I KNEW I couldn't stand her! Michelle Kwan is a Republican

[Sannum]

I just read this at one of my FS boards, that the rink that her nutjob daddy built contains a framed letter from bunnypants thanking her "for her support".

I knew I hated her and her skating. This all started during her hissy fit when Tara Lipinski won. And when Sarah Hughes won. And when she tried to go to the Olympics even though she couldn't fucking jump, and then had a little pity party press conference afterwards.

[ForrestGump]

1. The letter doesn't necessarily mean anything

I've got a card from Junior's daddy that congratulates me on my wedding (damn...in hindsight, maybe that was an omen) and I'm a durned commie.

Is she from Orange County?

[Sannum]

2. Yeeks

I think that is an omen:)
:hi:

I think she is from SoCal. I know Sasha Cohen is from OC.

[IntravenousDemilo]

5. Booyakasha!

Oh, wrong Sacha Cohen. Never mind.

http://www.disbealig.com/

[Oeditpus Rex]

3. She's from somewhere around LA

She does spots on Dodger games — testimonials for some bank down there. Says crap like "I trust Asshat Bank and Mistrust because I believe in teamwork."

:puke:

[951-Riverside]

4. This is based on a PICTURE?

and what the HELL do you know about her dad to call him a "nutjob"?

YOU LEAVE MY KWAN ALONG!!!!! :cry:

[Sannum]

6. I was a skater and i am still friendly with people in the sport

He has been banned from several rinks in SC due to his um...temper. One in paticular witnessed by my best friend involved him screaming at Frank Caroll (they are no longer coach/athlete obviously and chasing him into the parking lot and throwing a pair of skates at him. This is why the "ice palace" was built for his lil princess. No other rink will deal with him. Not to mention what he did to Nicole Bobek.

Dinners and parties with skaters always end up being a fun evening.

[XemaSab]

7. Is it true that eating disorders are rampant?

:shrug:

[Sannum]

8. yes

There is one male skater in paticular whom I just adore, personally and artistically who fights with this. Countless others as well.

You also would not believe the amount of sex there is.

[Oeditpus Rex]

9. Sex and eating disorders

clonk clonk clack clonk clack clack clonk clonk clack...

[XemaSab]

12. I always wondered with the pairs figure skating

how much was going on between the two...

[Ellen Forradalom]

13. Really?

Where do I sign up?

[Jade Fox]

10. Hmmm.... my irrational dislike of Kwan.....

gets some back-up. I thought her era would never end!

Your a skater, eh? Tell me some gossip about Johnny Weir. I fell in love with his style (not to mention that black and white "swan" costume of his) during the Olympics and US Nationals. Also, Matt Whats-his-name, whose last name escapes me. Lovely skater.

[colinmom71]

22. Matt Savoie...

He's now retired from skating and is going to law school in the fall. And yes, I've always liked his skating too...

[Neoma]

11. I don't really watch ice skating anyways.

[cmkramer]

14. What hissy fit?

She was the epitome of grace and class.

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure she's Republican although whether she's a Freeper type or more of a Lincoln Chaffee type, I don't know. From what I understand, the vast majority of Olympic athletes are Republicans.

[fleabert]

15. really?

care to back up that last statement?

[tjdee]

16. I'd assume so as well...Sasha Cohen is one...

The thing is, we don't sponsor our athletes (I don't think?). Michelle Kwan, and most of the athletes in the sports that cost real money to do, have to put up the money themselves. And many people who have luxury income like that, for their kids' sports, are Republicans. I don't expect *all* of them to be Republicans, but most? Oh yeah.

Contrast that to basketball and track. I'd expect to find less Republicans there.

Is it bad of me to think that way? Maybe.

[fleabert]

18. I appreciate your response.

just a blanket statement like that seems useless to me, backing it up with some reasoning is helpful. I would think that most in sports like snowboarding or speed skating would be more liberal- the lifestyle just hits me that way. Most boarders and skiiers I know are raging liberals- but I don't know any pros.

[cmkramer]

19. close but not quite

It's not that Olympic level sports attract rich kids -- there are plenty of Olympic level athletes who rely on sponsorships in order to compete. But once you get to a certain level in your sport, you can make money hand over fist. Michelle is a multi-millionaire and she's still considered an amateur. Or look at Sasha Cohen. She's been making noises about doing some acting. In the old days, that would have immediately made her ineligible for competition.

I digress. Anyway, there's a sports agent named Leigh Steinberg who has many Olympic athletes as clients including Brian Boitano. Steinberg is also a big donor to the Democratic Party. He once said that no matter how much he tries to persuade them otherwise, his clients for the most part are staunch Republicans. Even the ones who agree more with the Democrats and are concerned with issues like poverty, social justice, etc. are Republicans. He said the reason is taxes.

[fleabert]

23. anyone who is concerned about poverty, social justice, etc, cannot,

by definition, be a Republican.

these are just Democrats who don't fully understand tax laws, and get a lot greedy with their vote.

[cmkramer]

28. You're probably right about that n/t

[tigereye]

17. I bet Kristi Yamaguchi is a Dem!

I have no idea, actually. ;)


I don't know if it's fair to trash Kwan just because she might be a pub. She's still quite talented.

[Darth_Kitten]

24. A friend of mine knew Kristi Yamaguchi....

when she trained in Edmonton. He quite liked her, said she was really nice, and her Mom as well. :)

[tigereye]

25. she always seemed so cool

less of a princess- snob, or something

[cmkramer]

26. She's a Republican

Now watch how quickly she becomes a diva bitch on this thread.

[Darth_Kitten]

30. is she though?

:)

[cmkramer]

33. Yes she is

On a skating group I'm subscribed to they said she has said that publicly.

[Arugula Latte]

20. To quote Jon Stewart:

"KWAN!!"

x(

[KamaAina]

21. Really? The one who had the selection process rigged for her?

Is a repuke?! I'm shocked. Shocked! :sarcasm:

[cmkramer]

27. Not rigged

She went under the same rules that allowed Nancy Kerrigan to be on the Olympic team even though she had an injury that precluded her from being in Nationals. Ironically that was why Michelle -- even though she was the Nationals silver medalist in 1994 was only a reserve member of the Olympic team (she did go to Lillehammer just in case).

Todd Eldredge in 1992 also took advantage of those rules after he wasn't able to participate in Nationals because of an injury.

Also, the rules are pretty strict that in order to bypass the usual channels, you must be injury-free and you must have a good chance to contend for a medal.

As for anyone thinking "Yeah, she got her doctor to sign off on her being okay but she knew all along she was still hurt", if that had been the case, Emily Hughes would not have been able to participate actively in the games. I'm not sure what the exact justification for that is though. I know it has something to do with a re-injury vs. a new injury.

IOW, no rules were changed for her.

[Sannum]

31. The issue with Michelle and her Medical Bye had everything to do with..

Money. The USFSA was getting pressure from NBC and the IOC to protect their investment. They needed her for the ratings and dollars that would come in if she had competed. For her own health, she should retire. She is doing COI, but even that is dangerous to her current state.

I was a skater. I had to give it up at 16 due to an injury. You do not recover well once you have the severe injury that she had. In fact, it makes it more likley that she will injure herself even more. She needs to hang them up, and with the rumors of her going back to University, it looks like that is the path she is going to take.

[cmkramer]

34. Irony

The two greatest female skaters of the past ten years -- Michelle Kwan and Irina Slutskaya -- never won a gold medal at the Olympics.

[nini]

29. Her dad being a repuke doesn't mean she is

How many people here talk about their republican relatives? Does this mean they are republican also by association?

Her dad may be an ass but I know plenty of people who have encountered Michelle out in public around here. (She is from Torrance,CA) originally and is still seen around her). They have all said she is gracious and polite. To me that makes her a decent person. I have found no evidence of her political leanings anywhere (unlike cohen) so I'd say she's apolitical.

Hissy fits??? LOLOLOLOLOL That is so lame. She handled herself perfectly in a very difficult time for her.

You can hate her all you want, but don't accuse her of shit you cannot prove to try and slam her. Don't blame her for the sins of her father either.

[Haole Girl]

32. I believed it, after I saw this (warning - it can make you hurl):

My impression of Dick Cheney's mouth: President Bush clowns around with figure-skating star Michelle Kwan at a lunch honoring visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao in the East Room of the White House.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/gate/archive/2006/04/21/dip.DTL&o=1

[idgiehkt]

35. I've been reading alot of the FS boards and there is debate about it.

She is supposed to be a Buddhist and have shown progressive behavior in the past. Some of the hardcore Kwan fans are not confirming that she is a repuke and some are pretty surprised. I've heard that when she went to the white house she didn't even know she was going to be seated next to Bush. I have always loathed her skating as well... p.m. me if you ever want to talk skating (is there an FS group here?) I just think her jumping has never been up to par with the people she's competed against. I am not technically knowedgeable enough to appreciate her 'edges' or whatever, but to me she is kind of the Paris Hilton of skating, it's like 'so what'? At least that is the reaction I have. LOl. It doesn't surprise me...I guess she wouldn't be dating that repuke billionaire's son accidentally.

and just because this is a figure skating thread: