Who would Jack vote for in 2004?

[Jack Benny]

I think we would probably all think that the Jack Benny character would vote for George Bush for his tax cutting policies, but who do you think the real Jack Benny would vote for in 2004?

[Gerry O.]

It's hard to say.....Jack made it no secret that he was a Republican (especially during the later years of his life), but he broke down and wept when Democrat FDR died.

Frankly, during this last Presidential campaign, the way that Kerry and Bush were verbally hammering away at each other, I kept thinking of Jack Benny and Fred Allen!

[Jack Benny]

It's hard to say.....Jack made it no secret that he was a Republican (especially during the later years of his life), but he broke down and wept when Democrat FDR died.

Frankly, during this last Presidential campaign, the way that Kerry and Bush were verbally hammering away at each other, I kept thinking of Jack Benny and Fred Allen!

I never thought of this! I thought President Bush was pretty funny with his "Need some wood?" crack in the second debate. Like Benny, President Bush benefits from having a script to follow, but really, I find him to be more like Mary...honestly can't you hear our president say, "I'll have a chiss sweeze sandwich!"

[Gerry O.]

I never thought of this! I thought President Bush was pretty funny with his "Need some wood?" crack in the second debate. Like Benny, President Bush benefits from having a script to follow, but really, I find him to be more like Mary...honestly can't you hear our president say, "I'll have a chiss sweeze sandwich!"

Of course, if President Bush was like the CHARACTER of Jack Benny, he would have kept laughing and gloating over that "Need some wood?" line during the rest of the debate: "Ha, ha.... 'Need some wood?'....Oh boy, am I HOT tonight!"

[LLeff]

It's hard to say.....Jack made it no secret that he was a Republican (especially during the later years of his life), but he broke down and wept when Democrat FDR died.

I wouldn't say that Jack was necessarily Republican or Democrat. He was good friends with Harry Truman, Jack Kennedy, and Adlai Stevenson (who appeared at a Friar's dinner for Jack and for whom Jack appeared on the record "Ten Billion Millionaires"), but Jack also supported Nixon.

I think Jack was truly bipartisan, or perhaps more accurately, nonpartisan. Larry Adler told me that when he'd get into political things, Jack would say to him, "What do you want to get involved in that for?" Politics were just not a big aspect of Jack's life. And almost every President likes to laugh (I think you'd have to or you'd go crazy), so that makes Jack positive to either side.

BTW...John Kerry is a self-proclaimed Jack Benny fan. So is George H.W. Bush (who is also a long-time honorary member of the IJBFC). But I'm told that George W. Bush's favorite movie is Austin Powers.

[Gerry O.]

Not to get too political here, but there was a touch of "Bennyness" in the Kerry campaign too....

John Edwards gave the campaign sort of a "young Phil Harris" feel with his good-looking Southern appeal to the ladies....and Teresa would have DEFINTELY added a feisty "Mary Livingston" touch to the role of First Lady!

I'm not saying which candidate I was for or against in the election (and I hope that this discussion doesn't turn into that).....but as a Benny fan, these are just some observations and similarities that I noticed.

[Jack Benny]

Not to get too political here, but there was a touch of "Bennyness" in the Kerry campaign too....

John Edwards gave the campaign sort of a "young Phil Harris" feel with his good-looking Southern appeal to the ladies....and Teresa would have DEFINTELY added a feisty "Mary Livingston" touch to the role of First Lady!

I'm not saying which candidate I was for or against in the election (and I hope that this discussion doesn't turn into that).....but as a Benny fan, these are just some observations and similarities that I noticed.

I would love to hear John Edwards sing, "That's what I like about the south." I bet George W. Bush could have some fun with that song too!