Margaret Carlson: Palin Can't Outsmart Letterman (Maggie the Cat barf alert)

The Daily Beast ^ | 6/12/09

[lewisglad]

The governor has spent much of her public life in high-pitched feuds—but taking on late night’s prince shows a complete lack of political sophistication.

Top 10 lists about Sarah Palin's attack on David Letterman are already being written but really there is only one reason Palin should relent—she’s not a good enough politician to play.

Palin has spent much of her public life in feuds with the state legislature, with her ex-brother-in-law, with John McCain’s staff, with Levi Johnston’s family. An early fight with the chairman of Alaska’s Oil & Gas Commission paved the way to the governor’s office. She mostly wins, especially when the target is as easy, say, as a high-school dropout whose mother is under federal indictment. The Johnstons make the Palins look like Rockefellers.

Isn’t making a federal case out of a tasteless joke exactly what the right-wing loves to ridicule feminists for doing?

But picking a fight with a trained comedian, refusing to accept his apology, and continuing to battle after the white flag is shown reveals a complete lack of political sophistication.

Letterman apologized at unprecedented length for a comment about Palin’s recent trip to New York. 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.”

Who said anything about a 14-year-old girl? Not Letterman. That would be… the Palins. It turns out it was Willow, not Bristol, who went to the baseball game. But who knew that until the Palins brought this “disgusting” comment so painful to their younger daughter to the attention of the 300 million people not tuned into David Letterman?

Letterman's joke was indeed tasteless—he even owed A-Rod an apology. But I doubt there was another soul in the world who didn’t understand the joke to be about the older Palin daughter, who lapped Jamie Lynn Spears as the most famous pregnant teen in the world once she was trotted out at the Republican National Convention in August. Not that Bristol should have been left at home in the dark, but if you want a “zone of privacy” around your daughter, do you have her appear on stage with her then-fiancé hinting at prospects of a White House wedding waving to the crowd like Charles and Diana of the Klondike?

And exploiting Bristol as an unwed teen mother didn’t stop with the campaign. Back in Wasilla, where Bristol could have been sheltered and given space to rebuild her life, the Palins arranged to send her out like a vaudeville act, traveling the country to talk about teenage pregnancy under the sponsorship of Candie’s, a clothing company known for sexually provocative outfits for tweens.

The Bristol “do as I say tour” had a rocky start once she admitted that abstinence was not “realistic”—apparently she was against it before she was for it. Note to mom: When you become the ambivalent poster child for unwed motherhood, you attract off-color jokes.

Letterman’s eight-minute expression of regret on Wednesday night was almost as riveting as the one where Letterman talked about his heart surgery with the doctors and nurses who cared for him.

“I’m telling you, I recognize that these are ugly. These are borderline... [but] these are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl.” The audience tittered. He remained serious. “Yes, maybe these are questionable because the girl, excuse me, who was knocked up is 18 years old... Am I guilty of poor taste? Yes. Did I suggest that it was OK for her 14-year-old daughter to be having promiscuous sex? No.” He invited her on the show.

Palin was so intent on maintaining her fury, real or manufactured, that she used Letterman’s apology to escalate, saying through the spokeswoman for SarahPac that she wouldn’t want to boost his show’s ratings by appearing on it: “Plus, it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman.” Did Palin call Letterman a pedophile?

Palin appears to be squandering her leftover fame from the campaign on staying famous, settling scores, making headlines over petty concerns, securing the cover of People magazine for Bristol. She could have been the keynoter at the Republicans' biggest fundraiser of the year on Monday night but instead played a coy, will-she-or-won’t-she game for weeks.

So in the end, Palin spent a week when she could have given a substantive speech, laid out a political philosophy, or choosing the issues she wants to run on, deliberately misinterpreting a bad joke, in the process dragging yet another child into the celebrity scrum.

And by the way, isn’t making a federal case out of a tasteless joke exactly what the right wing loves to ridicule feminists for doing?

Palin’s final mistake was to refuse Letterman’s invitation for a late-night make-up appearance, a moment on the studio sofa every bit as good as make-up sex for smoothing over any scandal, misunderstanding, or affront, real or imagined. It worked for Hugh Grant, Bill Clinton, and recently John McCain, who had come in for weeks of ridicule after giving Letterman a phony excuse for canceling.

Instead, she chose to get the last word on the Today show Friday morning, damning “a so-called comedian” for eroding “a young girl’s self-esteem” with a “joke about statutory rape.”

If she keeps saying so, perhaps the charge will stick, most likely with the daughter she is trying to protect. As for being a serious presidential contender, she should have said it on Letterman.

This is 2009. Real politicians do late night

[DCBryan1]

. As for being a serious presidential contender, she should have said it on Letterman.

I agree. Both Todd and Sarah should have shown up live, said it to his face, and then kicked the living shit out of the pervert on live TV.....

[Russ]

Hey Maggie, do you have a daughter? What would your reaction be if Rush Limbaugh said those things about you and your daughter? Or Obama’s daughter?

[Loyal Buckeye]

Maggie, the comedian.

[Enterprise]

I think Maggie the cat barf is a good description of Carlson.

[goodnesswins]

"Palin’s final mistake was to refuse Letterman’s invitation for a late-night make-up appearance, a moment on the studio sofa every bit as good as make-up sex for smoothing over any scandal, misunderstanding, or affront, real or imagined. It worked for Hugh Grant, Bill Clinton, and recently John McCain, who had come in for weeks of ridicule after giving Letterman a phony excuse for canceling."

Carlson is a piece of __________ (you fill in the blank.)

[PGR88]

She already has outsmarted him.

Letterman went much too far, on a subject (her family) that everyone knows is pushed by the hypocritical MSM - and Palin rightly bashed him for it.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

I’m sick of hearing this story too, but at least it serves to separate the wheat from the PDS chaff. Put me on alert to Scarborough, among others.

[penelopesire]

“....but taking on late night’s prince shows a complete lack of political sophistication.”

hmmm..so I guess when Obama dances like a moron on a lesbian’s talk show, it is great political sophistication. (eye roll)

[EdReform]

LOL!

[BenLurkin]

Carlson has been part of the “death to America” crowd for two decades or more. She pimped Bill Clinton on the McLaughlin group before anybody had heard of the crooked Governor from Arkansas. Maybe she just takes money from the enemy within but it’s much more likely that she is a full fledged card carrying member.

Just my opinion of course.

[CAluvdubya]

but taking on late night’s prince shows a complete lack of political sophistication.

Take him on??? You idiot, it's the other way around. Letterman took on the Palins and he will lose! It's not like he's ever won against the competition in his own field...

[feedback doctor]

Margaret Carlson could not be improved enough to look slutty.

[qwertypie]

Letterman has the “pervert” label to contend with. That’s hardly winning. Palin scored better than any politician in recent times against the smart alecks.

[freekitty]

I thought Margaret went to the old used up reporters retirement home.

[norraad]

Plus, right off the bat..., she's the Gov. of Alaska, in the land of the tough and smart they chose her.

That says loads.

[chiefqc]

Ah, words of wisdom from one of the worlds greatest minds.

[geezerwheezer]

Old Magpie thinks she struck gold on this, and in a way she did. Problem is, it’s FOOL’S GOLD she struck, and she’s just too damned dumb to realize it, and is as crappy as Letterman is without any doubt.

[Monterrosa-24]

“...she’s the Gov. of Alaska, in the land of the tough and smart they chose her.”

That’s what we need to slam Liberals with constantly. Which government is in better hands? Alaska’s or New York’s? ...or California’s? ...or our national government?

[Cheetahcat]

Hey Maggie you ever work as a stewardess in cheap porn?

[Burkean]

Maggie should bone up on her pop culture. Jamie Lyn Spears is the younger sister of Britney Spears—both train wrecks as mothers. The comparison to the Palin family makes it even more obvious that Letterman (or his writer) was referring to little sis following in big sis’s footsteps. It was clear to me, and it never occured to me he might have meant otherwise until he came up with his half-assed “apology”.

[TonyRo76]

Palin can outsmart and outclass Letterman, any day of the week.

[clintonh8r]

From the Capitol Gang days, Margaret always remined me of a chipmunk with her cheeks full of nuts......(Al Hunt’s)

[jmcenanly]

She should also bring some friends.

[ConservativeMan55]

BTTT

[Charlemagne on the Fox]

“Hey Maggie, do you have a daughter?”

Ehhhh . . . have you ever looked at Carlson? Somehow, the prerequisite for having a daughter [or son] seems MOST unlikely.

[LeonardFMason]

“But picking a fight with a trained comedian”

Should read a STRAINED comedian.

Bitterman’s HATE show SUCKS!

[FTJM]

Who said anything about a 14-year-old girl? Not Letterman. That would be… the Palins. It turns out it was Willow, not Bristol, who went to the baseball game. But who knew that until the Palins brought this “disgusting” comment so painful to their younger daughter to the attention of the 300 million people not tuned into David Letterman?

Huh? The outrage was immediate, Palin didn't have to say anything. If anything, Palin was late in making a comment.

[twister881]

She even makes a flight suit look good. Smart, conservative, beautiful, God-fearing leader who gets results. “Palin/twister881 2012!”

[Logophile]

Palin’s final mistake was to refuse Letterman’s invitation for a late-night make-up appearance, a moment on the studio sofa every bit as good as make-up sex for smoothing over any scandal, misunderstanding, or affront, real or imagined.

Apparently Governor Palin is not interested in "make-up sex" with David Letterman. And who could blame her?

(I am surprised that Ms. Carlson would make such a comparison. Apparently she does not want to be taken seriously.)

[VRWCer]

“It worked for Hugh Grant, Bill Clinton, and recently John McCain, who had come in for weeks of ridicule after giving Letterman a phony excuse for canceling.”

That would be the same McCain who went on to get his a$$ kicked by a Kenyan muslim communist, correct? Yes, I see now where that was very politically savvy of him. /s

[sneakin]

I need the freerepublic memory division.

What reporter was suspended by one of the MSM papers or tv station for using the phrase: “pimping Chelsea”?

The Clintons hit that guy hard.

[pallis]

Letterman is humorless scumbag, but I hope his live in and kid are never gang raped. ...Gosh! Was that funny? Maybe I should write stupid jokes for the loser.

Todd and Sarah should never have been put in the position of defending themselves against Letterman’s trash.

[Inwoodian]

Maggie’s daughter was a campaign staffer for Lois Capps, a Dem politician and House Rep. This is far more reprehensible than anything the Palin daughter is accused of.

[LucyJo]

"Margaret Carlson: Palin Can't Outsmart Letterman"

Anyone who thinks Letterman's sniping at Sarah Palin and her daughter from the gutter is "smart" is as big a dumb-ox as Letterman.

Anybody who thought Letterman's non-apology was 'riveting' is easily "rivetted".

[savedbygrace]

a trained comedian

Letterman should sue whoever trained him, because it didn't take. Letterman ain't funny, not by a long shot.

[a fool in paradise]

Palin Can’t Outsmart A Former Drunkard

[a fool in paradise]

But picking a fight with a trained comedian, refusing to accept his apology, and continuing to battle after the white flag is shown reveals a complete lack of political sophistication.

Why go on Letterman's show and give (A)credence to his pigish remarks, and (B)give a much needed ratings bump to SeeBS?

[Miss Behave]

Uglystick-beaten Margaret Carlson couldn’t shine Sarah’s Condi Boots.

[a fool in paradise]

Letterman apologized at unprecedented length for a comment about Palin’s recent trip to New York. 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.” Who said anything about a 14-year-old girl? Not Letterman. That would be… the Palins. It turns out it was Willow, not Bristol, who went to the baseball game. But who knew that until the Palins brought this “disgusting” comment so painful to their younger daughter to the attention of the 300 million people not tuned into David Letterman?

They all look the same to me. < /sarcasm >

The sign of an UNTALENTED comedian is one who makes a joke a gets the basic details WRONG.

"I just boffed your wife!!" Uh, I'm not married. "I mean your mom."

[a fool in paradise]

“I’m telling you, I recognize that these are ugly. These are borderline... [but] these are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl.” The audience tittered. He remained serious.

The audience laughed throughout his wink and nod apology and he never took the audience to task.

I seem to recall someone else who made a televised apology and even took the audience to task when they laughed at his remarks (maybe it was Michael Richards, Kramer from Seinfeld, I don't recall the exact circumstance).

[Exit148]

I didn’t know Carlson — what’s her first name? Margaret? I didn’t know Margaret Carlson was still around.

[a fool in paradise]

The Left threw a collective fit that lasted for over a decade when a picture of Chelsea Clinton was shown for a few seconds when Rush Limbaugh said something like “show them a picture of the new Clinton dog”.

[a fool in paradise]

Hillary Responds to "Pimp"-gate (ABCNews.com ^ | 2/9/08 | Jake Tapper and Eloise Harper)

In Orono, Maine, this morning, following a rally at the University of Maine, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., made her first public remarks about MSNBC's David Shuster having referred to her campaign having "pimped out Chelsea," Clinton's daughter.

"I am a mom first and a candidate second," Clinton told reporters, per ABC News' Eloise Harper. "I found the remarks incredibly offensive. I can take whatever comes my way, that’s part of what I signed up for as a candidate as an office holder, but I think that there’s been a troubling pattern of comments and behavior that has to be held accountable. So I have sent a letter to the head of NBC expressing the deep offense that I took and pointing out what has been a troubling pattern of demeaning treatment, and I would expect appropriate action to be taken."

Shuster has been temporarily suspended for his comments, and he has apologized. He has said he was trying to make a larger point about how Chelsea, 27, has been enlisted to work for the campaign though she refuses to talk on the record to the media.

But Clinton suggests a "pattern" by MSNBC hosts, because she has also been offended by comments made by MSNBC's Chris Matthews, who -- among other comments -- has implied Clinton only has her senate job because of her husband's infidelity with Monica Lewinsky. Under pressure, Matthews apologized on air for that comment.

The campaign has threatened to boycott pending debates on NBC and Clinton would not say today if she would participate in the NBC sponsored debates.

"We have accepted a lot of debates from a lot of different sponsors and were going to wait and see how this plays out," Clinton said.

And so goes the saga of the Pravda Media.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

"But picking a fight with a trained comedian, refusing to accept his apology, and continuing to battle after the white flag is shown reveals a complete lack of political sophistication."

Re: "outsmart" and "sophistication"

It's interesting that she spins it back into this meme about intelligence and sophistication (i.e.,the liberal idea that Palin is unsophisticated and not very intelligent). Which is worse, an unsophisticated person belaboring a bad joke or a seasoned Washington insider and dorky liberal journalist parsing the joke to try to claim Letterman only meant to ridicule the 18-yr-old with a crude joke about a baseball player molesting a high school teenager?

What needs to be studied is why liberals enjoy smearing and piling on people they consider unsophisticated or who dissent from their social agenda. The Palin Derangement Syndrome continues.

What is also interesting is that it is not even Palin that they target but the Tina Fey impersonation of Palin. Liberals did not seem to have a problem with the crudeness and vulgarity of Slick Willy. Given Obama's 20-year association with Rev. Wright, just what exactly is this "sophistication" they claim to be part of?

[2ndDivisionVet]

Here are some of David Letterman’s sponsors:

Aveeno https://www.aveeno.com/contact-us.jsp;jsessionid=ICzq9MKfCJMvYNQPalV7EWJ+CJY

Canon http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/AboutCanon/ciwofloc.html

Citibank https://online.citibank.com/US/JRS/portal/contactus.do

Downey (Owned by P&G) http://www.downy.com/en_US/contactus.jsp

Hellman’s https://secure.hellmanns.com/contact_us.aspx

Lexus (Owned by Toyota) http://www.lexus.com/contact/

Nissan Motors http://www.nissanusa.com/apps/contactus

Rogaine http://www.rogaine.com/men/contact-us

Ambien CR https://contactus.sanofi-aventis.us/default.aspx

bing.com (Owned by Microsoft) https://feedback.discoverbing.com/default.aspx?mkt=en-us&productkey=bingweb&brand=&&locale=en-US&P1=dsathome&P2=&P3=0&P4=&P5=5462F211BC1D4717B52B5B14CB670F99&P6=Needham,%20Massachusetts&P7=Original&P8=&P9=42.285999/-71.233001&P10=24902.0&P11=&P12=&searchtype=Web%20Search&optl1=1&backurl=http://www.bing.com:80/?FORM=FEEDTU&scrx=1

Chase https://www.chase.com/ccp/index.jsp?pg_name=ccpmapp/shared/assets/page/contactus

Ford http://www.fordvehicles.com/help/contact/

Hotels.com http://www.hotels.com/faqs.do?reqType=getQuestions&cmsFaqId=

Listerene (Johnson & Johnson) https://www.listerine.com/contact-us.jsp;jsessionid=o9dUC7PE892Iut-YH7ibH32Z1Wk

Mazda http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/emailMazda.action

Old Navy (Owned by The Gap) http://oldnavy.gap.com/customerService/info.do?cid=3332&mlink=5151,1004621,3&clink=1004621

Samsung http://www.samsung.com/us/info/contactus.html

T-Mobile http://www.t-mobile.com/Contact.aspx

Also if you haven’t yet filed a complaint at the FCC:

http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

Channel and time: CBS at 11:30 p.m. Monday June 8th (rape joke), Tuesday 9th (prostitute joke)

CBS Feedback;
http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form

[Armedanddangerous]

Did she ever shed those terribly out of date 1985 vintage eyeglasses she always wore?

[2ndDivisionVet]

Are you referring to Governor Palin? If so, Mrs. 2ndDivisionVet, who is an optical manager, with 20+ years experience as an optician & lab manager, tells me that those are pricy Japanese semi-custom made eyeglasses. They’re actually hard-to-get and cost about $600-800 a pair.

[driftless2]

It’s a howler how these liberal idiots do contortions to cover up the facts. How would they react if Limbaugh or Hannity made the same cracks about Obama’s wife and daughters? You know they’d be outraged. Letterman makes a disgusting joke about Palin and one her daughters, and these nitwits fall all over themselves to blame Palin for reacting to it.

[Armedanddangerous]

Nope, to Maggie Carlson whose worn the same old wore out glasses that she bought about 1985