with like they were his old friend.
As for the shoes, did anybody look at the shoes millionaire Mitt Romney wore? How about Giuliani’s shoes? They didn’t buy theirs at Walmart either. On one hand Fred Thompson gets mocked for his red truck and trying to look like he identifies with the common man and the next he gets mocked because he didn’t. Geesh! If you want to see where Fred Thompson grew up you should check out the pictorial report about Lawrenceburg, TN on The Tennessean website. That’s who he is.
Aug 19, 2007 - 1:59 pm curtis41:I’ll bet you a lot of Democrats would like to be in Fred Thompson;s shoes when he announces in Nashville just after labor day. Don’t let the shoes fool you, there are only 2,000 or so seats in the house. I guess Fred will have to run big speakers outside to his red pickup truck and provide grits for the overflow crowd. Afterward, I would expect him to put on his dancing shoes to celebrate before he moves into the White House. I think, running against a socialist, Fred Thompson is a shoe-in. (pun intended)
Aug 19, 2007 - 5:11 pm Will:I think Sam has a lot to learn about our man Fred. Maybe she just has wishful thinking,either way she’s wrong.Believe me Fred’s been around, and knows quality when he see’s it.
Aug 20, 2007 - 5:06 pm patco13:This is the kind of in depth reporting I have come to expect from pajamas. You are clueless! He sells himself as a red pickup driving “common man” who in reality has sold himself to the highest bidder throughout his life. Now when the conservatives are trying to resurrect Ronald Reagan along comes another actor who can hit his mark and say his lines. Keep writing, you guys are sinking so fast. And he wears loafers to the Iowa State fair and you are arguing shoe size? Please.
Aug 20, 2007 - 5:28 pm MrDoggity:First of all, the Gucci website shows these loafers in sizes up to 14D. Secondly, I don’t see how this is one bit different from criticizing John Edwards’ $400 haircut. The guy is a millionaire lobbyist. Call a spade a spade. He’s not a qualified candidate, but he plays one on TV. If any of you were really conservatives, you’d be giving a serious look to Ron Paul — the only actual conservative running.
Aug 21, 2007 - 4:52 am Joe:Samantha and patco13 are two very angry hippies. They know a threat when they see one. Fred is gonna whup Hillary’s butt and they know it. Rage against the shoes and the pickup. Weak tea.
Aug 21, 2007 - 1:46 pm William Drake Manning:I wear Gucci loafers in a size 13, so get your facts right. Try going to Gucci’s website and see that they DO INDEED make this size.
I think all of this whining by the lower class of America falls right in line, with their panic over the North American Union, which is much needed by the way, and their insistence that we “NEED TO KNOW” about why WTC 7 collapsed.
They just need to grow up and realize that sometimes a little dirt has to be done for the greater good. Even if we won’t have a constitution any more, do you think they’re just going to treat us like second class Mexicans? C’mon let’s be real.
Aug 21, 2007 - 2:47 pm Cynthia:“Shoes are the measure of a man.” Someone said that once. Fred chose correctly. They are loafers, therefore casual, but of excellent quality. The same as Fred.
People judge you by your shoes, whether consciously or not. A 40 yr old man with silly looking skull & crossbones sneakers — perhaps he’s having trouble growing up. A congressman who wears sneakers on the house floor — perhaps he has poor taste & a lack of judgement. See what I mean? Of course this is all in good fun & up to individual interpretation!
Aug 22, 2007 - 10:58 am Dave:Hate to do this to you, but it’s long been a peeve of mine that people use words in print without knowing how to spell them. It’s understandable, given that we are no longer in a ‘writing’ society but rather a ’speaking’ one, and thus we hear words but rarely see them.
Nonetheless, I have to note that the word “gall”, a metaphor for “brazenness”, is NOT spelled “gaul”. That word refers to the historical natives of the area of northern France and Belgium. Thus the cigarette brand “Gauloises”, the cigarettes of Gaul.
Thanks for indulging me on this one.
Regular Reader Dave in Texas
Aug 22, 2007 - 11:38 am Jane:Yet another Hollywood Republican.
Aug 23, 2007 - 12:16 pm