See What Happens When the Celebutards Go M.I.A.?

All I've got is the ridunkulous feud between David Letterman and Sarah Palin.

I'm sure you've all heard by now that Letterman used Palin's recent trip to NYC as an opportunity to make some off-color jokes about her daughter, Bristol. Or at least he thought they were about Bristol. Turns out that Palin's 14-year-old daughter, Willow (where in the eff does she come up with these names?), was the one who accompanied her mother to New York. So, Palin assumed that Letterman was actually making jokes about her younger daughter being hit on by Elliot Spitzer and getting knocked up by A-Rod.

I assumed that most normal people would think:
1. The first joke was more of a dig at Elliot Spitzer than anyone.
2. The second one was a nod to A-Rod's philandering ways, as well as a reminder that Bristol is, in fact, a teenage mom.
3. Neither of these jokes had anything to do with the 14-year-old because, not only is that gross, but it also doesn't make any sense.

I either assumed wrong, or Sarah Palin is not a normal person. She and her supporters are calling for Letterman's head, and Palin suddenly thinks she's heading up NOW.

Sure, it may be in poor taste to make sexual jokes about a young girl, even an 18-year-old, but I doubt there would have been such an uproar had the joke been made about, say, Jamie Lynn Spears. And I'm sure there have been worse jokes made about her...possibly even on this very blog.

As far as the politicians' rally cry of "Don't pick on my family," if they're of age and in the public eye, they're fair game for comedians, talk show hosts, gossip rags, and bloggers. That's just the way it goes. Palin complained to Matt Lauer on Today that Obama's family was never picked on (would that have made her feel better?), but his girls are 8 and 11. They haven't done anything yet that's worth ridiculing! And, come on, it's not like this is something brand new. The Bush girls were constantly skewered on late night TV as hard-partying airheads, and the media made some pretty brutal attacks on Chelsea Clinton's looks.

Sure, Letterman's poorly-researched jokes may have been low blows, but Palin's eagerness to pounce on him and go so far as to suggest that he's a pedophile (or at least a pervert) who condones child rape is even lower. She refused to accept Letterman's explanation that the comments were about Bristol, telling Lauer, "You and anybody else are extremely naive to believe that very convenient excuse." So, it's naive to believe Letterman's totally logical assertion that the joke about one of Palin's daughters getting knocked up was meant for the one who actually did get knocked up, but it makes perfect sense to jump to the conclusion that David Letterman is a pervy old man who thinks raping young girls is hilarious?? Interesting.

At first, Letterman didn't seem to think an apology was in order, but he finally caved tonight. I doubt that will stop the "Fire David Letterman" rally set for tomorrow afternoon, though. It's kind of hard to stop a shitstorm already in progress.

I don't know, I can see Palin's side in that if I had a daughter, I would want to defend her if someone was saying rude things about her. But there were probably a million ways she could have responded to the jokes, all of which would have been better than the way she did.

What do you guys think? If you aren't up to speed on all of this madness, check out these vids:

Letterman explains his jokes
Palin responds on Today

Comments

Anonymous said…
Letterman screwed up. He should have re-phrased the jokes to poke more fun at the celebrities than the kids. The A-Rod one was the worst. And he did it two nights in a row, bad form in comedy. One night would have been enough. His apology sucked too. He just kept screwing up.
God said…
Sarah Palin is just grabbing at the strings of fame any way she can. She's the one exploiting her own daughters if you think about it.

You didn't hear her campaigning her ass off against Jaimie-Lynn-Bobby-Joe-Sue Spears jokes either.

I think Letterman should get her on the show to make herself look even more stupid.
Cora said…
What God said!
Palin is working this one to the last n-th for her own benefit.

I agree that the joke was certainly a low blow and that the mother daggers needed to come out, but by creating this intense media bru-ha it would seem she is trying to knock Kate Gosslein off every tabliod cover in favor of her most righetous self.
Yeah, the A-Rod one was unfortunate, but anyone who thinks Letterman would seriously make a joke about teen rape is an idiot. Palin and her handlers are milking this for all it's worth.
Unknown said…
I was astonished when I found out that Palin thought the jokes were about Willow (The Palin's must be Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans) and not about Bristol (and NASCAR fans as well). I also feel that Palin is playing this for everything it's worth and more. I don't know why she just didn't tuck her tail between her legs and hide out in Alaska for a few years after the election. If she every does gain national office, I will move to Canada or Mexico...QUICKLY!
Shelly said…
I thought the whole thing was stupid. OF COURSE the jokes were intended to be about the 18-yr-old, that's the only way it makes sense. And the jokes are about both Palin's daughter AND the "celeb" in question (A Rod and Spitzer). They aren't great jokes, but they aren't insinuations that her 14-yr-old should be taken out and raped.
Billy Bob said…
What I keep thinking to myself is, Doesn't this woman have an entire state to manage? It seems like she spends less time in Juneau than most migratory birds.

And if Bristol allows herself to waffle back and forth in interviews and as the "public spokesperson" for abstinance after previously stating that abstinance was unrealistic, then she's officially fair game for public ridicule.

Lots of comedians tell jokes that are in poor taste or not funny. Nothing new there. The annoying part is the idiots on the other side of the joke wasting our lives by whining about it.
Cormac Brown said…
I think Sarah Palin should drink a bottle of water in front of Letterman, have an interview by Al Roker turn into an ambush and then dump Doug Reinhardt. Oops, sorry, I can't tell my celebutards apart anymore. Is it football season yet? Have the networks keep the Speidi and give us football!
Cormac Brown said…
BTW, what God said and I have to recuse myself, since I'm a die-hard Letterman fan and am anything but a fan of Sarah Palin.
Ricky Shambles said…
Not a fan of anyone's sanctimonious bullshit, least of all Palin. But she's got 2 more years of getting blood from a stone in order to keep the spotlight on her ("Hey, guys, it's not on me - point it HERE!"). I say keep it there. The least qualified to run the country will be our victory and our entertainment for 2012.
Gwen said…
I heard Russians are walking over into Alaska in droves while she's wasting time with this look-at-me silliness.
Soda and Candy said…
I heart David Letterman. Even more so after watching the YouTube.

To be honest with you I wouldn't have even considered those jokes terribly offensive regardless of which daughter, because they're more aimed at A-Rod and Spitzer anyway. And child sexualization is a HUGE issue in my opinion.

Plus I agree wholeheartedly with everything God said. Palin just wanted more attention, she's already whored out the teen mom daughter to the media - did you see Bristol on the Today show with her dad?
The only thing Letterman did wrong was tell a joke that wasn't funny. If it was funny, none of this would have happened.

No reasonable person could think that the joke was about Willow, and frankly I'm insulted that the Palin camp thinks they can try to convince us that this is the case. Disingenuously accusing someone of "endorsing child rape" is ten times worse than telling an unfunny joke about a teenager getting knocked up. This makes me angrier at her than anything that happened during the election. I'm glad his apology was specific and limited.

I'd rather Letterman be president.
Palin found a way to get back in the public eye...

nothing more
Red said…
Yeah. I don't understand how anyone took those jokes as insinuations of rape.

The Huffington Post (I know, I know) ran an interesting post about all the previous times late night hosts have slammed Bristol before this (even insinuating John Edwards knocked her up). The fact that Palin is focusing on Dave and this instance proves she's just an opportunist.
Anonymous said…
The woman's just grasping at any way back to the limelight now it's been stripped away again. She's an idiot. Anyone who takes stupid jokes seriously is an idiot. It's a big brouhaha about nothing, as usual. It was a JOKE. Funny for point two seconds then forgotten.

He shouldn't have apologized - he should've said "Suck it up you humourless wench!" and gotten on with things. Things like this are the reason the public ridiculed her in the first place. She's an ass who digs drama and fame. It's only ever been about HER. I'm so sick of hearing about her.
Alice said…
i refuse to care about anything involving her or her stupid family. i just cannot muster up enough interest to care.
J.J. in L.A. said…
Letterman's an ass. Him making a crass joke about an unwed mother is the pot calling the kettle black. His kid was how old before he bothered to marry the mom?

If you had a daughter, you'd defend her too, no matter how old she was.
I daresay it's a completely different situation when one unwed mother is a 17-year-old living with her parents and a woman in her 40s who's been cohabiting with the father in a committed relationship for several years.
BeckEye said…
Hi, J.J. - I think the problem I have with all of this is that Letterman is a comedian. He's not always funny, but he's paid to make jokes about people in the public eye. And the late night shows are expected to be a little more edgy and off-color. That's what people tune in for. A LOT of things have been said about Bristol, especially back when she became pregnant. It's just odd that Palin is jumping all over Letterman for this now. It seems like she immediately assumed that he was talking about her younger daughter, overreacted, and then didn't want to look foolish by saying that she overreacted so she refused to accept Letterman's explanation that he was talking about Bristol and continued to demonize him.

You're right, I would want to protect my daughter if someone made a remark like that about her, and I said as much. But I wouldn't accuse the person of condoning rape. Those aren't words you throw around lightly. Maybe I'd say he was getting old and forgot how to be funny. Or maybe I'd just say he was an asshole and call it a day. Painting the picture of a pervy old man who gets off on child rape is going WAY too far.
Tony Alva said…
The joke WAS funny, Dave is funny, the joke WAS in poor taste, Mommy Palin is right to be pissed, Dave's apology was appropriate and warranted, apology has been offered sincerely, apology needs to be accepted in sincerity, we all need to move on.
J.J. in L.A. said…
Yes, she over-reacted but he did it for shock value. I didn't hear the joke (don't watch him) but it seems to me that he could've avoided the confusion by using Bristol's name, which I assume he didn't do.

As for wordsx3's comment, an unwed mother is still an unwed mother. I don't care whether you're living with parents or your partner. If you don't step up immediately, you have no room to talk trash.
GetALife said…
Letterman was totally wrong and there is NO defense at all. He only "apoligized" because sponsors are pulling off CBS. Letterman is past his prime anyway and should just go away like you all claim the Governor should.
I guess that's one way for Palin to try to stay relevant. At least until moose hunting starts.
Ricky Shambles said…
GetALife should probably do so.

I believe I'm calling this debacle "sanctimonious bullshit," though I do not claim to speak for the commentators here or the blog itself.

Letterman goofed. Oops. Damage done, deal and turn the page.

If we focused our energies on something like feeding homeless children instead of trolling blogs, I bet many more kids would have a meal tonight.

Just a thought.
cube said…
I'm sick & tired of everyone taking offense at bad humor. In fact, I'm offended by all of this offense-taking.
JoeCommish said…
Too much trouble over a joke. Letterman tells jokes, Palin tries to get votes, that's their jobs. But I will say this, if Letterman or any other comedian made some type of off-color (no pun intended) remark about Barry-O or Michelle or one of the daughters, that person would "NEVER WORK IN THIS BUSINESS AGAIN". Barry said during the campaign "my family is off limits" and Johnny Mac honored that. Can't say the same for Barry-O because Sarah Palin and her family took a serious pounding there. And I don't wanna hear none of that "Barry was above it all, it was his underlings" boodgie-woodgie.

By the way Beck-EYE, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup!!!!!!!!!!

J-Fred