Letterman On Palin's Daughter

Update: Geez, it was the 14 year-old daughter Willow at the game. Poorly researched and thought out inappropriate joke, or is Letterman even more of a pig for using it?

Update 2: Palin responds on radio. Calls it "pathetic".

Short clip below. So much for the Chelsea Clinton rule - and well beyond. Bristol Palin is eighteen and not even in politics. That didn't stop Letterman last night when he joked that "she got knocked-up" by Alex Rodriguez at the Yankee game the Alaska Gov recently attended.

I'm not a prude by any means. But this is inappropriate and unnecessary enough to take exception to it. Letterman's only gotten increasingly bitter over not getting The Tonight Show as he's aged. It shows. And I imagine the McCain diss during the campaign only fed into his ego problems. Talk about inadequate. He never really did best Leno who recently retired a seemingly happy guy.

Years ago I had a friend who had some personal dealings with him when he wasn't doing much more than filling in on the Carson show on occasion. The reviews weren't very good at all. Unfortunately, I suspect the Letterman we're seeing now isn't that far from who he actually is. Pretty pathetic in my opinion.

Comments

[GRANDMA]

AS FAR AS LETTERMAN GOES, ONE WHO LIVES IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW STONES. HE IS WHAT 60+ AND GOT CAUGHT. A 5 YEAR OLD SON, NOW CAN YOU SEE WHY HE IS SO MEAN HE IS FORCED TO MARRY WHEN HE THOUGHT HE HAD A FREE RIDE.
TYPICAL LIBERAL WANTS SOMETHING FOR NOTHING.
THIS WAS WRONG WRONG WRONG NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK AT IT.

[Gabriel Hanna]

"Everyone knows the Clintons have a cat," said Limbaugh. "Socks is the White House cat. But did you know there is also a White House dog?" And he held up a picture of Chelsea.

He held a picture up, and you saw it over the radio?

[j bryan]

All this bickering over liberal or conservative commentary!!! All I know is that if I were Todd Pailin, I would have to locate Letterman and punch him in the mouth!

[James]

said Limbaugh. "Socks is the White House cat. But did you know there is also a White House dog?" And he held up a picture of Chelsea.

That must have translated well on radio.

Maybe like the book is always better then the movie version?

[INCITEmarsh]

Uh, guys? Rush had a television show at one point.

That doesn't make the story true, but you look silly attacking it that way.

[Jim]

Gap-toothed, butt-faced poltroon.

[James]

In the old days when Dave stepped in it there would be a sidebar.

Paul Schaefer would cut in, something like this,

Paul: "Dave... Dave... Dave!"

Dave: "What? Ladys and gentlemen, my good friend Paul Shaefer. What is it Paul??"

Paul: "Dave. How old were you exactly when you knocked up your live in girlfriend?"

Dave: "Ulp. umm. (pulls at the collar of his shirt)
Is it getting hot in here?... Something wrong with the airconditioning?"
Dave: "Lou."
Lou: "Yes Dave."
Dave: "Can you get the writers to come down here for a minute?"

Lou: "Sure dave"
(Cut to writers shooting spitwads at each other in what is obviously Dave's private office.)
Lou: "Janet, Dave want's a writer's meeting on the set."
Janet: (looking flustered) to the other writers:
"Dave's on to us. He wants a meeting."
(Writers staff file onto set for upbraiding)
Dave: "Politicians kids are off limits from now on.
(gives them a long look seeing if the edict has registered - becoming slightly annoyed in not seeing the reaction he is looking for)

Dave: "Write it down." (slight pause as writers scribble in pads)
Dave: "OK go away."
(writers file out looking relieved that their office hyjinks went undiscovered)
Dave: "Well that was ugly. Paul are you OK now? Satified?"

Paul: "Perfectly satified."

Dave: "Thank you. That's my good friend Paul Schaefer folks. Stay tuned. We'll be back right after this important station break."...

But that was the old days. Like Dan alludes, the guy is slipping. Dave is what, hundred and seventeen?

Getting up there.

[Wally Sandaber]

Let me explain the joke, s-l-o-w-l-y, so that many of you can get it. Sarah Palin is anti birth control and Sarah Palin's underage daughter WAS knocked up. Palin's daughter did this by ... ta dum, having underage premarital sex and not using birth control. In common American varnacular, this is known as ... yes, folks, "getting knocked up." It is not a joke out of thin air. The joke has context and the context is that Sarah Palin's daughter was ALREADY knocked up. Letterman's joke refers to that context. Only.

Was the joke in good taste? No. But that's Letterman. He's crude. Letterman will however, lay off someone's family IF that person does not use her own family as a "pro family" political prop, like Sarah Palin has for years. Oh, nevermind. This all involves irony and I think irony is just not in the conservative American gene pool.

In regard to the slutty flight attendant joke, lemme just finish with another mangled use of the English language by Sarah Palin five months after the American people, um, rejected her.

Per the transcript:
"Well, that is where we are headed. And we have to be blunt enough, candid enough with Americans to let them know that if we keep going down these roads, nationalizing many of these services....yes, that is where we will head....And Americans have to be paying attention and we have to have our voices heard and ultimately it has to be our will, the American people's will imposed on Washington instead of the other way around. "

[sarhin2012]

Letterman should at least know which daughter got pregnant. To imply that all of the Palin girls will get pregnant out of wedlock is not only tasteless, it borders on treason. Sarah Palin has done more for this country than so-called comedians will ever do.

Could it be class hatred that causes Letterman to lash out at Sarah who has worked for everything she ever got? I remember reading that Letterman is from a very wealthy family and that he snubs his nose at real Americans.

Letterman would be the first one to cry foul if anyone made a joke about the Clintons or any democrat. He drinks koolaid.

Sarah forever!!!! Letterman never!!!!

Typical PC nonesense to make jokes about Christians while others kill!

I wish the GOP had guts. They would hold hearings and expose Letterman for what he is: a PC koolaid drinking phony!!!

[Brian Epps]

///"Socks is the White House cat. But did you know there is also a White House dog?" And he held up a picture of Chelsea.

That must have translated well on radio. ///

Something along those lines happened on his short-lived syndicated TV show.

[jaime]

Dave Letterman is just a comedian and was obviously thinking that Palin's knocked up 18 year old daughter was the one at the game. But throwing a tantrum over "rape" just raises more money. Dave Lettermen was referring to bristol, but you accidentally on purpose insinuate he wishes the 14 year old to be raped.

Is this what consistently happens after getting your asses handed to you in election after election? You become enormous pansies that cry wolf after every bogus indignity? What happened to that smug warmongering spirit that carried you cheetos warriors through the last two decades?

Don't worry, one day in 2016, you might get your testicles back from Obama.

[Mrs Whatsit]

Jaime, by your reasoning it would be perfectly fine to make a rape joke about Malia or Sasha Obama, since after all their father "shoved" them out there on the national television stage during his campaign. I'm sure you'll be thrilled with that, as will they.

Thanks for exposing the way folks like you think, down there on the underside of the rock.

[Stinkin]

a truly washed up old bastard..has he forgotten trashing children from his bullypulpit isnt funny...dave, you bitter sob, first it was Leno, now it's Obrien..passed by once again and stuck at cbs with katie...wow...but how long before they go dark...heres hoping they do.

[Mark in Texas]

Everyone knows the Clintons have a cat," said Limbaugh. "Socks is the White House cat. But did you know there is also a White House dog?" And he held up a picture of Chelsea.

He held a picture up, and you saw it over the radio?

---

It was during his short lived TV show.

The pictures were projected on a screen behind him. When the picture of Chelsea Clinton went up and the audience started laughing, Limbaugh turned around and immediately started saying something about that being the wrong slide and he kept saying no, no, no. I thought that he was setting up for some other joke when somebody screwed up the order of the pictures being shown because Limbaugh is usually funnier than that. Anyway, this is part of the leftist folklore now so the actual facts don't matter to people like Jamie.

Just like earlier this week when a caller said he was going to boycott GM and Limbaugh said he understood why some people felt that way the MSM was claiming that Limbaugh was urging a boycott of GM.

[Tyrconnell]

James, Gabriel Hanna, the picture was done on Rush's short lived TV show.

Ah, jamie, are you sure you want to run with this?
"And to say that the Palin kids were not part of the political arena when her twit Sportscaster mother shoved them out on stage with her at every possible stump speech is patently absurd."

After all, Billy Jeff had his daughter and wife many times on stage during his run, so that clears Rush by your own logic.

[GTraylor]

Forget the weak bullshit hypocrisy charge. Neither Limbaugh's nor McCain's shitty and mean-spirited "jokes" change that fact that Letterman's "joke" is shitty and mean-spirited, and I would say downright contemptible and creepy with the professional-baseball-player-impregnates-14-year-old line.

I even concede that the dumbshit Letterman writers didn't even check *which* daughter was with Palin...they just know a Palin daughter "got knocked up" and thought it would be fun to take a dig. That still doesn't make it any less creepy.

[Charles Fletcher]

Liberals have a free hand to say and do what they want. People talk about a minority "Freedom Loving,God Fearing
True Americans are in the Minority"

[Bill]

Who were the sponsors during this episode? Berate them for the hate that they sponsor.

[h0mi]

"That must have translated well on radio."

It wasn't on radio and he didn't hold up a picture. He had a TV show and they cut to a picture of Chelsea. I don't remember the in studio audience reaction to the picture.

[furious]

"the family values fruit of Bush/Cheney/Palin loin".

Seems like the Bush daughters turned out ok after a little underage drinking in college, no? Obama, what, snorted coke during his college years? Kudos to the poster who clowned Jaime upthread.

Cheney daughters turned out ok too, unless you're saying there's something wrong with Mary being a Lesbian, Jaime. Are you? Kerry&Edwards seemed to think so, with their ham-fisted attempts at making it an issue during the '04 campaign. As for Liz, she gutted and flensed Nora O'Donnell of MSNBC (a low bar, I'll admit). Seems like the Cheneys raised their girls right, Jaime.

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/04/023409.php

Oh, and, Jaime, speaking of Edwards (since both you and he brought the the Cheney daughters), care to comment on Edwards' "Secret Second Family Values"? Tom-catting on his cancer-ridden wife? Using campaign funds to pay hush money to his babymama? Lying to his campaign volunteers, contributors, and supporters? Getting cornered like a rat in an outhouse by paparazzi?

Bristol Palin let her baby live, and took responsibility for it. We all know Obama compared unwanted babies to STDs, and said that a baby would be a "punishment" for his daughters. Man would countenace snuffing his own unborn grandchildren because they'd be an inconvenience. I'll take the Palins' version of "Family Values" anyday over Pres. Obama's empty-suited "above my pay grade" rhetoric.

Jaime, you're running out of gopher holes to step in and ankles to break. By your standards of equivalence, the Clintons could make fun of Limbaugh's daughter (if he had one) or McCain's daugthers (but Meghan pretty much parodies herself). Doesn't justify (or even distract from, to the extent we indulge your ludicrous logic) Letterman's piggishness.

[furious]

Sandabar: Let me spell it for you, as you say "s-l-o-w-l-y": V-E-R-N-A-C-U-L-A-R. With an "E" after the "V".

[furious]

Question for the Mutually-Assured-Family-Destruction Crowd:

When exactly did the Palins make fun of anyone else's children? I'm sure you can respond with sourced links, and am happy to wait.
In the meantime, you display all the critical sense of those mobs that attacked Norwegian and Swedish embassies over Mohammed cartoons published in Danish newspapers.

Targeting children, bunch of thugs and ersatz hostage-takers the lot of you. Those of us with a sense of decency are calling our local CBS affiliate (without bringing their children into it) and registering our displeasure with their late-night lineup. Maybe the newspapers can afford to alientate half their audience, but local TV affiliates can't.

[Ralph Kramden]

"Letterman On Palin's Daughter"

I'm OUTRAGED that this sordid blog would make such a sordid reference using such SORDID IMAGERY!

I DEMAND AN APOLOGY FOR THIS OUTRAGEOUS WORD PICTURE!

OUTRAGED I TELL YOU!

[Wally Sandaber]

Thanks for catching that typo Furious. Any comments on my actual post?

Oh, and Sahrin. Do you actually believe that the United States Congress should hold hearings on a David Letterman joke?

[ADK46er]

Jaime - Since you made the claim that republican children have turned out to be "train wrecks", including the Bush girls, I'm wondering why you haven't responded to those of us who've posted what they've been up to over the past few years?

In any event when you make such obvious false claims it doesn't work when you call other people liars.

[Melissa R.]

Hasn't it been determined that the 18-yr old Palin wasn't at the game? That this joke was about the 14-yr. old daughter?
Does that shine any light on the sickness of Letterman?

[Ralph Kramden]

Mellisa- Apparently Bristol wasn't at the game and the younger daughter was. Pretty clearly the joke wasn't about the younger daughter (it doesn't make sense that way - Bristol is the Palin daughter that got pregnant), but lots of people want to pretend that it was, because Letterman is seen as liberal. Not that it was a funny joke in the first place - children should be off-limits, even when they're used as props in their parents campaigns.

[Judy]

When is the media going to let the "15-minutes of fame" people go back to where they came from?? Paris? Palin? Does anyone see a pattern here? Get a real life, ladies; start being productive members of society. As for the Letterman "thing," remarks about children are uncalled for, BUT Palin does look like a slutty airline attendant, and I wish she'd just go back to where she came from...where is that again?...raise her children properly, tell her husband to straighten up & fly right, and get back to the business of trying to run Alaska without all the female hysterics.

[bjm]

Bristol Palin did not do anything different than the present
Mrs Letterman, she had a child out of wedlock and was a single Mom, just because she was living with someone with a lot of money is no different and I wish someone would remind Mr Lettermen.

[Anna Keppa]

You libs want us to lighten up? Well, here's a real thigh-slapper I'm sure you'll enjoy.

Seems Michelle, wanting to score points for her on-the-rise-husband, used to drop Malia and Sacha off behind Rev. Wright's church so the Rev could get some "quality time" with the little girls, know what I'm sayin'????

What???? You're OFFENDED?????

[Jon]

I really cannot believe that some of you think that some reactions Palin are signs of the left being nervous. Do you really believe that anyone with half a brain sees Sarah Palin as a threat? I pray she runs for President or Vice President in 2012, it will be a default victory for Democrats. Even intelligent Republicans know she is at best a poster child for the extreme right, the same extreme right that is currently alienating the majority of the Republican party. Entertainers poke and prod her because she's hilarious. She does and says ludicrous things and deserves the jabs she receives. She is the one that brought her family onto the US political stage. Would Bristol be so involved in teen abstinence programs if it wasn't for her mother? I think not. Palin invited this upon her children. It's a free country and if you're an idiot and make moronic decisions you deserve the consequences of your actions. If she has any real friends they'll tell her to head back to Alaska, stay there and shut her mouth.

[Alexandra]

I agree that children of politicians should be off-limits. BUT in this case, Bristol Palin has chosen to become a "national spokesperson" for a shoe manufacturer's "Abstinance Initiative." She has chosen to walk onto the public stage, and the ultimate stage-mother herself (Sarah Palin) has cheered her doing so. So, Letterman may have been crude in this case, but the Palin family continues to seek the public eye and the public stage. With that comes public mudslinging. And being 18 doesn't get you a free pass on that.

[James]

"I pray she runs for President or Vice President in 2012."

- Me too. The only thing wrong with last year's ticket was there were too many RINO's on it.

[anthony]

poor dave 2 years left on the payroll and still trying to beat the tonight show how many years has it been i no 20 keep trying dave

[h0mi]

David Shuster was suspended at MSNBC for arguing that Chelsea Clinton was pimped out by her parents during Clinton's presidential run. The run that took place while Chelsea was an adult, not a little girl. The Clinton who lost, not the one who won.

[Frank B.]

I remember Dave from his days on local TV in Indiana. He's laways been a lazy, self-centered, hick, jerk. He used to know that about himself.

[Ken Staley]

When you wade into the cess pit to play ball with the big boys, you have to assume you're wide open to any attack. And yes, family members SHOULD be left out. HOWEVER, when you want to use your family as a Role Model...you've just invited the community to comment on them as well.

She can't have it both ways. She either needs to leave her family out of it and stop parading them all over...or toughen her skin.

[L. Huntington]

CBS is not making Letterman apologize so... we the public should simply boycott CBS and NOT SUPPORT its advertisers. That simple act if adopted by the public would put an end to this nonsense. Get them where it hurts..in the wallet

[George Linkous]

Look, I do believe Letterman meant the jokes to be about Bristol. So he's innocent of making a joke about child rape. But the real jokes are still pretty bad. The most fair take on this is one I read on americashrugged.com.

Letterman really did used to be funny. Now he's just a stale, bitter one lib.

[Ray]

It is open season for conservative women, I'm afraid. Substitute prominent liberal women for a Playboy hate f*** list and see what happens to ya. Enough said.

I remember under the Carter administration where his offspring were definitely off-limits! As it should be. What happened to that ideal?

[FZ]

I think the Lefty's on here are about as far from 'liberal' as Stalin is from being the Pope. It's almost amusing when I hear them howl about Limbaugh and 5 guys on radio and FOX news being equal to the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean of news, media and arts they control. It's time the right stopped playing games and started taking action, sit-ins, shutting their freak'n apparatus down, just like the Left did in the 60's and now control the media. It's time to get in their face and let them know you're pushing back my any means. It's the only language these beasts understand.

[Mark]

Ok, i agree Letterman went too far on this and he is too smart for this kind of base joke, but what i see now is Palin using this to make political hay, she has went beyond being upset and is now using this to elevate her standing with the public. Her daughter is not a whore but her mother is sure trying to whore her out in the pursuit of power. it shows you Palin will do anything move up the political food chain.

[Leah]

wait wait...now, I haven't been keeping up-thankfully since it seems most of americans have lost their damn mind. I saw the joke on the clip just now and, while in bad taste, I don't feel it was even that big of an issue. It wasn't like he was standing there talking about a brutal rape of a 14 year old girl-as many of you are making it out to be. He just made a joke about another palin girl getting pregnant. He didn't draw it out or further ellaborate on explicit details. As a female who was molested for 7 years of my childhood, I do feel that rape is no laughing matter. However, what Letterman said had nothing to do with RAPE-perhaps consenting statutory rape, but not forced sexual activity with a minor. Half of the male population would be found guilty of that if parents filed claims. Palin needs to calm down and stop being so hyper defensive. You put yourself in the public eye, and you'd be foolish to believe that doesn't include your family. Palin should have accepted the apology, regardless of how staged she felt it, and left it at that. Instead, she uses it to fuel her media fire.

[Tom in Seattle]

First, I agree with Letterman that his comment about about Palin's daughter was in bad taste. Kudos to him for being willing to say so on national TV.

Second, I am old enough to remember back to Kennedy that President's children were off limits in the media. Rush Limbaugh changed the game by going after Chelsea Clinton in his infamous "White House dog" comment. He never apologized. Unfortunately he opened the door so blame him to start.

Third, the media and comedians are not the same thing and they operate with different rules. Media are (or once were) expected to strive toward fair, balanced, and factual reporting. The media, including Rush, believe they are talking about the "real world." For this reason people tend to give media statements more weight and credibility. Comedians make up stuff to be funny. It may reflect the real world but it is not about the real world. Therefore, Limbaugh's comment about Chelsea Clinton was received as a real judgment about her and much of his audience actually found it offensive. Lettermen's comment was a joke, in poor taste yes, but no one should be expected to take it seriously and most people weren't even sure which daughter he was even talking about.

My takeaway from is this is general difference between the far right and the rest of us--independents, progressives, liberals (but probably not leftists)--is the the far right does not really seem to have a sense of humor or understand humor--parody and satire in particular. Case in point, when Limbaugh "jokes" about FemiNazis, he actually believes what he is saying and wants you to also. When Letterman jokes about someone or something he only wants you to laugh with him (or at him) and doesn't care about the topic itself.

[rick]

Be a man, Letterman! You are crude and stupid in your 'jokes' about a 14 year old girl. Be a big LetterMAN (instead of a little Letterman) and apoligize for a scripted joke that was inappropreiate.
Didn't you anything from Clinton - it is best to face up to your mistakes instead of deny them.

[Angela]

"Bristol Palin is eighteen and not even in politics. "

But she is all over People magazine, doing photo shoots and interviews practicing abstinence carrying her baby around.

OK...