Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Palin’s statements on Letterman are from 3:15 to 9:40
There’s been some back and forth between David Letterman and the Palin family that we missed until it reached fever pitch. Sarah Palin appeared on The Today Show this morning to express how upset she is that David Letterman cracked a lewd joke, possibly about her younger daughter, Willow.
Letterman made a joke on Monday night about Palin’s daughter’s attendance at a Yankee’s game. He joked that Alex Rodriguez got Palin’s daughter pregnant, but he didn’t mention which daughter he was referring to, and later claimed he assumed that Bristol, Palin’s daughter who also happens to be an 18 year-old mother, was at the game. Only Willow, 14, was there though. Letterman said “One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game, during the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.”
Todd Palin then responded in a statement calling the joke “sexually perverted,” and “disgusting”. He claimed statements like that “contribute to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men.” Last night on his show Letterman clarified that he thought he was referring to 18 year-old teen mother Bristol, not Willow, and he would never joke like that about an underage girl:
“Concerning Letterman’s comments about my young daughter (and I doubt he’d ever dare make such comments about anyone else’s daughter): ‘Laughter incited by sexually-perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl is not only disgusting, but it reminds us some Hollywood/NY entertainers have a long way to go in understanding what the rest of America understands – that acceptance of inappropriate sexual comments about an underage girl, who could be anyone’s daughter, contributes to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others.’ ”
Todd Palin added: “Any ‘jokes’ about raping my 14-year-old are despicable. Alaskans know it and I believe the rest of the world knows it, too.”
Letterman responded last night by saying that the joke was aimed at 18-year-old Bristol Palin, not Willow: “We were, as we often do, making jokes about people in the news and we made some jokes about Sarah Palin and her daughter [Bristol]… and now they’re upset with me…” Letterman said.
“These are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl…. Am I guilty of poor taste? Yes. Did I suggest that it was okay for her 14-year-old daughter to be having promiscuous sex? No.”
[From ABCnews]
On her appearance on the Today Show, Palin said Letterman’s excuse that he thought that he was talking about Bristol was a convenient one and that he shouldn’t be able to get away with saying that. She said jokes in that vein contribute to a culture in which statutory rape is acceptable. She also claimed she wouldn’t want Willow to be around Letterman, implying that he might hit on her. Palin did backtrack a little on that statement, though:
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday that “Late Night” host David Letterman “crossed the line” when he joked about her daughters.
“I would like to see him apologize to young women across the country” for contributing to a culture “that says it’s OK to talk about statutory rape,” Palin told Matt Lauer on TODAY. “It’s not cool; it’s not funny.”
During his opening monologue on CBS’ “Late Night” Monday, Letterman poked fun at Palin’s visit with her family to a New York Yankees game this past weekend. “There was one awkward moment during the seventh inning stretch,” Letterman said. “Her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.”
Letterman also said the hardest part about the Palins’ trip to New York was “keeping [former New York Gov.] Eliot Spitzer away from her daughter.”
“I don’t find it humorous,” Palin said Friday. Speaking by satellite from Texas, where she’s championing a $26 billion natural gas energy pipeline for her home state, Palin criticized “acceptance of a celebrity being able to get away with a disparaging comment that does erode a young girl’s self-esteem and does contribute to some of the problems we have in society.”
Letterman did give an apology of sorts later in the week when it became clear that it was Palin’s younger daughter, Willow, 14, who had come to town — not Willow’s older sister, Bristol, who has broken up with the father of her infant son. But Palin declined Letterman’s offer to appear on his show, saying “it would be wise to keep Willow away from” him.
On TODAY Friday, Lauer asked the governor if she had been implying that Willow would not be safe around the late-night comedian. “Take it however you want to take it,” Palin replied. “It was a comment that came from the heart.”
“Hey, it’s not in bad taste,” the governor added. “Maybe he couldn’t be trusted because Willow has had enough of these kinds of antics, and maybe she would want to react in a way that would take him off guard.”
[From MSNBC]
Palin has a point that it’s not funny to joke about young girls in that way. I can see why she got upset no matter which daughter Letterman was referring to, but to make the logical leap that jokes like that contribute to statutory rape is a little much. Still, you can understand why people are protective of their children and don’t want obnoxious, sexually suggestive jokes made about them to the whole world. Maybe the Palins could have left it at their initial statement and decided to let the feud with Letterman drop instead of continuing it. I think it’s a little much, but I’m not in their position and they have very conservative values. They surely are offended and want people to know that this is unacceptable.
The rape thing is out of hand-thats clearly not what he meant. But it was in poor taste to joke about Bristol also, she may be 18, but 18 is still young and vulnerable.
she should quit fighting every battle-as peggy noonan said today on Morning Joe. going head to head with david letterman over off-color jokes does nothing to enhance her image as a national republican leader. its clear letterman was referring to the tendency of the 18 year old Bristol to get pregnant and not the 14 year old. its so absurd to think letterman was going after 14 year old, and she’s playing victim and making herself look stupid because she fights every single battle in public. dumb idiot needs to get back to her state and work at being a governor. she sucks.
Man, what an opportunist.. Anything to stay in the press. She needs to go away.
He was talking about Bristol– lord, shut the f*ck up already, you cow.
And he wouldn’t have had anything to say in the first place, if you actually practiced what you preached, or at least taught your daughter the importance of safe sex.
I personally enjoy David Letterman.
Yeah this is the only time I’ll ever agree with her unless she says that killing baby kittens is wrong.
That was in bad taste no matter what kid he was talking about. Really any joke about a young girl getting “knocked up” coming out of an old mans mouth is usually a bad idea.
Also wasn’t the pregnant one like 17 when she got pregnant? Still talking about statutory rape case then.
Sarah Palin definately doesn’t represent my politics, but in this case she is absolutely right.
Letterman’s comment was gross and inappropriate. Willow should feel uncomfortable around a gross old man who talks about her being impregnated by other old men. I don’t like how Lauer made her explain why Willow would be uncomfortable. It’s obvious!
In my opinion, in this situation Palin is right to express her disgust and she’s just defending her kid!
There is a double standard. Palin’s family has been attacked in a way that no male politican has dealt with. Nobody cared when Mary Cheney was in a lesbian relationship and had a baby with her ‘wife’ despite the apparent hypocrisy of her dad Dick. Even all the McCain children were respected and never gave a single interview to the press (besides Meghan who actively cultivated the press). Ditto with the Bidens.
F*ck the North Slope Pipeline but leave the Palin kids alone.
Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your family beaten up in the media. Don’t put them into the media with every photo op humanly possible. Don’t put your teen mom daughter on the cover of People claiming abstinence. Letterman’s joke was off color, but the Palin’s are complicit in this situation by constantly being in front of any camera that will take their damn picture. You have to take the good with the bad when you’ve asked for it.
Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill!!! It was a bad joke – it’s not the first time one has been told it won’t be the last time.
I am so sick of this woman – isn’t her 15 minutes up??? Can she just now disappear. She is stupid and a loser – if I didn’t dislike her before, I certainly do now.
well written, CB. Thank you for not attacking her simply for her political affiliation.
Agree Bros & Ron.
Here’s another thing – if Sarah Palin (or any mother) truly thought Letterman (or anyone else) was cruelly suggesting that an underage girl should be raped, would that mother sit through an interview with a smug, sh-t-eating grin on her face? When Lauer finally brought the conversation over to Letterman, Palin beams and says “if we must”. Please. That was the whole reason for the interview.
Anything for press apparently, I too agree w/ Noonan. As tasteless a joke it may have been, this woman has put her eldest daughter out there beyond traditional pre-election exposure, by having her front as the face of abstinence. That’s the real joke, a high profile People magazine cover glorifying the ability to have it all; baby, family support, financial freedom & an education. All the while suggusting other girls simply say no. I only hope DL was actually mistaken about which daughter he made the joke.
Did.nt Dave’s now wife get “knocked up”? I see he finally manned up and married her. He makes fun of Palin because he does’nt like her politics.
I disagree with Letterman’s behavior, and also believe Palin’s remarks about Obama were inappropriate.
Letterman apologized. Where is Palin’s apology?
really can’t stand her or her politics – but letterman was completely out of line on this one.
yah guest, but where she reserves her outrage and mother protecting cub shit for when it’s politically convenient/expedient. she knows this was a joke in bad taste and that no one in their right mind would say a joke about a 14 year old (not that it’s outside the realm of possibility that this sister gets knocked up to, because lord knows palin’s not paying attention), yet she is playing false victim and lapping up the free press she is getting while looking all indignant and like she is just mama bear protecting her cubs.
HOWEVER, everyone knows she tosses those kids out as feed and fodder when she needs to-RNC, campaign trail, interviews about baby momma drama, cover of People Mag, Abstinence ahem, cough Only spokesperson. and where was mama bear when bristol was doing it without any protection? her false sense of decency and propriety is what has me burning-this is a woman that insinuated the most terrible and despicable lies about obama on the campaign trail, and now she’s crying for everyone to play fair and not step over the line? bitch, you killed the line!
You’re right Kaiser, that smug look on her face is revolting!
Of course it’s appropriate for the Palins to defend their children, but they are making a circus out of it, which is what they always do.
In contrast I remember when the Clintons first got into the White House, there were lots of jokes about their daughter Chelsey’s looks. Her parents responded by politely asking the media to have a “hands off” policy when it came to jokes about their daughter, because she was a private citizen, not a public figure.
The media respected their request and that was the end of it, no big deal.
In contrast look at the way the Palins are handling this — hurling accusations, going on the talk shows, turning it into a nasty fight. It says a lot about them.
The joke was in poor taste. The Palin family has gotten far more scrutiny from the press than any other political family.
I do believe some of that is because Palin hit the national spotlight from seemingly nowhere and everyone wanted to know as much about this family as possible. The same was true with the Obama’s. Lots of press about the kids.
However, Obama’s did not put their kids out there like Palins have. Granted, Obama’s didn’t have a prenant teen daughter, but Palins could have made a statement about the situation and then kept the kids out of the media as much as possible.
That hasn’t been the case. Bristol has continued to be up front and center. I don’t know how much of that is because of Bristol and how much is Sarah. We will probably never know. As a result, “me thinks the woman doth protest too much.”
if sarah’s so compassionate about rape victims then why are women in wasila still being charged for their own rape kits?
Even if it was about the 18-year-old and not the 14-year-old, it was still gross and demeaning and inappropriate. Letterman is what, 60-something? Him joking about an 18-year-old getting impregnated at a Yankees game is gross. He is already way too inappropriate with the young actresses who come on his show. He needs to restrain himself and show a little bit more respect to women in general.
whatever sarah, that’s his shtick as a performer. he doesnt do anything illegal, so if you dont like how he acts, then dont watch-he doesnt need to tone anything down, as far as Im concerned.
and good friggin point Original Kate. I love watching Fox get all bent out of shape about this, as if they are out to defned all young womens honor. meanwhile, you have rush no-limbic-system talking shit about ACTUAL rape victims, saying this or that woman deserved it, etc. republicans and their hypocrisy: it knows no bounds.
it’s so funny how the public’s affection (or lack thereof in this case) dictates what they consider inappropriate. imagine a similar joke being directed toward the obama daughters. people would be outraged!
I saw the ‘jokes’ he made, it was pretty clear they were about Bristol. No that the jokes were ‘tasteful, but he did say he was sorry about the misunderstanding . It should have been done at that point. But for the Palins to suggest that he was some sort of pro-rape pervert that they wouldn’t allow near their 14 year old daughter, after he tried to clear the air, was beyond the pale. I don’t much care either way for Letterman, but if he can apologize surely they can as well. He as a comedian made a bad joke, and apologized for it, they made a very serious accusation.
As for Bristol still being a ‘child’, well she has put herself out there in the spotlight, she is doing People interviews etc., and a speaking tour. She is over 18 and the daughter of a famous person… she is, sadly, fair game. If Ms Palin wants to pursue the presidency, which seems to be the case, she and her family better grow some thicker skin. The Bush family, the Clitons, the Reagans, the Nixons, the Kennedys, etc. etc. all had to suck it up and deal. I suspect former Pres Ford didn’t exactly enjoy Chevy Chases depiction of him as a clumsy doofus, but he knew better than to whine about it. And I am damn well sure that when Mr Limbaugh did this … “Rush Limbaugh put up a picture of Socks, the White House cat, and asked, “Did you know there’s also a White House dog?” Then he put up a picture of Chelsea Clinton, who was 13 years old at the time” her parents were more than offended, but they didn’t run to Today etc to pitch a fit.
People in public office need to accept that they will be ridiculed and burned in effigy, it is sad but true. I do agree that children under 18 should be excluded from this nasty process, but once they are adults they will unfortunately be the fodder for folks like Letterman and Limbaugh.
Didn’t Imus get fired immediately for a much smaller joke about the rutgers basketball team?
How does this gap-toothed geezer get away with several lewd jokes about teenagers and adult men?
I don’t hear comedians making jokes about his bastard son? or obama’s daughters.
and Ron : How exactly was palin supposed to keep her children out of the media? they are her family and they travel with her when she travels. that’s what families do!
Lucinda wrote: “The Palin family has gotten far more scrutiny from the press than any other political family.”
Ok, now that is total garbage. I am sorry but go peddle that sob story to the Bush family or the Clintons and see how long it take them to laugh you out of the room. Sorry, I am totally fine with differing opinions, but flat out BS, not so much.
Wow, I am deeply disturbed by the amount of hatred being directed towards Sarah Palin and her family. Regardless of your politics, how can you HATE/LOATHE her, how can you justify some of your disgusting remarks. All of this negativity is really sad. Why do you care so much about the governor of Alaska?
Sandy, Imus was fired for making a racist remark. If you think that’s more forgivable than Letterman’s comment, so be it.
Palin could have ignored the joke and it would have gone away, but that wouldn’t have fit in with her misguided dream of occupying the White House.
She moves from a feud with her teenaged son-in-law to one with a talk show host? Who’s next, Sharon Osbourne? Keepin’ it classy, Sarah.
I don’t hate her, I just wish she’d romove that stick up her butt, or disappear and refrain from making idiotic accusations at people.
Why would she automatically assume Letternam was talking about her 14 yr old when the one who got pregnant and is and adult is there too? Ridiculous. Asking what he meant and clarifying the comment is much more dignified than jumping to some crazy notion and then immediately going to the media. She’s just making herself look like a fool.
I thought the joke was aimed more towards A Rod being a man whore than her daughter anyway.
Team Letterman. Go the hell away you hillbilly SLUT.
Palin is great at playing the victim.
He told a very inappropriate joke, but Palin slandered her opponents in the election by purposely lying, which is worse. He acknowledged that it was tasteless, (and it was) but for her to turn it into publicity is ridiculous. I would have never heard the joke if she didn’t keep bringing it up. I she wanted to really protect her daughter she would not remind people of this humilating joke constantly.
Team Letterman! If you saw his apology you know perfectly well he was NOT referring to Willow. It’s entertainment, folks. The joke is on Palin – Bristol WAS knocked up underage. Are they trying to turn her into a virgin again? Good luck with that.
I don’t consider calling an entire team of women “nappy headed hoes” a “much smaller joke”, but that’s just me.
agree with most of the people on here that she needs to stop with the public feuds. they just make her look so petty and uptight.
yes, jokes about Obama’s daughters would have been out of line, but they’re not 18 y.o. mothers that are (along with THEIR mother) preaching abstinence. and as so many have pointed out, Chelsea Clinton was constantly and callously mocked for her looks. by some of the very people feigning outrage over Letterman’s joke.
“Palin’s family has been attacked in a way that no male politican has dealt with.” completely untrue. as someone else said, I think the Bushes and Clintons would disagree.
to bros #15…EXACTLY. Just like some of the celebs who cry about the paps wanting pictures…they want to be famous, but only when it’s convenient for THEM.
and kate #19…bravo.
Gee, what do you think the wolfs’ families think when their family members are shot by rifles from helicoptors up in Alaska?
Eat a bowl of STFU soup, Sarah Palin. You deserve every bad thing that comes your way.
he made a dumb joke, apologized, & that should have been the end of it.
palin is loving that she is getting to be in the spotlight again so shes going to milk it for all its worth. thats what bothers me about the whole thing.
she could have made ONE statement about it, and move on but of course shes on some kind of crusade now.
i was all about “hands off bristol” when she was shoved into the spotlight when her mom announced she was pregnant but now that shes on People advocationg abstinence, i say shes fair game.
Wow, her outrage is duly noted. It’s a shame that when people at her rallies were yelling vicious things about Obama she feigned ignorance and had no comment. Dave’s joke was inappropriate, however, she knows full well he wasn’t talking about the 14 year old. It’s nice to know that she is such a stickler for political correctness and I look forward to her criticizing people like Hannity and Limbaugh when they make insensitive remarks as well.
boo: you represent everything that’s wrong with the world.
did you honestly just compare people to wolves?
I watched the interview this morning. Twice actually because they reaired it. This whole situation has gotten completely out of hand. Did she have a right to come out swinging after David’s comments YES>. It should have ended there. I agreed with her on many points.. THEN she had to bring Obama into the converstion. She made it a political statement. This had nothing to do with politics. It was a comic told an inappropriate joke. Bad taste. Now she is using it to garner attention. So Sad. she is using her daughter again. And in a sick way. did you all hear her imply that her 14 year old daughter should be afraid of David; she implied that he was a pedifile.. Yeah she did. Matt tried to give her a way to back out of that implication and she let it stand. NOW that is taking things to a new level of dirt. David was wrong. No doubt about it. HE knows it too. But SHE knows he was not talking about the 14 year old. and that fact makes it even worst. She is such an opportunist. She needs the PR especially after the whole leave out last week and Newt getting all the attention. And to think this woman could have been the Vice President of the United States.
She is a piece of work. I guess David is going to be her plate form for 2012. Yeah this is all about her career. Not her daughter. Things are only going to get worst. Will David respond (I hope he just lets it go). Lets her keep putting her foot in her big mouth. This should have been over.
Letterman is a Comedian, Pallin is an Opportunist twisting the joke to get airtime and stay current in the media.
Go home to your backyard and watch Russia.
If it makes you feel superior to believe lies go ahead but no one yelled “kill him” at the palin rallies.
oh yes Mae, because people having compassion for animals and thinking they deserve to live on the land they occupied for time immemorial without being shot from helicopters by greedy hunters who want more caribou antlers is so terrible. yes, THATS whats wrong with the world today. thank you for being such a genius and pointing that out.
Oh, and for those of you who are actually trying to equate Mr Lettermans current wife and the mother of his son to Bristol Palin, may I remind you that Ms Letterman was well beyond 18 years old, was in a long time relationship of over a decade when she got pregnant, and was not running about telling everyone to be abstinent after the fact. Apples to Oranges.
fizXgirl314, Obama’s daughters are underage so of course there would have been outrage. Bristol, who the joke was about, is not. Had Obama’s daughters been of age you still wouldn’t have this joke and it’s because Sarah has turned her family into a walking punchline. She has every right to defend her daughters but Dave has already apologized. She’ll just keep milking this and will turn it into some publicity opportunity so she can be in the spotlight no doubt dragging her family right behind her for group shots. Can’t wait till she’s no longer known.
So blown out of proportion. This had nothing to do with Willow.
Besides, Bristol is a legal adult. She wants to act like an adult, so grow up and deal with the humor. It’s a part of life.
to me #40…I must assume that you were referring to hmm #36.
hmm did not mention the words “kill him”.
though the secret service found no evidence that anyone yelled “kill him” (as if someone else at the rally would incriminate a fellow McCain/Palin supporter…), there was video/audio evidence of them saying OTHER things that weren’t true, much less not very nice. and yes, Palin feigned ignorance and had no comment.
nahh, even if obama’s daughters were of age, the public would still be livid. this country seems gaga over the new president. but, that’s beside the point.
however, i think palin is going a little overboard by accusing letterman of promoting statutory rape, especially since he apologized, and it is very likely he was talking about the eldest daughter. but, she is a mother, so any form of reaction on the outrage spectrum is understandable. i’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt in this case (justifiably or not) and say that she was genuinely hurt and not trying to create a media circus out of this situation because i know it can be tough seeing your kids get picked on… whether they’re 14 or 40.
mae: June 12th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
boo: you represent everything that’s wrong with the world. did you honestly just compare people to wolves?
EXACTLY!!!1!!one! There’s no need to be goin’ around insulting wolves Boo 😉
Although I don’t agree with making an opportunity for political point-scoring out of it – it was a hideously unfunny joke, and inappropriate regardless of whether it was directed at a 14yo or an 18yo.
Politics has nothing to do with this.
a) How is this different from what Don Imus got fired for?
b) What “smug look”?? I thought she was remarkably restrained. She was probably trying to keep from getting angry.
gg,
It seemed to me that the ‘jokes’ were directed more towards former Gov Spitzer and A-Rod and their bad behaviour.
And this isn’t ‘political’ either just a query, Mr Letterman did in fact apologize for his tasteless ‘joke’, shouldn’t Ms Palin also do so for suggesting several times that he might be a pedophile and that she wouldn’t allow him near her 14 yr old daughter? Or are her very serious suggestions acceptable while his ‘jokes’ (albeit bad ones) are not? Seems like quite the double standard. Would you mind clarifing your conclusions on this? I am not trying to be rude, it just doesn’t make sense. He offended her and her family, and apologized, she offended him and his family and didn’t feel the need to show the same respect. That doesn’t really add up.
@gg:
Don Imus made a racist remark. Dave’s joke was in poor taste but it wasn’t racist.
The “smug look” is her weird smiley face. She’s smiling in that way that says “Yea, I know you’re going to ask me about it so go ahead and do it so I can talk about it”
Anyway, everyone knows that he was talking about Bristol because she’s the one who got knocked up and she’s the one who is going around talking about it to anyone who will listen. The only people who are feigning ignorance are those who are Palin fans and like phony outrage.
If she were genuinely hurt and didn’t want to create a media circus around this she’d have done what the Clintons did in the 90s about Chelsea and just sent out a statement saying something to the effect of “That was inappropriate, can you leave my daughters out of the public discourse”.
The problem with that, and why she couldn’t say that, is because Bristol has herself out there all over the news channels and covers of magazines spouting off about abstinence only while HOLDING HER BABY.
She is technically of-age to make her own decisions regarding her public persona and if she, or her mother, has issues about the way the media portrays her or about how some late night talk show host jokes about her, then take her out of the public realm and stop talking about abstinence only education that DOESN’T WORK.
@PJ you have a great point about the Clintons, but back in the day the media was very different. They respected the privacy of children or public figures, now they are more than fair game.
:edit: p.s. couldn’t Letterman now sue her for defamation of character by saying he was a pedophile? that is one case I would love to see.
As much as I dislike Letterman and think Palin is a hypocritical mess i say let bygones be bygones accept the apology (half assed as it was) and grow up. We’re not 5 years old any more.
When you are in public life and you CHOOSE to USE your kids for gain, as Palin has they are open targets and game for the media. When it came out initally that Bristol was pregnant, Obama came out and said publicly and to his advisors that the topic was off limits. Palin has chosen to put her kids out there. Bristol has even been on Tyra for God’s sake…TYRA!! The Clinton’s and the Bush’s kids were really out of the limelight and off limits to the media and they respected their wishes for the most part. But if you don’t remember the Reagan years, his family drama played out very publicly–is Ron Jr gay, Patty Davis in Playboy etc etc. It’s really about how you choose to handle it. Palin made her choice and now she fains being upset about the consequences. Again the joke was inappropriate and off color, but PALIN has turned it into a soapbox to get her mug on national TV once again.
How did we get to talking about the Clintons on this thread?
Look I think Sarah Palin is a total wanker who gives women in politics a bad name. Having said that David Letterman’s comment was stupid…and not very funny.
Sarah Palin and her husband have completely over-reacted. Defensive much? It would have been enough to say they found the comment offensive and inappropriate no matter which child it was directed at and leave it at that.
But nooooooooo….
Children are a reflection of their parents and one does not practice what they preach, but puts her face on a magazine to glorify it – and with the full support of her parents. Palin brought it on herself by being a hypocrite. As a matter of fact, I think she’s made it worse by throwing such a hissy fit, because now her daughter has been put in the middle of this public fued for publicity sake, when she could have stayed a 5 second blip on a late night show.
She’s made a big PR mistake here and it’s not one she can back-pedal out of now. You just can’t go up against Letterman, or any successful comedian really. She should’ve stayed quiet and let it pass, which it certainly would have. The joke wasn’t that salacious nor was it that funny. Her need for attention has clouded her better judgement.
Bristol is 18, she’s fair game, and never once did I assume he meant Willow. As for Palin, I love how she thinks its unacceptable to joke about statuatory rape, but to insinuate that someone else is a statuatory rapist is totally ok in her book.
@ the original kate
You rock!
What does it matter your other underage daughter was knocked up.
So since the Obama’s children have been part of photo ops at the White House, they are fair game? Bullshit.
Palin’s family is being attacked because of their politics, pure and simple. Agree with her or not, that is fine but attacking her minor children, and it is totally reasonable for one to assume that Letterman was talking about the 14yo who was actually there rather than her 18yo daughter who wasn’t, is absolutely disgusting.
Even NOW, much to their credit have added David Letterman to their media hall of shame.
And it was not an apology. He suggested her daughter (s?) were prostitutes (the Spitzer comment) then didn’t even apologize for not realizing which daughter was actually with her in New York.
No matter the age, if you think that women should be spoken about in such a manner, you got problems. What was Bristol’s crime exactly that makes all this ok? Having a different opinion than you? It is disgusting the level public discourse has sunk to in this country in the last 2 decades.
Funny how she’s so miffed about
Letterman but where was she when her own daughter got knocked up? Palin should stop hogging the lime light for what conveniences her. She reasons made no sense what so ever.
Since he obviously meant the daughter who had a child out of wedlock with his joke, does that mean that Willow will be on the cover of People, preaching abstinence, too, in 9 months?
that comment about if sara palin would practice what she preachs about safe sex is stupid bc she can tell her daughters not to have sex or have safe sex all she wants but it doesn’t mean they’re going to do it. how many times have our parents told us not to do something when we were younger and we actually did it.
anyhow, I understand why she would be upset but she took it too far.
Such disrespect and distain for ALL women being expressed here under the heading of “it was a joke” and “I hate her anyway!” etc. etc.
NO ONE deserves this. If you feel Letterman’s behavior is harmless or appropriate or even funny, it’s just a sign of how far the lowest common denominator has sunk. And Letterman knows just how to exploit you.
I forgot how unbiased, and well informed everyone on this site is…
But that’s good. I’m glad you all feel a sense of community here on the internet.
mE, the level of discourse is indeed circling the drain. Catch any of Palin’s campaigning? And that wasn’t late night t.v. comedy.
Ha, looks like one person with a rotation of usernames is all sad n stuff because we don’t like Palin. And mae, while we’re all enjoying our “sense of community”, you’re enjoying your false sense of superiority. Is it fun to pretend to be morally superior on the Internet? I’m asking ccoops and mE too. It always happens. People stand back and watch to see which way the thread will go, then come in to state the opposing idea and act like they’re God’s gift for doing so.
And as a feminist, I really detest seeing the “Do you think women should be talked about like this? then you’re disgusting!” bullshit. What, like men aren’t routinely made fun of in extremely disrespectful ways? It goes both ways. Letterman is a comedian. its what he does. If you *choose* to believe he was talking about an underage girl, that’s your problem. But seriously, please, spare me the chivalry of “how dare you talk about women like that!”. We can handle ourselves. Special treatment gets us nowhere.
I don’t have time to slice up and quantify my prior statements because I have family matters to attend to right now; it’s simply what I think. And I’m a Letterman fan.
I call double standard BS.
Think about this:
Are some of ya’ll actually saying that calling female black basketball players “nappy headed ho’s” is ZOMG YOU’RE FIRED DON IMUS! …
But it’s perfectly okay to call a white underaged teenager a rape victim and make sex jokes. Think he’d think it was so funny if it was HIS daughter? I doubt it. It was way over the line and disrespectful as hell. It made zero difference which teenager he was making f*ck jokes about, that’s ridiculous.
God forbid they treat everybody the same … it’s all gotta turn into a nasty political spat. What he said, joke or no, offended me as a woman.
What I don’t like about politics is that it gives immature bozos a soapbox to irritate everybody else. It brings out the bad in people and it’s not pretty.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Equanimity for all.
As a woman I’m annoyed by this whole “oh it’s disrespectful to all women”. I saw it as a pointed joke towards the older daughter who was knocked up and also the fact that A-Rod seems to hook up with anything that walks past him. What’s funny is I haven’t heard anyone mention the joke being disrespectful of A-rod. I don’t have an issue with him apologizing to Sarah’s daughter. I do have a problem with grandstanding and carrying it on. Now I see reverse racism being thrown into the mix throwing in the “nappy headed ho” incident…please people get a grip.
Oh wait a minute! I thought is was ok for teens to have sex since they were “going to it anyway, they should practice safe sex”, the minute a conservative gets cuaght, she’s a slut!What happened to the tolerant liberals who did’nt judge? Like Letterman, who’s own baby mama he did’nt marry until 2 days ago(he’s 62,I guess he’s ready to make the leap) what a poor excuse for a man he is.Liberals are the most hypocritical people on earth! They are wimpmy.spineless and hatefilled!
The older daughter was knocked up by a boy her age…not a grown man taking advantage of a teenage girl.
BIG difference.
And any of you who were virgins at 18 can call Bristol a slut who deserves sex jokes thrown at her. The rest of you need to get on your knees in gratitude for all those condoms that didn’t break.
Anyone who doesn’t “get” why his joke is offensive doesn’t have daughters.
If it was my daughter was talked about in that offensive manner you bet I would be defending her the same way as Sara has done with her daughters, for the rest of you that think “that she should get over it” are a bunch of morons.
Aspen! Amen a thousand times sister, AMEN!
“if sarah’s so compassionate about rape victims then why are women in wasila still being charged for their own rape kits?”
************************************************
WTF?! Are you shitting me?! They actually charge rape victims for their rape kits? That’s almost like raping them all over again. Where the hell is the compassion for the victim? It’s not like they asked to get raped.
Dear God, to think this woman could have been vice president. Scary doesn’t begin to describe it.
@gg: There was no rape joke. I don’t understand where people are getting that from. Getting “knocked up at Yankee Stadium,” in no way indicates rape. I’ve heard the jokes he made and NONE of them have ANY rape subtext.
The subtext they DO have is that both A-Rod and Bristol are irresponsible in their sexual practices and guess what? They are.
@Aspen: I never put myself in a position to be a teenage mother. If anything the people who did have sex when they were that age would understand the joke even more because teens are usually ridiculously promiscuous, being that sex is so new and all.
The joke wasn’t particularly funny, no, but Dave Letterman doesn’t appeal to me, frankly.
However, anyone who has two braincells to rub together would deduce that the joke was about A-Rod and Bristol being irresponsible, not about A-Rod raping a 14 year old.
My question is: If your thoughts went straight to that horrible deduction, what the heck is wrong with you when that is the first thing you think of?
I like letterman, I don’t like Sarah. But in this case, gotta agree with Sarah. Although I don’t think jokes contribute to rape, when you start joking about things like that, it becomes less of a serious issue in people’s minds. I think its disgusting to joke about rape, it’s a subject too sensitive.
Letterman’s joke was in bad taste, whether he meant Bristol or Willow. I like how the palins have stood up for their daughter, my parents wouldn’t do that for me I am sure.
And no, Ron, just cos they’re in the public eye doesn’t mean they deserve this. Most of the things famous people have to put up with, nobody deserves.
I mean- attention wh*res are annoying yes, but they are not murderers or rapists. They don’t deserve to be treated like crud.
mE, here here.
@Original Kate, try looking up the facts before spewing BS.
In a statement, Jill Hazelbaker, communications director for Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign, said that “to imply that Gov. Palin is or has ever been an advocate of charging victims for evidence gathering kits is an utter distortion of reality.
As her record shows, Gov. Palin is committed to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice,” Hazelbaker said. “She does not, nor has she ever believed that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence gathering test.”
‘..CNN does reveal that there are no records and no proof that Palin ever even knew about this charging the victim policy. CNN also finally mentions that Wasilla wasn’t the only town in Alaska that had this policy.
As governor, Palin approved a funding increase for domestic violence shelters — $266,200 over two years. And she reauthorized a Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault”.
Educate yourself, check different sources. Chicamorena is a great example of how gullible some people are. She/he would believe a comment on a gossip blog as truth without a link or quote to back it up? Can any of you think for yourselves instead of re-frying spin again and again?
I remember all of the candidates;
Palin, Biden, Obama & McCain parading their children in front of the world equally. Every one of them. To deny this fact is ignorance.
@Hashbrowns, Imus’ comment was disgustingly racist Letterman’s was disgustingly sexist.
Sex with a 14 year old is statutory rape. Under the age of consent.
Letterman was referring to Palin at a baseball game. She attended that game with her 14 year old daughter. Plain and simple. Dave screwed up by not checking his facts. His jokes are written before the show, not off the cuff.
Sauronsarmy, your hateful comment should have been deleted. It is disgusting.
I hope Dave goes down the ratings tube with his station partner Katie.
Annie: Liberals do tend to pounce when a conservative is “caught” doing the opposite of what they preach. In other words- being hypocritical. This is a reaction to being told by conservatives that those of us who do not agree with them are immoral, sin-filled, going to hell forever, and on and on. So if you’re looking for a group to paint as hypocritical, look no further than “christian conservatives”. This has nothing to do w/ the Palin joke however. As I recall, this joke had nothing to do with rape or sluttiness. By the way, why isn’t A-rod crying a river over it? All this brouhaha just makes it much worse for the Palins. If I were Bristol, I’d be cringing and hoping for a quick end to this overreaction.
Trillion, I am an atheist and am pro choice. Your comment about looking no further than Christian Conservatives at being hypocritical can also be said for Christians that believe in abortion.
Isn’t that also hypocritical?
Look no further than Nancy Pelosi who is a Roman Catholic and pro choice.
btw, the ‘sluttiness’ came from Dave’s top 10 list, it included Palin dressing like a ‘slutty’ Flight Attendant.
i get what she’s saying but i think she worded it wrong when she says it’s not okay to talk about rape. rape should be talked about – not joked about. big diff.
Is Sarah Palin running off her mouth and jumping on any opportunity to make herself relevant, again? Her ego is insatiable! And her underwhelming ability to manipulate the media into furthering her own agenda is . . . cute in a pathetic sort of way?
Oh Sarah, I know it’s my birthday – but you didn’t have to give me a present! Your constant failure is present, enough.
However, anyone who has two braincells to rub together would deduce that the joke was about A-Rod and Bristol being irresponsible, not about A-Rod raping a 14 year old.
My question is: If your thoughts went straight to that horrible deduction, what the heck is wrong with you when that is the first thing you think of?
++++++++++
I’ll co-sign that.
@ daisy 424: it was all over the news during the campaign that wasila charged women for their rape kits. since you are so fond of citing sources, here’s one for you, from palin;s own homestate newspaper, the Frontiersman:
“While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests.”
so this was long-standing policy, instituted before palin took office in wasilla. i’m sure when she got in she appointed people who would overturn this policy. except no, she didn’t. after taking office, Palin fired the police chief,(which made her a subject of a recall effort) and replaced him with her pal, charlie fannon. fannon’s view of paying to solve rape cases? again, from the Frontiersman:
“Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon does not agree with the new legislation, saying the law will require the city and communities to come up with more funds to cover the costs of the forensic exams.”
so from 1996, when palin took office to 2000 – Palin didn’t seem to have a problem with charging rape victims to solve their own crime.
~
Gov. Palin announced over the weekend that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months pregnant. And you thought John Edwards was in trouble before! Now he has really done it. — “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” 9/2/08
Sarah Palin is going to drop the first puck at the Philadelphia Flyers hockey game. Then Palin will spend the rest of the game trying to keep the hockey players out of her daughter’s penalty box.”
Conan O”Brien
Let me do a gut check here folks:
Barack Obama says marriage should be between a man and a woman…..and he gets elected president. Carrie Prejean says it, and she’s not worthy of being Miss California.
The Obama kids are “off limits” when it goes to media scrutiny. But yeah, its OK for Letterman and others to totally trash talk 2 teenage Palin girls.
What a bunch of hypocrites there are around.
Liberals stink up the joint, no doubt.
Bobby, I was just about to paste these here! Daisy: Well, we’ve strayed from the topic, but I’ve got no problem with that in this case. I think we’ve heard about everything now about the “joke” reactions! Pelosi gets ZERO love from me, but not cuz she’s a pro-choice Roman Catholic. (I’ll save it for a Pelosi story!) I guess since abortion is not in the bible, and people have different ideas about when a zygote or an embryo or a fetus is a full-fledged person, being pro-choice is not necessarily anti-Christian. I don’t have to wrestle with that problem, fortunately! The Slutty Flight Attendant joke was not part of the Bristol joke. I certainly hope SP could at least take that one in stride. I mean, that was pretty on you gotta admit… I thought she was supposed to be some kinda “non-P.C.” toughie!
Actually, Ms. Palin, Obama, pointing out that he was born to a young, unwed mother, told the press that Bristol Palin was off limits.
“This shouldn’t be part of our politics,” he continued, “It has no relevance to Gov. Palin’s performance as governor, or her potential performance as a vice president.
“And so I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories,” he said. “You know my mother had me when she was 18, and how a family deals with issues and, you know, teenage children, that shouldn’t be the topic of our politics and I hope that anybody who is supporting me understands that’s off limits.”
14 or 18, its bad to refer to other humans in such an objectifying and demeaning way.
Two wrongs dont make a right- so no matter what either of the kids do/have done, somebody needs to step up and take the higher road, rather than think that because someone else acted poorly (hypocritical about abstinence), somehow they are better for acting poorly themselves (making a bad joke). There is the point of Palins behavior, too, but prolly the same premise applies.
Wrong never solves by wrong anyway. It just feeds the fire, and then we have this mess that we see today as a result.
It really annoys me that it’s a socially acceptable norm to be a sexually active teenager, unless you get pregnant. That’s sooo not cool. Don’t you know?
Why does it make Bristol Palin any “trashier” than most teenagers I know who boast about the sex they had over the weekend or whatever? Because there were consequences?
Sorry, but I’m with the Palins. All of you who have been sexually active since their teens who criticize Sarah Palin as a parent…I guess had you faced the same consequences, your parents would have failed to raise you correctly as well, right?
And I’m also not one of those people who begrudge young or single mothers. My mother was the same age as I was whenever she got pregnant with me, and she was raised in a fairly strong Roman Catholic, pro-life upbringing.
My grandparents were initially frustrated with my mother’s pregnancy because in that household it was encouraged to abstain from having sex until marriage, but my they provided her with unconditional support, love, and valuable aspect about being a spiritual or religious person: not making any judgments.
Meanwhile, other teenagers were going to parties and getting drunk or high, but my mother was at home cautiously nursing me. When she gave birth to me, she made a lot of sacrifices being young. I’m sure the lifestyle of her friends were tempting, but she ignored the urge to participate in these activities. Living at home with her parents, she could’ve just left with her parents while she went out all night, but she refused it. My mother actually took care of me and raised me. She had my sister when she was 19, same deal.
The man who impregnated my mother is a deadbeat and has not been involved in most of my life. I don’t even remember him. My sister and I were raised with a single mother up until we were six years old when my mom married my dad, and he’s the one I choose to acknowledge as my father. Even though we were still young when my mother married my father, raising two young children simultaneously is difficult.
Between my sisters and I, two of us were born outside of wedlock. My baby sister, now 15, has turned out to be stable and intelligent, which is expected of married mothers in their twenties. On the contrary, according to a shocking many of you, my sister and I were expected to be hot messes because my mother got pregnant at 18 by a man who left her. Well, I’d hate to disappoint, but all of us were successful throughout school, we stay out of trouble with the law, we’re behaved, and we’re…overall…kind and generous people who get on well with their family.
I believe that young and single mothers are fully capable of raising their children correctly, and Bristol Palin may be no exception…and if anyone in the situation deserves the blame more than anyone else, it’s Bristol Palin’s skeevy ex boyfriend who disappeared and presumed to turn around and call her family “white trash”? Are you kidding me?
No-one ever blames the father of the child. Ever. Where are the jokes about this son of a gun?
And as the daughter of a teenaged mother, David Letterman’s jokes about rape disgust me, but that’s fine, because I never found him particularly funny anyway.
I dont think too much it was a desire for attention, though as Matt initiated the discussion. She discuessed her gas line plans well and hesitated to discuess other topics. And its more like her motherly protection/outrage getting the better of her- which happens so easily to mothers. Imagine if your child were talked about crudely- youd easily flip and assume the worst because you fear your childs well being.
Maybe the better idea is that she should have passed on this and worked through the anger/hurt privately. Emotions arent always rational, by definition!
Sorry for yelling but let’s just reiterate here:
THERE WAS NOTHING ABOUT RAPE IN THAT JOKE.
If you’d like an example of a rape joke, google “john mccain rape joke”.
HOLD ON..this saintly woman allowed her underaged daughter to have sex in their home.!!! If this had not happened mjaybe I would be feeling a little sorry for her but I can’t. SHe exploited her underaged pregnant daughter, mAde it look like her and the childs father were together,and denied that she knew they were having sex when the kid was living there with her daughter, Palin is a liar and uses her kids that is why I did not vote for her. I am not a Letterman fan but that tasteless joke was about her older daughter and Palin knows it . I can see why the joke was made becasue of A Rod,
and the big pic expose of how pallins kid dropped the kids father and wont let him see it and took back up with her OLD boyfriend right after the kid was born. Maybe this guy needs to get a DNA test done to see if he is actually the father . I doubt very much if Bristol was virgin with this guy. I think this girl has been around a lot and people are afraid to say anythng about her being a tramp because her mother will ruinb their lives just like she did her former brother in law.
Maybe next time if the repubs give us someone to vote for besides a man that calls his wife vulgur names in public and a woman who has no morals and tries to put on a holier then thou side show, maybe they will get my vote. Her oldest kid will be pregant again very soon because she cannot just say NO,and isnt smart enough to use birth control just like her mother who was also knocked up before marriage.
This irrelevant loser said some horrible and unkind obvious lies about Obama…..she never apologized for that or was ever in fact sorry she said them. Time for this cow to go away and focus on how many defenceless animals she can kill from the comfort of her air conditioned helicopter.
to daisy42 #78…
You’re going to quote a campaign staffer as proof of your claim? REALLY?!
and no link to the CNN article?
maybe you should take your own advice about educating yourself.
“The Palin rape kit billing controversy has made its way from OfftheBus to CNN. In her story on the controversy, CNN’s Jessica Yellin claimed to have found no evidence in city records that Sarah Palin was aware that sexual assault victims were being billed for forensic testing. However, recently released budget documents show that Sarah Palin directly shifted the cost of the rape kits from the police department to the victims in her budget for fiscal year 2000.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-alperinsheriff/sarah-palin-instituted-ra_b_125833.html
yes, this is a Huffington Post editorial, but the author has backed up his words with links to various sources, including the Wasilla budget documents.
There’s also this, from CNN…
“Interviews and a review of records turned up no evidence that Palin knew that rape victims were being charged in her town. But Croft, the former state representative who sponsored the law changing the practice, says it seems unlikely Palin was not aware of the issue.
“I find it hard to believe that for six months a small town, a police chief, would lead the fight against a statewide piece of legislation receiving unanimous support and the mayor not know about it,” Croft said.”
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/21/palin.rape.exams/?iref=hpmostpop
Your words…
“Educate yourself, check different sources. Chicamorena is a great example of how gullible some people are. She/he would believe a comment on a gossip blog as truth without a link or quote to back it up?”
Funny, a quote from a campaign staffer (laughable as an unbiased source), and NO link? wow, you’re 0 for 2.
Yeah, they all parade their children in front of the cameras, but Palin was the only one who had a pregnant teen while at the same time advocating abstinence.
To Dirty Martini at post #86:
“Barack Obama says marriage should be between a man and a woman…..and he gets elected president. Carrie Prejean says it, and she’s not worthy of being Miss California.”
well, since it bears repeating here, Ms. Prejean was NOT FIRED FOR HER STANCE ON GAY MARRIAGE. I don’t agree with her stance, but that’s not why she was fired. in fact, Trump allowed her to keep her position after that whole controversy. she’s being fired for not fulfilling her contract as Miss CA. and that’s all well documented.
she’s just getting a lot of press because of the previous controversy. I’m sure she’s not the first beauty queen to be fired for not holding to her contract. She’s just the first one to get so much press about it, and she’s going to use that press in her quest to continue to play at being the victim of the “liberal” media.
Also, I posted this on another thread, but here it is again, just for you.
to the people who say that she has the exact same stance as President Obama…no, not exactly.
“Although Barack Obama has said that he supports civil unions, he is against gay marriage. In an interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune, Obama said, “I’m a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.”
Barack Obama did vote against a Federal Marriage Amendment and opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.
He said he would support civil unions between gay and lesbian couples, as well as letting individual states determine if marriage between gay and lesbian couples should be legalized.
From the White House Web site: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.”
taken from
http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/lesbianactivism/p/BarackObama.htm
so, while he may not support gay “marriage” as defined by religious standards, he DOES support it by civil standards. and he wouldn’t interfere with states that want to legalize it as he understands that not everyone subscribes to the same religious morals/beliefs as he does.
I don’t think that this mirrors Ms. Prejean’s stance, but if someone has information that her stance is EXACTLY the same as our POTUS, then by all means, please post it.
@ dirty martini: “Barack Obama says marriage should be between a man and a woman…..and he gets elected president.”
which politician was pro-gay marriage? oh, that’s right – none of them. mc cain isn’t pro gay marraige either, so regardless of who won the race the outcome would be the same. and according to pagent officials, carrie prejean lost her crown because she missed too many public appearances, not because of her gay marriage stand, which is moot anyway. who cares what she thinks? she doesn’t make public policy. yours is straw man argument with no logic behind it.
why’d my post show up with a different name?
“THERE WAS NOTHING ABOUT RAPE IN THAT JOKE.”
My mistake. Instead, David Letterman implied that since Bristol Palin is a single teenaged mother that she’s promiscuous, hence the screwing around with A-Rod.
Unless part of the story suggested that Bristol Palin and A-Rod were having a romantic affair of sorts, I missed the connection between going to a New York Yankees game and having sex with a baseball player beside from the assumption that she’s “loose”.
I’m sick of people dragging Sarah Palin’s political affiliations into the discussion. Yeah, she mentioned being pro-life and encouraging the idea of abstinence until marriage…but I’m sure NONE of you broke your parents’ rules.
I’m sure none of you have ever gone against your family’s moral teachings intentionally. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think some of you were the strongest, most innocent people whoever graced the face of this planet. You never disobeyed your parents? You never disappointed their expectations of you as you were raised? Yeah freaking right.
Just because Bristol Palin got pregnant doesn’t make her mother a hypocrite. I’m not so much of a political person, but I fail to see how this contradicts Sarah Palin’s stance on premarital sex. Some of the people in my life such as close friends or family members have done things I also found disagreeable, but does that imply that I instantly condone what that person has done? No.
I’m sure that Sarah Palin didn’t like that her daughter had premarital sex, but the important thing is that she forgave her, supported her, and did not judge her for her mistake. Like I said, acceptance is probably one of the most valuable aspects of being a spiritual person.
Like most moms, she wasn’t cool with her daughter basically being called a whore. I don’t really see how this is considered “exploiting” your children to the media. Minus the hype over Bristol Palin having premarital sex and becoming pregnant belonging to a pro-abstinence upbringing, Bristol Palin is no more involved in the media than are the Obama daughters or Chelsea Clinton.
I like to consider myself a fair person and for the most part I disregard the “liberal media” conspiracy theories, but in this case, I think people need to get off their soapbox over Sarah Palin’s conservative beliefs and acknowledge the comment for what it was…tacky.
~
Look, A-Rod has been slinging his wang around for awhile now. The joke was as much about him as anyone.
Everyone, including Letterman agrees the joke was tacky, in bad taste, etc.
Have you ever met anyone who is not a hypocrite in one way or another?
And bear in mind, Sarah Palin is not the first public figure to go through something like this. Why all the fuss? Her supporters claim she is a victim of her integrity and beliefs.
But actually, it’s because she has been ramming this stuff in our faces through the media for months.
And you’re telling us to get off our soapbox?
Being rather thin in the policy department, she doesn’t have a lot else to go on about, yet politically needs to remain in the public eye.
If Palin and her supporters feel this is out of bounds as a private matter, she should have kept the issues themselves private, very private in the first place. Just as other public figures usually do and therefore we get little in the way of cracks about it.
Sarah wants to have her cake and eat it too. And politics is one of the few places where you can do that. But you can only do it for so long.
I guess a lot of people here decided it was okay to have their 5 minutes of free speech but apparently David Letterman or Sarah Palin shouldn’t be afforded the same opportunity according to some of you.
Give me an efn break.
Personally I think the entire Palin family should just go back to Alaska and stay there. She annoys the piss out of me.
Team Dave. And I hope he takes another 5 minutes on his show today to speak his mind about it and rips her a new one.
What I don’t get is that her other daughter, Bristol, did willingly commit statutory rape (was she not doing sexy times before 18 with someone who was 18? I believe that’s the definition.). So I would think the exposure surrounding that incident promotes/makes acceptance of statutory rape more than letterman’s warnings did.
Ok, say what you want about Sarah Palin, but WHO started this media stupidity? David Letterman! He started this bashing to increase his ratings and idiots blame it on Sarah Palin.
I love watching idiots drink their media kool-aid! Drink up IDIOTS!!!!!
~
The media stupidity was actually started by Palin and is continued by Palin.
If she just ignored it in the first place no one except some Letterman viewers would even remember it.
Worse things have been said about her by better people.
Her supporters can’t accept it but she’s in it for the publicity.
If not then where is her outrage toward all the other crappy and inappropriate things that have been said about her and her family?
Even her so-called loyal fans won’t pick up the fight
Why is that?
“Have you ever met anyone who is not a hypocrite in one way or another?”
Uh, no.
But usually people try to do the right thing and try NOT to be hypocritical instead of excusing the hypocrisy as it’s coming out of their mouths.
Usually when people realize they’re being hypocrites, they avoid approaching it that way. But that’s OK, because everybody does it…as long as you’re not a pro-abstinent politician with a daughter who got pregnant out of wedlock. Then it’s OK to drill on how much of a hypocrite she is.
“And bear in mind, Sarah Palin is not the first public figure to go through something like this. Why all the fuss? Her supporters claim she is a victim of her integrity and beliefs.”
And I think it’s a load of bullcrap for anyone who has to go through something like that. Just because I’m defending Sarah Palin on just this ONE issue, doesn’t mean that I don’t sympathize for anyone else who had to deal with the same kind of scrutiny or having things being said about their family.
Had David Letterman directed his joke at Sarah Palin rather than her daughter who is only “guilty by association”, it wouldn’t have been so low of him to sink to that level, but he so did cross that line, so that makes him a tool and an unfunny one at that.
Nothing like jumping the “politically incorrect” bandwagon to attract a younger and edgier audience. Because in my opinion, that’s what it seems like he’s trying to do. To be honest.
@ Judy, claiming that the Palins allowed their daughter to have sex in their home is ridiculous.
I can see it now; Hey Mom Levi & I are going in my room to F*** now.
Teenagers will have sex anywhere if they are determined to do it, they will always find a way.
@Kate, I am fond of the facts, not innuendo. Your comment sounds as if that’s a bad thing. But kudos to you for doing research.
I saw The Frontiersman’s article and thought it was too biased. They were behind the Dem. Mayor that Palin ran against and won, why I used CNN.
“The Frontiersman ran blistering editorials, condemning Palin’s philosophy “that either we are with her or against her.” Seattle Times.
You’re right that the Police Chief was fired. As Mayor it was her right to surround herself with cooperative people who have the same mindset, like Pres. Obama did when he took office. The people of Wasilla wanted ‘change’.
She was re-elected for another term, so the citizens of Wasilla must have liked the job she was doing.
But since you opened the door of other sources here is another link to clarify in more detail about the rape test kit controversy;
http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=ODA1YWM5ZjM2ZTU5ODliZTY2NTczMGUwZWYwNTVlMTQ=
I doubt anyone will click on it, but here is something I found fascinating in that article;
“In recent days, some conservative bloggers have noted the strange coincidence of the same anti-Palin smears showing up on liberal blogs at the same time, suggesting some sort of coordination — and have wondered if it reflected the work of a p.r. firm connected to Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod. On Monday, a p.r. executive who has worked with Democratic campaigns in the past admitted he had created videos that included false charges against Palin, but claimed the Obama campaign had no official or unofficial role in the creation of the video”.
I want to thank you for responding Kate.
@HUH?, Nice try, Chastising me for posting Palin’s reply and then using HuffPo as a non biased source is a laughable contradiction. If it had been a response from Gibbs, that would have been golden to you I’m sure.
I was not posting actual links but wrote them out with how to search, did you read my entire comment?
Every time I list an actual link on this site, my comments go into Mod Limbo, which this one did, but I saved it. This/my comment was deleted on the 14th.
HuffPo is farther left of center, why, I didn’t list it.
Your last quip in your comment imo, clearly shows that you don’t have teenage daughters.
I stand by my comment 100%.
Now Dave has seen the error of his “joke”, even he gets it.
btw, I will not recognize your future comments/attacks steered towards me until you grow a set and sign up for a Gravatar. I suspect I know who you really are.
@ daisy: are you kidding me? you are presented with a half dozen sources from various posters and that’s not enough? yet you initially used a comment from mc cain’s camp as your source…yeah, that’s unbiased. also, to imply that palin didn’t know that women were being charged for their rape kits is ludicrous…she must have been the only person in wasilla who didn’t know. i also read articles in newsweek, usa today, washington post, etc. about the rape kits, but i thought it interesting that an alaskan newspaper was reporting on it. if they knew, why didn’t she? yes, unfortunately other places also charge for rape kits,(a topic that infuriates me but i’m not going there) but we’re not talking about other places, we are talking about the town that palin was mayor of for 6 years. and now that she is governor of the entire state, what has she done about it? or does she still not know? also, levi johnson was living with the palins when bristol became pregnant, so any parent with more than two brain cells could guess what was going on under their roof. but you are right to assert that teenagers will always find a way to have sex – maybe that’s why abstinence only education doesn’t work. everyone knows that, right? oh, again: except sarah. poor sarah – seems like she is always the last to know everything.
I find it interesting that people criticize the NHL for not being able to look after their own. Sean Avery gets suspended for a tasteless, sexist comment. Perhaps Letterman should get a week off without pay for his asinine joke.
To be fair, there are many people on BOTH sides of the aisle who have made horribly tasteless ‘jokes’, calling the Clintons daughter ‘the White House Dog’ when she was only 13 is but one example, and lord knows the Bush twins were the butt of many jokes and headlines. But let’s please be honest here, put politics aside for a moment… Does anyone actually think, after seeing/hearing his (albeit crappy) jokes that David Letterman was actually suggesting that Gov Palins 14 year old child should be raped and thus he shouldn’t be ‘trusted’ around children as Gov Palin suggested???
She also claimed she wouldn’t want Willow to be around Letterman, implying that he might hit on her.
That’s not what Sarah “implied”.
But let me put it to you from a commonsense viewpoint: If a man made a “joke” about my daughter being “knocked up” during a baseball game, I would not want any of my family members near him.
If a man made a joke about me or any women looking like “slutty stewardesses”, I would not want any of my family members near him.
Pretty basic, imho.
btw I think John Ziegler had the best remedy for this whole thing: Letterman should donate a week of his pay to the charity of Sarah’s choice.
That would be more like a real apology and benefit everyone all the way around.
to Daisy – you “know who I really am”? (cue scary music) I’m so afwaid! as I stated, one of my posts wound up under a different (and incorrect) name. ???
so, whoever you may think I am, you’re probably wrong. that being said…
clearly, you didn’t read the whole post…or you chose to ignore the part where I said that I ACKNOWLEDGE that HuffPo is slanted, but that the writer has linked to various UNbiased, factual news stories that support (or prove) what he’s saying. Including the Wasilla budget documents. if you choose to put your head in the sand and not admit when you’re wrong, I can’t help you.
and no, a response from ANY campaign staffer is not from a legitimate, unbiased source. Whether it was a quote from a dem campaign staffer about Obama or from a repub staffer about Palin, you can’t take anything they say as the complete truth. so, um…try again?
and no, I don’t have teenage daughters, but I don’t see how that is at all relevant to this issue.
That’s really quite practical for what I’m glimpse at now, thanks a bunch.