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 They say there's no such thing as bad publicity. Whether or not this is true, it certainly has been the case for Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and late-night talk show host David Letterman. First, a little background. Palin watched a Yankees game with her 14-year-old daughter last week. Letterman told a monologue joke about Alex Rodriguez "knocking up" Palin's daughter during the seventh inning stretch of that game. The Palins accused Letterman of making jokes about statutory rape. Letterman issued a half-apology, saying he regretted the joke, along with thousands he has told, and did not mean it that way. He then invited Palin to come on his show. Palin, from NBC's Today Show, said she would never help Letterman in the ratings. She also defended her spokesperson, who said Letterman can't be trusted around her 14-year-old daughter. Whew! Where do we start? How about with Dave. I think it is pretty clear that Letterman did not know which daughter Palin took to the Yankees game. It is obvious he thought she was there with Palin's other daughter, the 18-year-old who was famously "knocked up" while Palin was a vice-presidential nominee last year. So I absolve Dave as someone who supports statutory rape. He didn't mean it that way and Palin knows it. It is small of her to make comments that Letterman "can't be trusted" around 14-year-olds, which is just as petty as Letterman's joke. The part where I have to say Letterman is in the wrong is his apology. Whether or not you feel the joke was funny, it was clear it was in bad taste and Dave knew better after it came out Palin was with her 14-year-old daughter. Dave's apology should have been a real apology, instead of a half-hearted one. Maybe that would have put an end to the "feud." While no Sarah Palin fan, I will say that she had every right to be upset that Letterman would attack her family. She is a public figure and is ripe for the picking. Even her daughter Bristol has put herself in the public eye, so she can be mocked on late night gab fests like everyone. But Palin's 14-year-old should be off-limits, and who wouldn't be upset if someone insulted their family? I' not surprised by her response. On the flip side, Palin is not making the issue better by continuing to go on talk shows to discuss. She has raised the profile of Dave and that particular joke by bringing it up continuously. And insinuating Letterman cannot be trusted with children is just as low. She sunk to his level on that one. Funny enough, both are actually benefiting from the publicity. Letterman's ratings have spiked since the controversy made the rounds, beating Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show throughout most of the week. Palin, who clearly has national political aspirations, has been a regular face on cable news, discussing an issue her base eats up. My guess? Eventually Palin will go on late night television...on Conan's show. What do you think? Did Dave cross the line? Did Palin's response go too far? Has the pub benefited both? Let me know! |
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Posted by: Nannetta Location: rural Kansas
Letterman should not have crossed the line cracking jokes about Palin's minor children. I don't like either of them. Posted by: Mike Location: Topeka Give Dave a break - he is a comedian....Sarsh - if you can't stand the heat then get out of the kitchen; go to your front porch and look at Russia... Posted by: ooey Location: mush head alaska By the way, us females need to stick together. You idiots that keep bashing letterman, get over it. Face the fact that Palin is a educated idiot with on common sense. If you want her for president, please someone loan me the money to leave this country and move to canada. At least there we don't any Sarah Palin's. Posted by: whiteindian Location: topeka Here we go again. Sarah Palin has very little intelligence in her pea brain. Wake up america, quit failing for the smile and pretty face, and all of those you betchas. She's white trash, with money, (our money). She plans on running for office again just on her looks. Honestly, she's not that smart or knowledable about US and foreign affairs. She only knows what her advisors tell her. She can't control her own family, let alone, run a state and this country of ours. I say get rid of her now, so we can have a decent candidate in 2012. Posted by: sherry Location: north dave did what late nite tv does. palin has shown me that i was right about not taking her seriously as a candidate for national office. shes too much of a prima donna and makes issues of the wrong issues. a limited audience watches late nite tv and would never have known about the joke if she hadn't made it a big deal. well shucks, that's just the way she is. Posted by: Millie Location: Oklahoma Cant stand David Letterman.I didnt hear the joke but Sarah is right for defending her daughter. How many of his listeners would like their dirty laundered like thAT. Posted by: Cher Location: Alabama Letterman is says disgusting things, and everything sounds like leftist liberalism. Posted by: Marty Location: New York Where do we draw the line of being politically correct every single time. Whether is was a joke or not, don't we still have the freedom of speech. Maybe the writers of Harold and Kumar should be arrested for their skit of President Bush smoking weed. We need not give this bitter vice presidential loser anymore publicity. Over the years there have been many comedians who have said worse than what David said. Sarah, stop being Miss sensitive and get over it. I'm so glad she is not in office with her thin skin. Posted by: Mary Ann Location: Topeka I will never watch David Letterman again. He is a creep. I hope Sara Palin does not go on his show. Posted by: Matt Location: Deltona Florida totally classless and inappropriate "joke" (this was not off the cuff like Imus, but scripted and therefore diliberate) As for the Palin response... Entirely appropriate. In fact I thought she showed restraint. ANY mother who heard such derogatory remarks aimed at her children (14 or 18 or 80, it doesn't matter)would be screaming, fighting mad.. and rightly so. The fact that she is a public figure does not make her family fair game. You don't see anyone making derogatory "jokes" about the Obama children. Classless is classless and that is what Mr. Letterman should apologize for. Posted by: Betsy Location: Topeka Don't kid yourselves . . . Sarah is loving every minute of the controversy; it keeps her name in the spotlight. Remember 2012 isn't THAT far away. Anyone that has watched Dave over the years knows about his sense of humor. If Sarah wasn't smart enough to let "sleeping dogs lie" - then she isn't smart enough to be VP - something she has proved time and again by just opening her mouth. Of course, Dave was referring to the 18-year-old daughter who in my opinion has made herself a public figure so is fair game (i.e. target)to the late night talk shows. Although I seriously doubt the Letterman writers had any idea this particular joke was going to get as much publicity as it has, they're probably all raising the fists in the air saying, "YES!!!!!". Posted by: Jan Location: Topeka, Ks Palin is a pain in the neck. She paraded her PG daughter infront of the entire world. Now she is doing it again by having this unwed mother all over the air waves defending her situation. Dave is a comic, and people in the news are fair game to all comics. He never once said the word rape, or mention the girls name. He didn't even know which daughter was with her. He was simply making a joke because that's his job. She should go back to Alaska and try to do her job, and stop bringing her dirty laundry to us. I truly hope that by 2012 when she claims to want to run for President that she has created such a reputation for herself that she won't even consider running, or is she that smart, hummmmmm? I can't stand her and the lack of knowledge about our world. I don't even know how she can hold down her Govenorship. Posted by: Pam Location: Topeka I don't think a joke about anybody's daughter getting knocked up is very funny. People who do are sick. I do wish that Mrs. Palin would do her job as Governor of the Sate of Alaska and learn about thr world and try to come up with some ideas to help her state/people and when asked about world issues she would know how to answer them properly. Since she's gotten into so much trouble and controversy she needs to go govern and learn about the whole world in general. Posted by: mike Location: topeka Sarah dropped in to secretly pick up the clothes she had from the GOP convention, (nobody even knew she was in town) and of course before leaving NY, she had to be watching Letterman, he goofs up, she decides to make sure the cameras hear her side of the story, stay a little longer make sure people dont forget her, drag this nonsense out because Wasilla can run on its own w/o her there. Why is she even in NY? Do her constituents want her traveling this much? She is in the public eye and needs to quit. I felt Dave was joking about the older Palin. He made an apology, it was good enough. Lets move on. if I were Dave, how about a top ten list on SP? Posted by: Joe H Location: Florida I actually voted for Sarah Palin and I don't really watch talk shows but I do think that Sarah way over reacted. If Sarah goes on a late night show like Conan then she must not have enough to do. You're OK Dave but comedy is often risky business. Your type of comedy has kept America laughing for many years. A little "whoops ... Am I bad" should have been enough. Grow up Sarah... If you want to be really important some day, you will have to be tought than this..... Posted by: MW Location: Florida Yes, Letterman went to far. I see no humor in the comments he made. Remeber he too "knocked" up his then girlfriend and did not even marry her until recently. The comments about rape should never be treated as a "joke" regarless of a persons age. One issue no-one should attack is someone else's children. How would the media be reacting if the attack was on Obama's children??? For the person who said Palin would not win mother of the year....have you heard the word "jelousy". Sarah Palin has both beauty and brains!! She has a beautiful family. I wish she was our VP...can't say much for Biden.*******************BQ: I want to be fair here. If you know as Letterman said, he intended the joke to be about the 18-year-old daughter, it is a joke in poor taste. It was not a "rape" joke. Not even David Letterman would make a rape joke on a late night TV show. Posted by: Lynne Location: PA I am not sure what's entertaining about this situation. Whether Letterman knew which daughter was at the game is irrelevant, he is responsible for his comments from his show. This whole situation was caused by he or his writers taking aim at Sarah Palin to embarrass her, if he is capable I hope he is deeply embarrassed.*************BQ: I am just saying it falls under the "entertainment story" umbrella. These late night hosts take aim at all politicians, so I think Palin is fair game. Let's have a sense of humor here. Even the 18-year-old daughter has been speaking in the public eye. I think Dave should have just given a sincere apology and ended it there...but he didn't because he wants to milk it, and Palin is getting nice run on it as well. Posted by: Te Lum Location: Albuquerque You're hypocrisy tells me you're a liberal, no?******BQ: LOL, I don't fit myself into a square peg on either side. What hypocripsy would you be referring to? Posted by: mel Location: maryland Of course Letterman knew he was speaking about the Palins 14 year old daughter. It is asking way too much to have rational minds be snowed into thinking that with all of the writers, producers and editors who work on his every show and review his every joke that NO ONE realized that this was the younger of the daughters. This is simply a case of a pot shot taken at the opposition party that backfired. If Letterman was truly that sorry about it then he would never have aired those comments. Being that the show is recorded before a live audience but not aired live, he could have had the joke edited or removed before it ever hit the airwaves that night. Nice try but Letterman DESERVES every bit of criticism that he has coming to him. I can guarantee you that I would have defended my underage daughter just as vehemently as the Palins did.***********BQ: Love all the comments so far! I agree he could have edited the comments out, no doubt about it. Don't air the joke. But I would guess they heard a headline that Palin was at a Yankees game with her daughter, figured it was the more famous of the daughters and wrote the joke in about 10 seconds. I doubt they heavily research every joke...so I don't think they realized which daughter it was. Just my thought. Posted by: Joanna Location: Phoenix It was a joke...Palin is taking it too far...Dave did think she was talking about Bristol.. She thrive on bs. Posted by: frank Location: new york dave should call his wife a tramp, she looks like one Posted by: Jamie Location: MN Hey Sarah--GET OVER IT !!!!! Like her pregnant daughter wasnt enough to show us why she will never be mother of the year, now she is using this to exploit her other daughter.....Thank God you arent our VP--you cant even run your household. Dave will be with CBS until 2012--Long after everyone forgets your pathetic behavior Posted by: George Ateek Location: PA I think we have more important issues to worry about.*****BQ: Yes, you are right, but hey, it's entertainment! I can't blog about deadly serious issues all the time! |
