Comments on: Sarah Palin Jokes About Willow While Rejecting Letterman Offer

By: Artie

Artie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:07:56 +0000

Now a joke about raping Piper, that would be worthy of the Howard Stern show.

By: Ron Chusid

Ron Chusid — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:40:05 +0000

Palin turned down the invitation (actually extended to Sarah and Todd) saying it wouldn’t be safe for Willow to be around Letterman. She shows that she didn’t understand the joke was about Bristol (or wants to pretend she it was about Willow for political gain) and she joked about Willow being raped. Did she think that Letterman was going to physically attack Willow while on the air? Does she think it is in good taste to tell a joke about her daughter getting raped?

By: ME

ME — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:18:33 +0000

What was the joke? Lol never got to hear it…

By: Ron Chusid

Ron Chusid — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:48:17 +0000

Nanci,

It is getting even harder to deny Sarah Palin’s blame here. This story could have died on Wedensday but Palin is still bringing up the bogus attacks on Letterman and misrepresenting what he said. She continues to drag Willow Palin through the mud for political gain when repeating the lie that Letterman told a joke about her.

By: Nanci

Nanci — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:11:29 +0000

Sarah Palin should blame only herself for the backlash and ridicule of her family. She was selfish enough to throw her hat in the ring for VP when she knew that her 17 year old daughter was pregnant. As the mother of daughters, wild horses could not have dragged me to run for office knowing that my pregnant teen would be plastered all over the media.
Bristol Palin did exactly the opposite of what her anal retentive conservative mother of hers preaches constantly.
Wake up, and face the fact that you can’t have it both ways. If you use your children for media attention, and you do not teach them right from wrong, don’t wonder why they become the object of cheap jokes. Sarah Palin is not educated or qualified enough to run her family correctly, which proves she could never hold a office that held any real power. She got elected in Alaska because Alaska is predominently men! MEN LOVE SARAH PALIN! Why not with her x- beauty queen status, hair and makeup, and tight little suits. Women with an education could never think for a minute that Sarah Palin is the leader or mother they would want to be. BTW, where is that poor downs syndrome son of hers while she is running around the country sucking up the media attention? I feel very sorry for those Palin children.

By: Ron Chusid

Ron Chusid — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:37:44 +0000

Lori,

I’m not sure I would consider this to be NOW’s finest hour. They certainly have a point that Letterman’s joke was sexist, as are many other late night jokes. With many potential choices to criticize I would have preferred that they not go with this example. They are largely reacting to the controversy created by the right wing smear campaign as opposed to Letterman’s actual jokes. While they are not saying the same thing as the right wing attacks, they give the appearance of giving them some credibility.

I also think that NOW is taking advantage of the noise created by the right wing smears in latching on to this issue. While there is validity to their criticism, it could be countreproductive to join up with the right wing when their agenda is so different from NOW’s.

By: clb72

clb72 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:49:41 +0000

Sarah is looking SOOOOO presidential. Can’t wait to not vote for her.

By: Dewey

Dewey — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:32:45 +0000

The joke was more offensive towards Rodriguez. Everybody knows that if a sports celebrity is going to rape one of the Palins, it would be Kobe Bryant.

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:19:13 +0000

This is all worth it now. Conservatives are quoting NOW as a legitimate source when normally whenever Now criticizes sexist comments from a conservative they just laugh it off saying that feminists have no sense of humor. Next time they do this we can show how they were willing to quote from NOW about Letterman. Unfortunately for them they don’t even understand that NOW’s complaints have nothing to do with their false claims about what Letterman said. I don’t see anyone disagreeing that what Letterman said was sexist or in poor taste.

By: Ron Chusid

Ron Chusid — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:52:57 +0000

They sure aren’t showing any signs of intelligence in their handling of this one.

By: Sarah (not that one)

Sarah (not that one) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:49:51 +0000

If they had intelligence would they still be backing the Republicans? Pretty much every Republican with a brain has left the party by now.

By: Ron Chusid

Ron Chusid — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:39:03 +0000

Sarah,

It certainly takes either very limited intelligence or zero understanding of how jokes are written to think that Letterman’s jokes are based on exact facts (such as who was actually at the game). As I said previously, Letterman joked about Giuliani going to the game with Palin on Tuesday. If not for all the controversy he would probably continue with this formula and make jokes about more people (such as Bristol) who weren’t even at the game.

To argue that the joke was about Willow and not Bristol because Willow was the daughter at the game is simply not an argument which anyone with a shred of intelligence or integrity could make.

By: Sarah (not that one)

Sarah (not that one) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:35:36 +0000

One, one, one. there is no doubt it is number one.

Since when has anyone thought that the things Dave jokes about are based on exact facts?

By: Ron Chusid

Ron Chusid — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:34:29 +0000

Sarah,

It sure is hard to take anyone seriously who claims the joke had anything to do with Willow, regardless of who was at the game. Nobody watching thought the joke had anything to do with Willow until the right wingers dragged her name into it.

As the joke did not name a daughter it was necessary for listeners to have some background information to understand and interpret it. Of these two facts, which one can safely be assumed to have been considered by the viewers:

1) Bristol Palin had been pregnant and therefore the joke was about her, or

2) Willow Palin was at the game and therefore the joke was about her.

It is a safe bet that everyone knew about Bristol Palin’s pregnancy and nobody knew which daughter was at the game.

By: Sarah (not that one)

Sarah (not that one) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:29:43 +0000

Exactly. The right wingers making these attacks are unable to do the mental equivalent of walking and chewing gum at the same time. They cannot understand that people can simultaneously object to some of Letterman’s jokes while also objecting to them spreading these lies about Letterman. Julia is so right that they can only be liars or idiots for saying the joke was about Willow.