Letterman: 2nd Tier And Sinking

NBC decided Letterman was a second tier talent at best when they selected Leno over him for The Tonight Show. Despite years to do what he wanted with his own show, he never proved them wrong. As I said, second tier talent - that's indisputably confirmed.

Guess who's the victim in all this? Yeah, Letterman - listen to his shtick including the comments playing off of how tough it is to have your own show. It must be tough, considering he's now repeatedly stooped to maligning a very young woman for some cheap laughs. Cheap to anyone other than CBS accounting is precisely what Letterman is at this point in his second rate career that obviously didn't wind down soon enough.

All he did to address the incident was strain for even more cheap laughs at the expense of the Palin family, including the daughter, in his unapologetic garbage tonight on his show. Video here.

And the liberals, the media and those proud protectors of women, the feminists, lack the principle to take him on because he was maligning someone they don't like. Make no mistake, this would never happen to a viable Democrat, or aligned group of victims. And if it did, there would be all hell to pay. All you need do is remember Imus to confirm that fact.

Republicans better clue up. Too many good Americans that have been voting for them for years are tired of putting up with this bullshit in the political world. And if the Republicans can't grow a set and start seriously pushing back, instead of kowtowing to them at every turn - then maybe it's time to leave the party behind and start taking back our dignity on our own.

Comments

[G Norman]

You made tons of sense right up until "then maybe it's time to leave the party behind and start taking it back on our own."

How do you leave and take back.

The basic problem is leadership. As you say, the Republicans need to grow a set. That would mean going back to their roots and finding leadership that would do that. The Republicans need a credible leader that says "You can't balance the budget without addressing social security and medicare." "We can't afford any more costly government programs, this health care charade will hasten the fall of the Republic" "No double standards."

That leader is going to need to be someone the moderate left will respect, so religious whackery should be left out of the leadership equation.

Who is that person?

[seekeronos]

There's a growing number of us who have seen the GOP for what it is - a defunct and useless party, not unlike the ancient Whigs they supplanted, trapped in its own dying immobility much like the mastodon sinking into the tar pit.

There is a party that is listening - and doing something - about the ignored voices of TRUE conservatives.. the Constitution Party.

http://www.constitutionparty.org

[Dan Riehl]

"How do you leave and take back."

Sorry, I should have been more clear. Basically, I meant take America back - or at least our dignity. Where is McCain on this? Where are any Republicans? I realize Palin needs to deal with this herself, but there hasn't been one word of support from the GOP. If this were a Dem family, or a DC insider Republican female, some of these pols would be running to the camera. Instead, they're silent. They could at least show some guts on the issue in general, say it's time for Repubs to stop being fair game without undercutting Palin. But they lack the will to do it. Next year, McCain will be asking to go back on Letterman for more yuks. I'm sick of these people.

[Jake]

Red State posted a "diary entry" this morning, here: http://tinyurl.com/koqnv6, that contained a similar thought, one that I think is very important. If the GOP, as you says, grows a pair, I think the public will get behind them. Start taking the fight to the media, to the entertainment industry. When someone lies or defames or slanders, call them on it, loudly. If you're on someone's show, don't let them set the agenda or define the debate. Don't let them score cheap laughs with falsehoods and non-sensical made-up sterotypes about conservatives. Call them on it, embarrass them, push back against these fools, and the American people will love you for it.

[IslamoLlama]

"-- Despite years to do what he wanted with his own show, he never proved them wrong. As I said, second tier talent - that's indisputably confirmed. --"

Riiiight. One of the highest rated shows on TV with a following of millions and an estimated worth of tens of millions, guest lists that range from movie stars to Presidential candidates to captains of industry, and Letterman is clearly a D-Lister in the industry.

I love the hyperbole. If, a week ago, someone had asked you what you thought of Letterman, you'd have some meandering "Eh" with a plea of general ignorance. Today, no one is more versed in the scope of his career than the Titan of Success, Dan Riehl.

If you've got a problem with one joke Letterman made out of millions, hey, that's all on you. But are you really going to dive over the cliff, trying to pass judgment on a TV icon as a sub-rate failure, from your perch on a 4th tier political blog? :-p

The only credibility you hurt is your own.

[templar knight]

Old Letterman is crawfishing like the little bitch he is. Sarah Palin should agree to come on Letterman's show and bring her husband Todd with her. The little Letterman bitch would wet his pants and cancel. Todd Palin would be within his rights to beat the shit out of Letterman.

As for his half-assed apology, and saying he was referring to Bristol Palin rather than Willow, Bristol was in Alaska and didn't make the trip to NYC. So he couldn't have been referring to Bristol. But even if he were, he still ought to have his ass kicked by Todd.

[Cathie]

You know, I don't care about the political flavor of anyone involved in this controversy. What breaks my heart is the fact that one man can say such insulting and harmful things about a young girl and an entire audience will laugh ! That, Mr islamollama is what is sorrowful. That is what not being a "man" looks like. No 'MAN" would have done such a thing.

[Joseph Brown]

I think alot of the Republican hierarchy are embarrassed that a littleknown(outside of Alaska, at the time) woman could rise so fast in popularity. Name one Republican man who, right now, can elicit so much excitement. Well, maybe my own Governor, Mark Sanford.
One note on Letterman. I used to watch this A$$hat until I noticed his so-called humor was stuck in junior high!
Stupid pet tricks? Stupid human tricks?

[rrpjr]

"That leader is going to need to be someone the moderate left will respect..."

Sound advice on how to lose an election. First, there's no such thing as "the moderate left." We can come up with designations to suit our subjective conceits all day long but it won't change the reality of the left's (whether "vegetative," "moderate" or "extreme" -- and isn't there really only one playing speed when it comes to the Left?) incapability of "respecting" a conservative. If John McCain wasn't able to earn respect from the "moderate left", it's not happening. Ever.

And what does "religious whackery" mean? In which of the candidates running this year was "religious whackery" part of the "equation"? And does this phantom threat equate to the more instantiated threat of secular whackery, such as, say, a $1.7 trillion "stimulus plan" that stimulates nothing but more unemployment and, as it appears, inflation? Or does bringing classic Christian virtues such as humility and restraint to governance constitute "whackery"? Just not clear.

All conservatives need is a person of character, unapologetic principle, unflappable cheer and wit and indomitable common sense. And the best sign we'll have that he's the right man? The "moderate left" will hate him.

[seekeronos]

"--- If the GOP, as you says, grows a pair, I think the public will get behind them. ---"

But they won't do that. They (the GOP leadership) are but puppets in the other hand of the same cabal of hyper-wealthy internationalists/transnationalists who seek to destroy this Republic.

Both of those major parties are now the playthings of the Devil.

[david r]

Liberals love to use the verb "vet," as in 'the candidate wasn't properly vetted." Well, Letterman's joke about Palin's daughter wasn't properly vetted. If it had been, they'd have known that the only daughter with her in NYC was 14 yrs old. Someone needs to swing for this, Dave. And the joke about the slutty flight attendant look was just pure sexism. Where are the liberal feminists ? Probably still smarting from the rape that Hillary got in the Democratic primary elections.

[Syd]

Make no mistake, this would never happen to a viable Democrat, or aligned group of victims. And if it did, there would be all hell to pay.

Really? I don't remember much of a dustup when McCain told a joke at Republican fundraiser guffawing that that the reason Chelsea Clinton is so ugly is because Janet Reno is her father. Nice.

McCain apologized to the Clintons and went on to run for President of the United States. So much for "all hell to pay."

[Ad rem]

The Republican party "elders" have no intention of sharing or ceding power this "Johanna come lately" from Alaska. Not only have they done precious little to defend her, they have often contributed to the derision she continues to receive. No, while Obama continues to dig our country into an ever deepening hole, the feckless Republican Party is content to sit on its hands.... delegating the real heavy lifting to the likes of Limbaugh and Levin. I'm sad to say, these two gentlemen must be the "pair" we so often refer to.

[jlatza4@msn.com]

Letterman is showing the signs of being a dirty old man with designs on extremely young females. He thinks it is funny to crack sexual jokes about 14 year old females (only 50+ pedophiles would share the humor). I have a better joke for him to share with his audience. How about joking about how his son is really a bastard son. Letterman and the mother were not married at the conception or birth and for some years later making the boy a bastard. Lets see him joke about that!! If Palin's adolescent daughters are fair game for his sick attempts at humor, why can't his son be equally the target. Letterman started the war on children not Palin. Children should be left alone and Letterman should retire (better yet just go away).

[Bob]

Dan Riehl asks: "Where is McCain on this?"

Dan, did you mean THIS McCain, the one who said at a Republican dinner in 1998, "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."

Dan said in his original post, "Republicans better clue up. Too many good Americans that have been voting for them for years are tired of putting up with this bullshit in the political world."

So now I'm all confused. WHICH bullshit? Not defending the Palins, or making similarly crude jokes about the Clintons?

[Bob]

Oops, sorry Syd. You beat me to the punch with McCain's joke about Chelsea Clinton. But considering the level of hypocrisy at work, maybe it's worth mentioning twice.

[joyMc]

As for Letterman,
He is just a boring ass. Also, I find a touch of irony in his comments. Wasn't it he who finally decided to marry the mother of his son when the son was 3 or 4 years old? Even if the original comments were about the older Palin daughter, age 18; people living in glass houses should shut the pie hole. This type of comment is just bad taste, not to mention misogynistic at its core.