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I don’t think that Gov. Sarah Palin has a good chance of getting anywhere close to the White House. Don’t get me wrong, from what I’ve seen of her policies and passion I believe that she could have been a great Vice President, but some of the things that are happening are colluding to make it even more difficult for her should she try to run.
The latest is the fiasco with David Letterman. Letterman doesn’t hide his political affiliations—and the problem with the Palin’s is that they’ve featured, front and center, their daughter (Bristol) and her unwed pregnancy.
In a sex saturated society, that’s just asking for jokes to be made about sex by these late night comics.
So it was that in the last week, a joke was made in Letterman’s Top 10 list about Gov. Palin’s apparel, but it was this line that irritated the Palin’s the most:
There was, he said, “One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankees, during the seventh-inning stretch, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.” To which the Palins shot back: “Laughter incited by sexually perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl is… disgusting.” [Margaret Calson, The Daily Beast]
Now, to me, there’s two different ways of dissecting this reaction.
- How Carlson and Letterman reacted: There was no logical reason for connecting Willow, Palin’s 14 year old daughter, with the remarks because it was Bristol that was in the news for her sexual indiscretion.
- How the Palin’s might have reacted: They came to New York City without Bristol, but with Willow, and they hear this joke and who do they associate it with? Why would they choose to associate it with someone who didn’t even come to NYC with them?
I’m in no place to judge which of these is right. Perhaps it is like Carlson suggests—that Palin is manufacturing ways to keep herself in the lime light. But it also can logically be the case that she truly took offense, and Letterman knew it and is trying to squirm out because he got caught with something off color.
However, I think that both of them are handling it wrongly. I do think there needs to be a public statement from both of them, but I don’t think that it necessarily needs to be on his show. This whole thing should have been decided behind closed doors first. They shouldn’t have been trading barbs in the press.
Well, Letterman’s issued an apology now, and Gov. Palin has published a statement accepting the apology, so the flap ends here, but you’re right – they both milked it. And the actual injured parties – Willow & Bristol and other girls in their position – would have preferred that:-
1. Letterman hadn’t said anything.
2. Gov. Palin hadnt gone overboard with her complaints.
3. Letterman had instantly apologized and ended the matter.
But none of this happened. Instead – Letterman won ratings, Gov. Palin shores up her own position and the media sold a lotta newspapers and magazines and website clicks.
Exactly, Ling. This whole situation has been weird. I was listening to a local radio talk show host and I couldn’t tell if he was serious about joining the pro-Palin cause and wanting Letterman fired, or whether it was satire.
I pretty much think that if you thought Letterman was funny, you probably laughed right along, and if you liked Gov. Palin you didn’t. And it could only help him gain more liberals to his crowd.
What a mess, what a victim-hood society we have become.