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Apology Not Accepted
Mary Altaffer / AP Photo
Letterman has apologized, Palin has accepted, but for a band of right-wing fanatics outside the Late Show studio, the battle has just begun. Lloyd Grove tells them the war is over.
Is David Letterman in danger of being Imus’ed?
The odds, admittedly, are extremely long that CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves will do to his late-night star—and, by the way, profit machine—the same thing he did to Don Imus over off-color quips about young women.
In April 2007, Moonves famously fired Imus from CBS Radio after the shock jock called the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hos,” a racial-sexual bifecta that provoked a storm of outrage that couldn’t be quelled, even by Imus’ groveling to Al Sharpton.
Protesters held up placards reading “DIRTY OLE MAN” and “SHAME ON CBS,” while half a dozen voices shouted, “Fire David Letterman!”
But it’s almost unfathomable that Moonves would take Letterman off the air over the Sarah Palin flap, sparked by comedian’s ill-considered jokes about the Alaska governor and one of her teenage daughters—either 18-year-old unwed mom Bristol, as Letterman contends, or 14-year-old Willow, and his detractors insist.
On his show Monday night, in his second attempt to explain himself since he got into trouble last week, Letterman rejected CBS advice to stay mum and abjectly apologized to the Palins—and the governor seemed to accept his apology, although she left herself the option of keeping the story going.
None of this was enough for a self-described “diverse coalition of concerned citizens,” with the Web site www.FireDavidLetterman.com, that staged a ragtag rally Tuesday afternoon in front of the Ed Sullivan Theater, home of Late Show with David Letterman for the past 16 years, to demand the talk-show host’s head.
Cordoned off behind steel barricades across the street from the theater—and monitored by three cops and a couple of beefy security guys, one of them blowing bubblegum bubbles—the protesters held up placards reading “DIRTY OLE MAN” and “SHAME ON CBS,” while half a dozen voices shouted, “Fire David Letterman!” In a separate cordoned-off area down the sidewalk, a smaller group of Letterman supporters held up a sign reading “Sarah Needs a Life. Bristol Needs a Spouse. I See Idiots from My House.”
Palin ally John Ziegler, a Los Angeles radio host whose documentary Media Malpractice argued that biased liberal journalists trashed John McCain’s running mate, tried grimly to get a news conference started as passers-by and tourists mingled with the press.
Ziegler scowled as a huge red-bearded man carrying a placard reading “I’m a Right-Wing Lunatic” whirled around and shrieked such sentiments as “I hate it when people tell jokes on television!” “Jesus is speaking to me!” and “Letterman is worse than Hitler!” (Turns out the guy was a plant from the Ron & Fez Show on Sirius XM Radio.)
MSNBC and Air America were also represented, and Rupert Murdoch’s minions sent not one but two satellite trucks—one to provide live feeds of the spectacle to Fox News Channel and Fox Business News, and the other to service the local Fox station.
Bringing Down Bachmann
Benjamin Sarlin is a reporter for The Daily Beast. He previously covered New York City politics for The New York Sun and has worked for talkingpointsmemo.com.
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Nicolas Cage, Compulsive Spender
Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
Crunch Time for Time Warner
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Don't Count Leno Out
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Fox News' Man of Reason
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
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Is David Letterman in danger of being Imus'ed?
no. comparing imus to letterman is ridiculous.
the people protesting were all dropped on their heads as babies, damaging the cerebral cortex, thus not allowing them to properly comprehend jokes, and leading them to a life of sexually-repressed, palin-supporting idiocy. The condition, apparently, is not uncommon.
Tempest in a teapot.
Enough already.
Lloyd Lloyd Lloyd......give us a break already.
FACTS:
1. 15 PEOPLE SHOWED UP YESTERDAY AT THE "RALLY" TO REMOVE LETTERMAN.
2. LETTERMAN'S RATINGS WERE HIGHEST HE HAS EVER HAD SINCE THIS STARTED.
3. 20% OF THE PUBLIC STATE THEY ARE REPUBLICANS AND THE REST WATCH LETTERMAN.
4. LETTERMAN APOLOGIZED NOT BECAUSE HIS JOB WAS ON THE LINE BUT BECAUSE HE REALLY FELT HE HAD OVER STEPPED A LINE...SOMETHING MATURE PEOPLE DO WHEN THEY ARE WRONG.
This faux anger only makes Palin look like the dill weed we all know her to be and now you? Can go home and paddle it some more.,
Exactly !! Thank you BulldogLover .. Fake outrage and fake anger is the staple of these "no-nothing" right wing politicians .. !!
Thank you! My god this article lacks a sense of perspective. This controversey is over.
Palin has her appeal. Her appeal does not translate to being elected to the highest office in the land.
Letterman, a decent man, will be fine
O.K., all you rally people, you all need to get your signs and your mouths and go home, grow up, and and confront your biggest problem, which you will find when you look in the mirror. Love ya, Dave. Your apology was gracious and classy. It is too bad your example has not been followed.
NONESENSE!!!
I love America.
Just look at Palin's response. The woman is not in touch with reality. This is not meant as disrespect to the servicemen and women fighting overseas, it has nothing to do with them, and neither does free speech. How in the hell are they protecting our right to free speech? The constitution protects that whereas Palin and most of her party want to limit that freedom as much as possible when it suits their agenda of returning America to the dream that never was of the idealized 1950s. This is just another example of the ridiculous flag-waving, baby-kissing tactics the Republicans use to appeal to American's "guts" instead of our rational brains.
p.s. - does she believe in evolution? I love when creationists slip up like that.
No, its a subtle piece of far right rhetoric. You see, if our brave soldiers over there were not doing what they are doing, soon the muslims would over-run the US (with their invisible navy and their stealth flying carpets, one supposes) and impose sharia on y`all.
No you moron....it would be some plan like 9-11....that we had no idea how they would do it. I suspect it will be a dirty nuke strapped to some idiot who doesn't give a damn about your rights to blog about the job our soldiers are doing.
Shorty-
You are forbidden
To watch those Dick Cheney speeches
Over and over.
Stop.
They're rotting your brain.
Shortcourse, nice theory except for the fact that the REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION KNEW ABOUT PLANS FOR 9.11 and IGNORED our intelligence.
I am using caps because I am shouting with my mind.
Wow...shortcourse....no matter what you think our troops are doing overseas, they are not fighting to protect our freedom of speech. We have freedom of speech in a little thing called the Constitution. Last time I checked, the war in Iraq has nothing to do with Iraq taking over the USA and removing our freedom of speech. She is an idiot.
Dave Letterman apologized twice. Gov. Palin accepted Letterman's gracious apologies. Story over.
So done with this story... move on please!
I can't help but find it amusing that the anti-Letterman faction is basically saying that Letterman thinks jokes about raping little girls is funny--and that he publicly said so on his show.
Even if he did think such a ghastly thing was funny (which is almost certainly NOT the case) why in hell would he say it on TV? It would be career suicide--Of COURSE he meant the older daughter who puts out, not the junior high schooler.
People saying otherwise are either longing for someone new to vilify, or are complete morons. Frankly, I'd believe either.
Sarah Palin is an idiot. She has lived in an artic wilderness with Ice Road Truckers and Lumberjacks for her entire life. In her state all you have to do to govern is eliminate all taxes and give your citizens stipends from the private oil companies. The right wing nuts don't understand how much she offends normal Americans. Lord Jesus protect us from her witch craft.
Palin and her followers are hypocrites. On another article, DBfan2009 posted a list of earlier jokes about which they were not outraged (available upon request). When the earlier poor-taste jokes were made, Palin was in the spotlight. This time not so much and she saw it as an opportunity to claim national attention again. It meant using her children, again, but that's never stopped her in the past. It worked, too.
Okay, I"m now starting to think it's the Daily Beast itself that won't let this story die.
OMG these palin people are such nut cases....please, please let this idiocy go....it is so dead.
Saturday Night Live did an incest joke about the Palin family. Did Ms. Moose react with outrage? Absolutely not. She agreed to be on Saturday Night Live herself a few weeks later. This whole Letterman thing is just her pathetic attempt to stay in the media spotlight and rile up her reactionary base against the "NY media elite." My fervent wish for the Palin family is that Bristol grabs that baby and goes off to find her own life--away from her spotlight-grabbing, terminally selfish mother.
I'd actually give the kid a place to stay if she made it this far. I truly feel for her. She is in a difficult situation, without her mother's exploits, her father's silence or her ex's star seeking idiocy. Someone needs to help that young lady live a peaceful normal life and raise her kid.
Ditto for the other kids. Palin is using them as props.
The GOP will not
Back Palin in a Presidential bid.
That's pretty much
All we need to know.
Sarah Palin nominated a man for Attorney General of Alaska, that made the following comments. There would be no domestic violence, if women would just shut up about it. He also made a statement about men having a right to rape their own wives. This is who she put forward to represent the legal rights of the citizens of Alaska. (the state legislators rejected him). So now we are to believe that she is taking up the cause for youg women, give me a break.
Palin's response to Dave's apology was highly political. She didn't need to bring in the "troops" on this one. However, I think it is high time for the brutal jokes, comments, blogs, name calling, media investigations, propaganda, and overall hatred of her to move on and she could help that by staying in Alaska for a little while and lay low. The double standard that the liberal media plays with "women's rights" is laughable. Freedom and respect for women doesn't exist unless it is for ALL women, not just the ones who happen to identify with your ideaology. Likewise, Republicans can't scream "women's rights" when, suddenly, a strong, good looking candidate falls out of the sky. The hypocrisy of politics is a two way street.
Did anyone see the picture of the Letterman protesters (all 15 of them)?....They were a small group of nasty, hateful people. All this Letterman hating is doing for Sarah is making Letterman look good and Sarah's group look petty....
I was upset by Letterman's joke, but after his heartfelt apology, and looking at this Sarah group of "haters", I just sent a email of support for Letterman.
Of course, we only know about the handful of protesters, that this thing between Letterman and Palin "Isn't over," because The Beast added it to the day's news. I prefer to go downtown to the Court House and see if J.D. can successfully preserve Holden Caufield in his singular, original form.
Gov. Palin tryed to take the high road and use the "joke" as a teachable moment. In her interview with Matt Lauer she said "men should take a stand against the disrespect of females" She also talked about how this Mr. Letterman's attitude leads to lower self-asteem in young girls.The media missed the message she spoke of.
That's your idea of the highroad?
Twisting the joke
To make it sound like pedophilia
And inserting the word RAPE?
Sorry bassinapple-
Those are STRICTLY low road tactics
And you really don't have to be
That bright to see through them.
It was her 14 year old daughter at the game. So in most states that would be statutory rape. Talking about someones underage daughters getting knocked up at Yankee Stadium is a little insensitive. The protestors are weak, unless their point is just to ask, "how is this different than what Imus got fired for?" At least Imus' butt of his joke were adults, not a teen.
If Glenn Beck joked about President Obama's daughters getting "knocked up" at a pro game, would you be cool with it?
Theo-
You are hellbent
On missing the point.
I would explain it one more time
But I can't.
I just can't do it again.
Rita, you really never explain any point since you must always type in prose.
But dont get me wrong, I really dont care about the jokes. They were a little harsh since the girl is 14, but Dave said he thought it was the 17 year old. Okay?
Would Dave be getting pressure had it been Obama's girls?
I am guessing things would be reversed. Left would be mad, call him a racist. The Right would say its freedom of speech, but bad taste.
I think the whole thing is silly. It was a joke. Bad becasue the butt was a 14 year old, but just a stupid joke. Who cares.
Where is your indignation over the Tennessee congresswoman's assistant who accidentally emailed a racist "spook" picture of Obama to a bunch of people. Or is that O.K. because it is just "a joke"? As far as I know, the Obamas have not reacted to either that, or the Michelle's ancestor is a gorilla story either. This stuff cuts both ways. Just depends on your political orientation as to how outraged (or not outraged) you get.
theoPitt- " in most states that would be statutory rape".
Who said anything about rape? You don't think that 14 year old girls are having sex with their own free will?
Letterman is a comedian theopitt
Sex joke about Sarah's 14 year old girl ---> not funny
Sex joke about Sarah's loose 18 year old girl--->hilarious
Obviously Letterman would choose the latter (remember he is a comedian)
Go complain to Sarah that she is a poor excuse for a parent if you want to complain about something.
I said I really dont care...
Trish08, when your 14 year old is knockin boots with a 32 year old (AROD), you go ahead and say it was on her on free will. The point was it was Willow at the game, AROD is 32, get it?
gtart, I am sure his writers thought it was the older daughter, then it would have been funny (or at least not creepy)
g-tart, what do you know about her parenting? Is every teen pregnancy the result of a lousy parent? Holy cow, you are dissin a huge part of our population,,,,
He screwed up the joke, its over, who cares.
If Palin is trying to turn this into a teachable moment, how does she explain the fact that the man she nominated to be Alaska's Attorney General believes that a man has the right to rape his wife. (Read his quotes below).
Palin was not upset at this man nor did she demand an apology----she NOMINATED him and was very angry when some wise people in Alaska said NO THANKS to confirming her choice.
Is that a 'teachable moment for your underage daughters? That when they get married, their husband has the right to rape them?
Palin claims that "men should take a stand against the disrespect of females" yet, this is they type of individual that she nominated for Attorney General? That is sick. Gee, why no public outrage over this?
His quotes:
If a guy can't rape his wife, who's he gonna rape?"
"There wouldn't be an issue with domestic violence if women would learn to keep their mouths shut."
Wayne Anthony Ross was on the side that said there doesn't need to be a law saying that a man can't rape his wife.
theo,
If I say this real slow, is there a chance you might get it? The joke was NOT about Willow. It was about Bristol. Everybody knows that, except those who have intentionally misunderstood in order to get on their soap box and preach. You can repeat all day long that it was about Willow, but you cannot make that the truth. All you can do is make yourself a liar, over and over and over.
Anything to get Palin's empty head on TV so she can wink at the camera.
I am surprised she has not tried the " He is a Muslim " or the old classic " He pals around with terrorists " on Letterman.
She is such a patriot for a Successionist ??
You know-
She never gets nailed
On those points.
She's always dissing the 'Feds'
Like they're a foreign hostile government
And Todd belonged to a successionist movement
That wanted the State of Alaska
To leave the union.
That ain't really patriot talk
Is it?
The minuteman citizen army is "allowed" their activity, because they claim the Federal Government isn't doing their job. This is becoming a very big excuse in this country if you don't get what you want. They have no plans to leave the union, darn it.
Ha! You have got to be joking! Letterman is going nowhere!. His ratings are rocketing and 80% of America still thinks Palin is a bimbo.
Palin go have another baby or something, just stay in Alaska and shut up already!
I love this.
"For anyone who has been living under a rock, Letterman joked last Tuesday night..."
Yes. Unless your keeping up on all the latest screeching nonsense on the TeeVee, you MUST be living under a rock. I guess it's not enough to be concerned with North Korea setting off another nuclear bomb, or Iran descending into total chaos, or the economy of the entire earth falling to pieces, or global climate change. No, the true mark on a well informed citizenry is their ability to keep up on all the "great shows" on the TeeVee.
The only story here is YOU and the worthless droves of "reporters" that think 15 wingnuts standing in the street sniveling about what happens in their fantasy TeeVee world in news.
Palin is nuts period! I Love Letterman
The real irony here is that while Dave didn't make a rape joke about either of Palin's daughters, Alaska has the highest rate of Rape in the nation and Alaska also has a large portion of meth labs. If those Reich Wing Lunatics are really concerned about rape, they should head up to Alaska with their bullhorns!
I wondered when someone would bring up the Alaska statistic. If I were Governor Palin, I'd rally around the cause of bringing that stat down. That would do more good for her career than decrying David Letterman of all people.
"Reich Wing Lunatics" ROFLMFAO
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
So true. Palin has done nothing....and I mean nothing to advance women's rights or reduce rape in Alaska. She nominated a man for Alaska's AG who believes it's a man's right to rape his wife. He also said, domestic violence wouldn't be an issue if women would just shut up. That is sick and Palin wanted this man to be Alaska's Attorney General.
She has the nerve to be upset with Dave's joke.
Thank you.
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