I realize there are those who read this blog who are not fans of Sarah Palin. If you read any of my stuff during election season, you know I love her, but that really does not matter here. This is more about respect and decency, which should have no boundaries with regard to political leanings.
Earlier this week David Letterman made a crude joke on his show about Palin and her daughter and something that might have happened at a Yankees game they were attending.
"There was one awkward moment during the seventh inning stretch," said Letterman. "Her daughter got knocked up by Alex Rodriguez."
He also said the hardest part about the Palins' trip to New York was "keeping Eliot Spitzer away from her daughter." Hilarious.
I really believe Letterman thought he was talking about Palin's older daughter, who is 18 or 19 and, as we all know, had a baby out of wedlock a while back. In reality the daughter at the Yankees game was Palin's 14-year-old. But does it really matter which one he might have been using as a way to get laughs?
Letterman later made an apology, only it was not really an apology, and he used it to get even more laughs. He tried to "clarify" that he was talking about the older daughter, rather than the younger one, as if that would make his remarks more acceptable.
Governor Palin was on The Today Show this morning and she was right on target in her interview with Matt Lauer, speaking with the eloquence of a governor but with the fire of a mother. She reminded Lauer that it was Barack Obama who had declared "the children are off limits," a statement with which she wholeheartedly agrees. And it should apply across the board.
When asked by Lauer if David Letterman owes her an apology, Palin said, quite succinctly, that he does not need to apologize to her. What she would like to hear, she said, is an apology to all young women who were, ultimately, mocked and degraded by his remarks and for "contributing to a culture that says it's OK to talk about statutory rape."
"It's not cool; it's not funny," she said.
And I don't think many of us would argue with that.
11 comments:
Amen!
I agree.
Good post, Bob.
Bob,
As you know, I highly disagree with you on Sarah. I think she's a political joke.
That said, Letterman was completely out of line...both in his remarks and his follow ups, which were no apology. He would have simply been better off to say he regretted the remarks, and to apologize to the governor's family.
Did I watch the interview with Matt Lauer and think Sarah was right? Hell no. After an initial, dignified protest, she would have done best to move on, leaving Letterman to have to figure out how to deal with the long-term effects. She is getting bad advice from her advisors (if she even listens to anyone)which insures that her advisors are still no more ready for prime time than she is.
Palin, attempting to portray herself as somebody ready to defend young women from any kind of sexual advances, is laughable. This from a person who ended a line item in the Wasilla Police Department budget for payment of forensic examinations of sexual abuse victims.
The victims had to pay for their own rape kits. Hmmm. If I were her, I would stay away from injecting the word "rape" (inappropriately) into any future topic.
Thanks for letting me always give me opinion.
quid
While I agree with Letterman being out of line, I'm ,quite frankly, sick of Sarah Palin.
As Quid said, she really is a political joke. If the Republican Party wants my vote in the next Presidential election it needs to move people like Palin and Limbaugh off the public stage.
They are NOT bringing people into the fold; they are alienating former Republican voters.
What are called the "Wing nuts" in BOTH parties do little more than to run voters toward the center. Both Parties would do well to listen to THESE voters.
The majority of American voters are not extremists.
As I said, Governor Palin spoke with the fire of a mother. It doesn't matter if it's Sarah Palin, Nancy Pelosi or Hillary Clinton. If this had been my daughter, God help David Letterman.
Actually, I agree, as well. You don't make children the butt of your jokes. Period. It was uncalled for.
But Bob, you left off parts of the story. First, Letterman said, "Am I ashamed of the jokes? Yes. I am also ashamed of THOUSANDS of jokes I've told over the years." He, himself, probably didn't write the Palin "jokes." He probably is genuinely chagrined. His excuse that he was referring to Palin's older daughter was lame and weak. And he knows it.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, a Palin spokesperson said that it would probably be a good idea to keep Willow away from David Letterman.
Oh? Umm, what?
Tit for tat? Shoe on the other foot? Didn't they just do what they're accusing Letterman of doing? Palin tried to crawfish her way out of that one, but we all know what she meant.
Me, I don't like either of them. I don't watch the old, unfunny geezer. Carson knew when to hang it up. Letterman should take a lesson.
And my opinion of Sarah Palin is that she is far from the wonderful future leader of the Republican party that some people seem to think. Her latest debacle surrounding the NRCC/NRCC fundraiser last week shows us that she's still got some work to do before she's ready for national politics. It'll take more than a perky, pretty face and a "gosh-golly, you betcha!" attitude to get me to vote for her.
Bob, thanks so much for your comment. Good to hear from you. I thought the response from the Palin spokesperson about Willow was a little weird too but doesn't nullifty or justify what Letterman said.
I'm sure you have heard by now that Letterman made a genuine apology last night. That, of course, goes a long way. Of course he didn't write the joke, but he was the one on whose shoulders it fell and he has now owned up to it.
An apology goes a long way. I have always maintained that if Richard Nixon has just said, "I'm sorry" he would never have been forced to resign. Kind of like Pres. Clinton who "did not have sex with that woman."
Letterman was tasteless and offensive and needed to finally apologize.
Clinton made a travesty out of the office of the president, was tasteless and offensive and needed to finally apologize.
Richard Nixon committed a crime. An apology would have been nice, but should he have remained president? No. Should he have been pardoned? No.
I agree about Nixon, Quid, but still think things might have been a bit different if he had admitted the error of his ways early on. Maybe not.
But Lord knows the man did not have the charm and persuasiveness of Bill Clinton.
Ah, but as Clinton proved, charm is often used to cover up the egotistical.
I suppose anyone who wants to be President (or succeeds) has to veer towards the egotistical.
But Clinton also used it to cover up ... what is the best word? Smarmy?
quid
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