David Letterman’s jokes about Sarah and Bristol Palin aren’t far different from what a lot of comedians have been doing. When you parade your pregnant daughter and former fiancee around and then send her out on an abstinence tour, she is fair game. What is different is the misleading, slanderous reaction by Palin, her husband, and her subordinates.
The Palin reaction? From her Facebook page:
“Any ‘jokes’ about raping my 14-year-old are despicable. Alaskans know it and I believe the rest of the world knows it, too.”
- Todd Palin
“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.’”
- Governor Sarah Palin
To suggest David Letterman was making jokes about rape and pedophilia–that is the real outrage here. He has been on television for nearly 30 years and has never even come close to making a joke on that level. It is simply misleading, dishonest, and opportunistic to paint him in that light. It is perhaps the worst thing that can be said about a man.
To top it off, Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton said this morning, “The Palins have no intention of providing a ratings boost for David Letterman by appearing on his show. Plus, it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman.”
The suggestion that Letterman is some kind of danger to Willow Palin is so scurrilous it defies all explanation.
First of all, Willow Palin wasn’t even dragged into this until somebody from Palin’s side decided to throw her name out there. You think Willow would have ever heard her name mentioned had the Palin’s not decided to float this phony, opportunistic idea that Letterman was talking about her? This would have blown over. They are the ones responsible for putting her out there. They could have had a little bit of sympathy and gotten on with it. But instead they’ve decided to milk the outrage for all it’s worth, thus amplifying any potential damage that would supposedly have been done to Willow and Bristol.
It’s obvious Palin doesn’t really care about the joke: she cares about generating outrage and publicity.
The Palins owe Letterman an apology. He should fight like hell against this witchhunt. I doubt he really can, but I wish he would.
UPDATE: Palin’s lunacy continues, droning on about it all day on TV. Here is the right-wing take from Michelle Malkin, ignoring the fact that a) the jokes were funny as hell and b) every woman I know laughs harder at these jokes than the men. Palin represents the kind of beauty-queen feminism of pervy Conservatives that have elevated the likes of Coulter, Ingraham, and Malkin as their female public faces, while they lob their Chelsea Clinton, Janet Reno and Janet Napolitano jokes without a second thought. I guess it’s okay to make fun of less attractive women who are merely competent.
UPDATE 2: Will the right demand Rush Limbaugh issue a retro-apology for his treatment of Chelsea Clinton who, unlike Bristol Palin, was NOT thrust into the public eye? Limbaugh referred to Chelsea, who was 13 at the time, as the “White House dog.” This is far worse than what Letterman did, but no GOP outrage. Only when dear Sarah is involved to Republicans give half a rat’s ass about feminism.
UPDATE 3: Unfortunately, Letterman has issued a full-throated apology, even taking responsibility for the Palin’s laughably false interpretation of it. Best to get it out of the why, I guess, but I’m still disappointed she got away with this preening crap. Oh well.
UPDATE 4: A commenter below laments the “hate” she sees from left-wingers like me. I’ll admit I get a little bit rude sometimes, but nothing compared to some of the venom at the “Fire Dave” rally. Here’s a nice clip. Feel the right-wing love.
UPDATE 5: If Letterman must be fired, then so should Conan O’Brien. Here is a joke Conan made during the campaign:
Saturday night, 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.
Well, Bristol wasn’t even at this game. It was Willow and 7-year-old Piper, who Palin took out onto the ice. Was Conan knowingly joking about hockey players gang-raping a 7-year-old girl? By Palin’s logic, he was.
So should Conan be fired? Leno made this joke:
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.
Should they all be fired?
Here is Letterman’s response on June 10th: