I can remember watching David Letterman for the first time in 1982. As a young pup, I somehow stayed up past the 12:30 start (I don't remember how my late-night viewing started). I was 14 and a rather formatted kid, but I know I was there from the beginning) and instantly became hooked.
He joked about Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George Bush. I'm not one who thinks he lambasted Bush any more than any of the other presidents. Bush 43 provided a lot of fodder to writers. He gave fodder that made me cringe. Often.
Letterman, Johnny Carson and every other comic gave Reagan plenty of guff for being old. But they didn't just go after the "easy fruit" of comedy. They went after his age too.
Comics generally aren't the great thinkers of the day (George Carlin was an exception) and Letterman never claimed to be.
What he has always been is funny.
Comedians and celebrities in general went "ga ga" over now-President Barack Obama during the election cycle. Letterman was no exception. The purveyors of "style" did their best to influence the American public to adore Barack Obama. They also did their best to destroy Sarah Palin. John McCain was never a Conservative pick. I'm still trying to figure out he was handed the Republican ball.
Fast forward to last week. Sarah Palin and her 14-year-old daughter came to New York. One of Sarah Palin's other children, an 18-year-old unwed mother, was in Alaska caring for her newborn. Nothing has been said about the 18-year-old doing the right thing and staying home, btw.
Someone on Letterman's staff wrote a joke implying that Palin's unwed 18-year-old daughter was "knocked up" by New York Yankee swingin'-single Alex Rodriguez while in town. The joke should never have made it past the screening process, because the 18-year-old daughter wasn't even in town.
Nevertheless, I might even have laughed at the joke. Me, a conservative-learning comedy writer, one-time stand-up comic and professed Sarah Palin fan. Oh yeah, I also have a 14-year-old son.
Did the Palins over-react? Maybe when Sarah Palin said that her daughter should be worried about a 62-year-old Letterman, sure. But then again, my child is a son. My sensibilities are different.
Was she trying to make a point? Absolutely.
Should Letterman be fired? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Don Imus shouldn't have been fired for his harmless, funny remarks about a basketball team that 98% of the country had never heard of at the time.
I understand what the Palin-backers are saying. Letterman and practically every other celebrity voice in the world is still groveling over Barack Obama. Style is the name of that game.
They won't be making fun of Barack, Michelle or those darling daughters anytime soon. Children should NEVER be a part of the landscape. Yet, Amy Carter is gay, Chelsea Clinton is ugly, the Bush twins are partiers and now the Palin kids are under attack. Obama's kids should be off-limits for years to come.
Letterman should not be fired. Todd and Sarah Palin have reportedly accepted Dave's apology. Good. Time to move on.
There's a picture on Drudge of Michelle, being hailed as a fashion plate, running with the family dog. Laura Bush was 1,000-times more fashionable. But she's older...and you know the rest.
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1 comment:
I agree with the general thrust of this post. However, I strongly disagree with the assertion that, "What [Letterman] has always been is funny." He hasn't been funny in years. I'd say he lost his cool factor about the same time he gave up blue jeans.
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