Michelle Malkin: The Wonkette-ization of Laura Bush

Michelle Malkin ^ | May 3, 2005 | Michelle Malkin

[EveningStar]

Most of Mrs. Bush's humor at the correspondents' dinner was just right: Edgy but not over the edge. But I think the stripper and horse jokes were totally beneath her.

Just put it to the other-shoe test: If it were Teresa Heinz Kerry standing up on the dais telling the same jokes, the conservative commentariat would be buzzing for the rest of the year about what a tasteless skank she is.

[Howlin]

I'm getting real comfortable back there lately. :-)

[mountaineer]

"Useless debate," indeed. It's a giant "knickers in a twist" extravaganza!

[Xenalyte]

Um, it's Francis, not Eugene.

So you'd better hit them bunks, my little babies, or Sergeant Hulka with the big toe is gonna see how far he can stick it up your - well, you get the point.

[llama hunter]

a) at least Laura is sober

b) and yes consider the audience, the Washington media, please

c) guess I'm a South Park Conservative, I thought it was funny, but more importantly her delivery was impeccable, Cedric must have given her some pointers.......

she was way too gracious to that lot...

I mean with Jane Fonda and Richard Gere in the crowd it was amazing neither Bush pulled a Bush 41, if you know what I mean

[Xenalyte]

And the best part is I'm not lyin'!

If I were to tell on FR the jokes my dad tells me, I'd be banned, the men would be blushing, and the ladies would think it a hoot.

[Melas]

You just said a mouth full there. This is truly proof positive that the liberal mindset that everyone has the right to not be offended has spread well into certain conservative corners.

[Dog Gone]

The people around here who were offended baffle me. The idea of those ladies going to Chippendale's is hilarious on the face of it.

The horse joke is an old one and just told to make fun of Dubya.

Nobody took any of those jokes seriously except for a certain segment here who are probably offended at least a dozen times a day.

[llama hunter]

I really enjoy Michelle Malkin but I just disagree with her on this issue

it's a big tent as they say

it's a big world

[Wallace T.]

The main purpose of Laura Bush's bawdy remarks was to lessen the hostility between the Administration and the "permanent government" of the "prestige" media, the entertainment community, lobbyists, and Democrat and RINO politicians. No doubt the Administration's advisers knew that the tenor of her remarks would displease many social conservatives. However, the hard fact is that, lacking a solid conservative majority in Congress, the President must turn to the "Inside the Beltway" crowd to try to accomplish his goals for the second term.

Additionally, Bush does not need the Christian Right or other social conservatives since his reelection. Pat Robertson has been silent on the matter and nothing has been posted on the Focus on the Family or the American Family Association Web sites. World Net Daily was quiet as well. The only commentator who reacted negatively to the First Lady's speech with social conservative ties was Bill Bennett. The Christian Right groups may realize that open hostility would result in high visibility ridicule from the MSM and even the Administration reneging on their promises for conservative judges. In effect, they have been neutralized in this matter.

Wlady Pleszczynski and Michelle Malkin are courageous for not toeing the line, but it appears that the Bush Administration is playing Realpolitik. For the price of a few off-color jokes, the President has received praise from many MSM sources for the first time in several years. It also encourages those people in Republican ranks who wish to silence the voices of conservative Christians in the party. They are the heirs of the Rockefeller or "Me Too" Republicans of a generation ago (albeit more pro-free market than were the 1960s era moderate Republicans).

Harry Truman was correct when he said that if you want a friend in Washington, you should buy a dog.

[Melas]

When I was very small I learned that you can't please everyone. It's obviously a lesson that needed more exposure.

[Primetimedonna]

"And my husband thinks I'm plain nuts. LOL"

Boy, can I identify with that!! My husband votes conservative, but doesn't believe in getting involved in discussions. I on the other hand....... When conservative friends who are also Talk Radio fanatics and Freepers come over, his first words are "Please, don't get her started"

[Xenalyte]

When we went out of town last year to attend a friend's wedding, I was prohibited from talking politics unless someone else brought up the topic first.

It like to killed me.

[Melas]

If you're a moderate, count me there. Personally, I don't think the hyper-authoritarian folks you referred to are really far-right or even truly conservative. Real conservatives aren't busybodies obsessed with wielding government authority.

[alwaysconservative]

I generally refer to the people who are always offended as "PITO", meaning "perpetually indignant and terminally offended". The surprising thing for me is that it is usually leftists who are so ready to be offended. I never expected a "live and let live" conservative (a real one, that is), to be so indignant. Most of the conservatives I know have excellent senses of humor!

[Recovering_Democrat]

Can't we all just get along??!?

[Cherokee Conservative]

Good grief Peach. The liberals ran off most Christians from their party by calling them the Taliban, Holy Rollers, and any other name they could think of when they didn't agree on moral issues. You try the same tactic and then blame Christians for breaking up the party. ????

People disagreed on some jokes the first Lady told for hells sake! Does it really have to destroy the party? I wasn't bothered by the jokes, but I did cringe a little knowing that some would be. It doesn't make me hate them and call them names though. You're the one with the venom for anyone who doesn't agree with you on something stupid, and just because their Christians. If you don't want people with different opinions or religious values at FR, and want it to go back to being small and insignificant, that's just stupid. If you want the same for the Republican party, the Democrats win. All because you can't stand religious people.

[WireAndWood]

Having now read the First Lady's speech, I must side with the 'so what?' voices here. Nobody who grew up in the country (with the possible exception of Amish country) would find those comments crude.

While I agree that we have too mush sexualization of everything from the left... these comments are ... nothing. Less than nothing.

I am also continually impressed with the gentle good-natured ability for the Bushes to laugh at themselves, which reveals them to be genuine good-hearted people. Someone in this thread was dead-on when they noted that Hairy Terry Kerry would never be free to make any such jokes about her stuffed-shirt gold-digger husband.

[Paul Atreides]

Personally, I didn't think that she was pandering to popular culture by mentioning the strippers and Desperate Housewives. I think the jokes were used because no one would ever dream of Laura Bush going to Chippendales or watching the series. It is an age-old routine.

I thought Cedric's bit on Condi and Dileeza was hilarious.

[pollyannaish]

Amen.