A strikeout or a gold mine?
Gov. Sarah Palin released a statement today, accepting Late Show host David Letterman's Monday night apology for the infamous joke he told last week on his show about one of Palin's daughters.
Letterman clarified the intentions of the joke, noting he had directed it toward 18-year-old Bristol, not 14-year-old Willow, and went on to say, "It's the perception rather than the intent. It doesn't make any difference what my intent was, it's the perception. And, as they say about jokes, if you have to explain the joke, it's not a very good joke." He ended his three-minute monologue by extending his apology to the entire Palin family. Palin accepted the apology, and the faux-controversy now seems set to settle down.
But in the end, who won? The answer is David Letterman, obviously. His joke was unfortunate and in poor taste, but it grew legs only after Palin chose to magnify it -- over, and over, and over again. As they say in politics, "When you're in a hole, stop digging." Palin ignored this timeless piece of wisdom. She may have been trying to protect her children, which is admirable, but her incessant complaining kept the story (and Letterman's name) in the headlines for a week.
Palin is the media gift that just keeps on giving. Letterman may have cost his network a few conservative viewers and an advertiser, but the spat gave him a ratings boost without even trying.
A joke like this would ruin a politician, but that's the difference between media and politics. In politics, you lose votes. On TV, you gain viewers.
Comments (42)
I miss Leno
Left wing media??!! Omg, people need to take a chill pill. It was Palin who blew the joke out of proportion. Yes it was tasteless, but there isn't a comedian alive who hasn't told a tasteless joke...Jay Leno included. Dave apologized and that should have been the end of it. I think Palin has started to campaign a bit too early, people are going to get really tired of her really quickly.
Your attitude is typical of the left wing media! Did you hear about the 62 year old lech who had a son out of wedlock and took five years to marry his mistress. Jay Leno never would have told such a tasteless "JOKE".
I think Palin only threw a fit 'cause she's still desperately trying to seem relevant. Wouldn't it have been better for her children to just let the issue slide and have the public forget about it the next morning? Because it's certainly better for her career to keep clawing her way back into the news.
Hey Warrior-Witch, why is Palin stupid? I bet she has more Degrees than you do! Make sure of your facts, before you condem. All witches know this!
Palin who??? Letterman won even if he said he was sorry. By doing so he showed he was the bigger person. Stupid Palin...
David Letterman is an OLD Man hasbeen. Oh, and did he not too "Knock"-Up his so called wife. I believe he married due to his behaviors?? AS for his humor, it sucks as well. His writers chose to produce the joke at Palin and her 14 yr. daughter, he chose to say it on National TV. Poor choice again David. Your too OLD! You should be taken off the Air. The next time he worries about someone Knocking-Up a young girl, He should remember his own behavior. OLD, OLD, OLD, loser that he is! Ringout09 Shame on CBS!
Okay, isn't this kind of a win-win situation? Both people got much-needed publicity here. Letterman did what he always did, and made a joke. It was about Palin's family, and it doesn't really matter whether it was about the 14 year-old one or the 18 year-old, it was in poor taste. In the 14-year-old stand point, it's obviously because of the age. In the 18-year-old's case, it's kind of suggesting that she *ahem* get's around. So either way, I think it was disrespectful to the Palins, and thee athlete for that matter. I don't watch Letterman anyways...so whatever...
This whole thing is rediculous. Palin is just trying to stay relevant and blew this way out of proportion. while i agree the jokes were questionable, Palin had no reason to assume that the jokes were about her 14 year old and not the obvious choice of the 18 year old.
VaveAma92 - you make a very valid point.
I hope people's reactions are just polarized politics, Dave should have made sure his/his writers' jokes were correct in facts before delivering them. There may have been overreaction in light of Dave's job, but the implications justified a certain amount of parental response, not political response, but parental and Dave would agree as a parent on even a loose joke regarding an offspring not just the parent in a joke with sexual overtones, heck even the athlete could have taken offense. In the long run, probably none of us won because we've become a little more divided. Apparently we all can't get along.
I can't say I really care on this one.
He is so old but still keeping datin g on ^^ Richpassion.com^^ with beautiful young ladies, is he very rich?
BIAS BIAS BIAS. You should not be reporting on "who won" you should be stating that it happened. Shame on you TV.com. That's two stories today that show your bias Miss Stefanie Lee. Boo on you. You should be fired for not being able to report a story with just facts!
Letterman is a joker and Palin can not deal with that.
This is crazy, just a shameless attempt by Palin to stay in the spotlight :roll:
It's okay to make jokes at Sarah Palin apparently. Now try with someone under Obama. You would never find Letterman.
Letterman
Letterman lost my viewership. CBS may think he's won this one but he hasn't. It will eventually turn on him.
Dave is a topical comedian. He makes fun of phonies and goofballs in the news every day. He SHOULD have directly aimed the joke at the 18-year-old unmarried pregnant daughter who still promotes abstinence only. That's obviously what he was poking fun at. Palin got more news coverage, Dave got more viewers. A win-win.
All this does is extends the pailn clan's 15 minutes of fame. I'd much rather follow Michael Palin's exploits.
what war? letterman tells jokes, why would you even respond to them. Palin proved what a hypocrite and moron she is by even discussing it. the joke wasn't even about her but elliot spitzer.
Letterman won it helprd boost his ratings
Imagine the reaction (and uproar) that would have ensued if Letterman had directed the same tasteless joke at Michelle Obama and one of her daughters. We'd never hear the end of it, plus the government would probably fine CBS huge bucks for Letterman having made one of the media's sacred cows the butt of his humor.
Letterman tells jokes for a living, this just flop...Sarah WHO!!!! get over it.
You know to think that there aren't comedians out there that tell a joke that bombs every now and again is like thinking that you can walk out your back door straight into Russia... Apparently Ms. Palin can't take the fact that someone was making fun of her parenting skills. Was it a tasteless joke, of course, should it have been such a big deal, no but apparently Ms. Palin has decided to run for another senate seat.
David wins, palin is a loser
Palin won. End of story.
Or maybe she has a copy of her own!
I doubt she even know about "Who's nailin' Palin". If she did there would be no way in hell she even talk about it. She would be totally destroyed by the media. It would be like feeding the christian to the lions.
BLCforChrist: I think your SN says it all... lol Why would I concern myself with the family members of a politician from Alaska? I'm sure you were watching a lot of Letterman to begin with, so your patronage will be sorely missed. Have fun watching Fox News. lol
Gosh, ploiticians take themselves far too seriously.
Is she also demanding an apology from Hustler for "Who's nailin' Palin"?
The apology in genral was uncalled for. He makes jokes for a living and if you don't like it stop watching the show. What a bunch of crap!
I'm glad Sarah got the chance to reaffirm her...um...stature. Dave wins.Can we move on now?...
This is such a joke, "oh boohoo, someone who makes jokes for a living made a joke about me." Get the heck over it, you're a freakin political figure, and you put yourself out on the public stage, you're going to get criticized and made fun of. I don't think Dave needed to apologize for a joke that was purposely misinterpreted to make a national news story. If the roles were reversed and it was a joke about a democratic political figure, I guarantee that FOX news wouldn't have plastered this "BREAKING NEWS" all day on their channel.
Knocked-up - shows his age and mind-set! Who's he to talk - didn't he "knock-up" his girlfriend?
I agree that "Palin is the media gift that just keeps on giving." Why does she have to always be in the spotlight? She is embarrassing herself and her family with stunts like these. Go back to Alaska and do your job!
These last 6 months have been a JOKE, too! And so will the NEXT 3.5 years!!! Dear Beachfrontglass...wise up! Check out some REAL news sources, besides NBC and CBS, and educate yourself. You are more clueless than the fools who elected Obama if you TRULY didn't know she had other daughters...shame on you for choosing ignorance.Who won the war...no one...I agree with mcatrage...we actually lose! I will say this...Letterman will NEVER receive ratings from my household again, and I will coach everyone I know to refrain as well.
Who really cares, the man has been telling jokes for 20+ years, he is bound to slip up every now and then. Everybody messes up at their job every once in awhile.
Palin > Stefanie Lee
Not us.
It was obviously about the older daughter.... I didn't even know she had another kid... The only one I had heard about was the idiot who got knocked up!