Last November, Democrats took back the White House and the Congress with a huge mandate from the American people. Ever since then, Democrats in Congress have been acting as if they actually lost the election instead.
Their latest act of spinelessness came yesterday when the Senate voted 83-7 to deny ACORN any federal funds. Apparently, Democrats have never met a right wing smear campaign they didn't like.
The Senate's move means that ACORN, the most effective organization for helping low income people avoid foreclosures, will not be able to receive grants for counseling low-income people on how to get mortgages and for fair housing education and outreach. That would be like the Census Bureau refusing to work with ACORN to count how many low income and minority Americans live in America. Which is what the wimpy Census Bureau actually did do last week, when they said they won't work with ACORN on the census.
Who cares about minority representation in this country anyway? Apparently not Republicans and right wing pundits. Because their obsession with ACORN stems from the simple fact that the minority communities ACORN works with tend to vote Democratic. So what better way to keep down voter registration in those areas than by constantly harassing the people trying to register them? Yes there were a few instances of workers writing fake names on petitions. (Although I suppose it's possible for your name to really be Donald Duck. But not likely.) And those workers were promptly fired. As were the workers who were duped by a conservative activist filmmaker in the recent entrapment scheme caught on tape.
But what really makes this standup comedian's hair stand up, is the way the Democrats have meekly given in to almost every right wing smear. When Van Jones was unfairly attacked and forced to resign, no one from the White House said a thing. Couldn't someone have just said, "Hey, Van Jones is the foremost authority on green jobs. He didn't say or do anything to disqualify him for that job." But they just let him go.
Then there was the communications director for the NEA who lost his job for making a conference call. When a guy in charge of communications can't make a phone call, you would think someone might have the courage to say, "Hey, what's wrong with that?" Instead, they hung up on him too.
Republicans, on the other hand, stand by their man. Congressman Wilson(the "you lie" guy)has been assured that his party will support him. They've even made him a cult hero. Governor Sanford mysteriously disappears, resurfaces with a mistress in Argentina, and guess what? He's still Governor.
This standup comedian will always stand up for the right of every American to stand up for their beliefs. It's time for Democrats to stand up and catch us if we fall. If they do that, they might actually realize they won the last election.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Ted Kennedy Goes Out On A Laugh
When a comedian leaves the stage at the end of a show, you always want to leave the audience laughing. No matter how well your performance was received, your last routine tends to leave the most lasting impression on the audience.
And so it was with the closing act in the life of Ted Kennedy. Although he accomplished more than any Senator in history, the quality of his that has been referred to the most is Kennedy's great, bellowing laugh, his wonderful and at times mischievous sense of humor, and his refusal to take himself too seriously even as he grappled with the serious issues of our time.
There were personal missteps along the way, but just as an audience allows a comedian to redeem himself after a joke misfires, Ted Kennedy left the stage for the last time with the enormous respect and gratitude of most Americans. And just like a successful comedian, he left us laughing too.
His memorial service and his funeral were filled with wonderfully funny stories about how funny Ted Kennedy was. And how much fun he was to be around. And among those who expressed those sentiments were John McCain and Orrin Hatch, who usually disagreed with Kennedy, but as Hatch said, were "fighting brothers". Which meant these three men from widely different backgrounds and with starkly contrasting ideology, still found common ground the way a family does. Because all three men were passionate about their beliefs, passionate about public service, and passionate about getting things done for the American people.
Today most Senators and Congressmen are passionate about themselves, passionate about their political future and passionate about being mean to those they disagree with. Those Republicans who care only about trying to defeat President Obama and hope that a failure to get healthcare reform passed will be his "Waterloo", will receive no laughter, and no applause when they leave the stage. And they will have left no lasting impression with their audience.
And those Democrats who are more interested in protecting the interests of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies than standing up for the rights of the people, will likewise be ignored and forgotten by their audience when they leave the stage.
Someone told me they thought the way Ted Kennedy got along with his adversaries was "old school". There's nothing old about treating people honestly and respectfully, there's nothing old about seeking the facts and honoring the truth, and there's certainly nothing old about being a nice, charming, funny, smart person who treats people in a caring way.
I would call the political discourse of today more like elementary school, except that would be unfair to elementary school kids. And the mean spiritedness of some politicians and some of those in the media is more like high school.
One of the few to rise above this pettiness and demonization is President Obama, whose judgement, intelligence, fairness and humor often make him appear to be the only adult in the room. That's why Ted Kennedy saw Obama as the best person to carry the Kennedy torch.
As we approach the closing act of the healthcare debate, both Republicans and Democrats are not connecting with the audience. They can choose to leave the stage before the show is over, like some Republicans have done. They can try to win the audience over with cheap, mean-spirited material.
Or they can do as Teddy would have done. They can be smart. They can be honest. They can be nice. And yes, they can be funny. And if they can do all of that, they will earn the standing ovation America just gave Ted Kennedy.
And when that happens, Ted Kennedy will have the last laugh.
And so it was with the closing act in the life of Ted Kennedy. Although he accomplished more than any Senator in history, the quality of his that has been referred to the most is Kennedy's great, bellowing laugh, his wonderful and at times mischievous sense of humor, and his refusal to take himself too seriously even as he grappled with the serious issues of our time.
There were personal missteps along the way, but just as an audience allows a comedian to redeem himself after a joke misfires, Ted Kennedy left the stage for the last time with the enormous respect and gratitude of most Americans. And just like a successful comedian, he left us laughing too.
His memorial service and his funeral were filled with wonderfully funny stories about how funny Ted Kennedy was. And how much fun he was to be around. And among those who expressed those sentiments were John McCain and Orrin Hatch, who usually disagreed with Kennedy, but as Hatch said, were "fighting brothers". Which meant these three men from widely different backgrounds and with starkly contrasting ideology, still found common ground the way a family does. Because all three men were passionate about their beliefs, passionate about public service, and passionate about getting things done for the American people.
Today most Senators and Congressmen are passionate about themselves, passionate about their political future and passionate about being mean to those they disagree with. Those Republicans who care only about trying to defeat President Obama and hope that a failure to get healthcare reform passed will be his "Waterloo", will receive no laughter, and no applause when they leave the stage. And they will have left no lasting impression with their audience.
And those Democrats who are more interested in protecting the interests of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies than standing up for the rights of the people, will likewise be ignored and forgotten by their audience when they leave the stage.
Someone told me they thought the way Ted Kennedy got along with his adversaries was "old school". There's nothing old about treating people honestly and respectfully, there's nothing old about seeking the facts and honoring the truth, and there's certainly nothing old about being a nice, charming, funny, smart person who treats people in a caring way.
I would call the political discourse of today more like elementary school, except that would be unfair to elementary school kids. And the mean spiritedness of some politicians and some of those in the media is more like high school.
One of the few to rise above this pettiness and demonization is President Obama, whose judgement, intelligence, fairness and humor often make him appear to be the only adult in the room. That's why Ted Kennedy saw Obama as the best person to carry the Kennedy torch.
As we approach the closing act of the healthcare debate, both Republicans and Democrats are not connecting with the audience. They can choose to leave the stage before the show is over, like some Republicans have done. They can try to win the audience over with cheap, mean-spirited material.
Or they can do as Teddy would have done. They can be smart. They can be honest. They can be nice. And yes, they can be funny. And if they can do all of that, they will earn the standing ovation America just gave Ted Kennedy.
And when that happens, Ted Kennedy will have the last laugh.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
What Do Republicans Really Want?
If the Republicans actually had a platform on healthcare reform, here's my version of what it might look like.
"As Republicans, we ask 'Who says our healthcare system doesn't work?' The CEO of AETNA made $24 million last year.It certainly works for him. Sure there's 47 million Americans who don't have health insurance, but we're more concerned about making sure those CEO's don't get a salary cut.
That's why we hate the idea of a public option. By increasing competition and lowering costs, the CEO of AETNA might have to settle for only $12 million a year. Who can live on that? And if the insurance companies make less money, that means they'll contribute less money to our reelection campaigns. And by the way, although we hate to say anything nice about Democrats, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus feels the same way as we do on this. He should. He's received $3.9 million from those insurance guys.
We hate the idea of a nameless, faceless government bureaucrat coming between you and your doctor. Of course we've never met a nameless, faceless government bureaucrat. They're pretty hard to find, being nameless and faceless and all. But we love the idea of a nameless, faceless insurance company bureaucrat coming between you and your doctor. Because they're just looking out for you. They're not in it for the money.
Those liberals ask why we're the only industrialized nation without national healthcare. And we tell them, because we're better than everyone else! Do you really think we're going to support a government run public option just because a bunch of French people like the idea? We'd rather eat a bucket of Freedom Fries than spend a minute in that left-wing foreign-speaking country.
And so, you might ask, what kind of healthcare reform do we support? Well, to be perfectly honest, we actually agree with about 70% of what's in all of those bills floating around. But we're not interested in seeing any healthcare reform bill passed. Even one we agree with. Why let Obama get all the credit for living up to his campaign promise, when we can defeat healthcare reform, make him look weak, and be sitting pretty in 2010? And with all the money we'll get from the insurance companies, we should win then too.
Just between you and me, we don't know why Obama seems willing to give in on the public option. Whether it's in there or not, we're still not going to vote for the bill. So he might as well fight to keep it in there. But don't tell him we said that.
So what kind of healthcare reform do we Republicans really want? The kind that keeps the Republican party healthy. None."
"As Republicans, we ask 'Who says our healthcare system doesn't work?' The CEO of AETNA made $24 million last year.It certainly works for him. Sure there's 47 million Americans who don't have health insurance, but we're more concerned about making sure those CEO's don't get a salary cut.
That's why we hate the idea of a public option. By increasing competition and lowering costs, the CEO of AETNA might have to settle for only $12 million a year. Who can live on that? And if the insurance companies make less money, that means they'll contribute less money to our reelection campaigns. And by the way, although we hate to say anything nice about Democrats, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus feels the same way as we do on this. He should. He's received $3.9 million from those insurance guys.
We hate the idea of a nameless, faceless government bureaucrat coming between you and your doctor. Of course we've never met a nameless, faceless government bureaucrat. They're pretty hard to find, being nameless and faceless and all. But we love the idea of a nameless, faceless insurance company bureaucrat coming between you and your doctor. Because they're just looking out for you. They're not in it for the money.
Those liberals ask why we're the only industrialized nation without national healthcare. And we tell them, because we're better than everyone else! Do you really think we're going to support a government run public option just because a bunch of French people like the idea? We'd rather eat a bucket of Freedom Fries than spend a minute in that left-wing foreign-speaking country.
And so, you might ask, what kind of healthcare reform do we support? Well, to be perfectly honest, we actually agree with about 70% of what's in all of those bills floating around. But we're not interested in seeing any healthcare reform bill passed. Even one we agree with. Why let Obama get all the credit for living up to his campaign promise, when we can defeat healthcare reform, make him look weak, and be sitting pretty in 2010? And with all the money we'll get from the insurance companies, we should win then too.
Just between you and me, we don't know why Obama seems willing to give in on the public option. Whether it's in there or not, we're still not going to vote for the bill. So he might as well fight to keep it in there. But don't tell him we said that.
So what kind of healthcare reform do we Republicans really want? The kind that keeps the Republican party healthy. None."
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Warning: Supporting Health Care Reform May Be Dangerous To Your Health
Healthy debate is what America is all about. But the ugly, undemocratic behavior by a few Americans in health care town hall meetings is making me sick.
Democratic Congressman Brad Miller of North Carolina, who supports health care reform, even received a death threat last week. How's that for a little irony? A guy wants to make sure Americans receive better health care so they can live a longer, healthier life. And someone threatens to kill him for that.
Town hall meetings serve the valuable and democratic purpose of giving Americans the chance to ask their representatives any question they might have about the life and death issue of health care. Maybe they should have posted a few rules online first.
When you ask your question, give your representative a chance to answer the question, without shouting them down and yelling at them.
Let other Americans ask a question too, without shouting them down and yelling at them.
Don't repeat verbatim the words that conservative special interest groups are telling you to say. Change the words around a little. If you say, "I don't want a government bureaucrat coming between the doctor-patient relationship", people are going to know you didn't come up with that on your own.
Don't believe every health care email you read. Some can be pretty bogus. I got one that was filled with misleading information. I think it was written by the same Nigerian prince that claims you have 800 million dollars waiting for you in the bank.
I can understand if Americans don't know what a town hall meeting is all about. Remember all those town hall meetings during the runup to the Iraq war? Oh that's right. There weren't any. How about all those town hall meetings about the Bush-Cheney energy plan? Oh, yeah-there weren't any then either. In fact, Cheney kept all of the meetings about the energy bill secret. Now that's democracy in action!
Maybe we need something like the "Beer Summit" to resolve this issue in a calm, reasonable manner. But since beer isn't the greatest thing for your health, we need another form of liquid nourishment.
The Intravenous Summit?
If we could all just take a deep breath, calm down, and act like people who love democracy and freedom of speech for all, we might actually be able to come up with a health care plan that most Americans could feel good about.
Now that would be something to shout about!
Democratic Congressman Brad Miller of North Carolina, who supports health care reform, even received a death threat last week. How's that for a little irony? A guy wants to make sure Americans receive better health care so they can live a longer, healthier life. And someone threatens to kill him for that.
Town hall meetings serve the valuable and democratic purpose of giving Americans the chance to ask their representatives any question they might have about the life and death issue of health care. Maybe they should have posted a few rules online first.
When you ask your question, give your representative a chance to answer the question, without shouting them down and yelling at them.
Let other Americans ask a question too, without shouting them down and yelling at them.
Don't repeat verbatim the words that conservative special interest groups are telling you to say. Change the words around a little. If you say, "I don't want a government bureaucrat coming between the doctor-patient relationship", people are going to know you didn't come up with that on your own.
Don't believe every health care email you read. Some can be pretty bogus. I got one that was filled with misleading information. I think it was written by the same Nigerian prince that claims you have 800 million dollars waiting for you in the bank.
I can understand if Americans don't know what a town hall meeting is all about. Remember all those town hall meetings during the runup to the Iraq war? Oh that's right. There weren't any. How about all those town hall meetings about the Bush-Cheney energy plan? Oh, yeah-there weren't any then either. In fact, Cheney kept all of the meetings about the energy bill secret. Now that's democracy in action!
Maybe we need something like the "Beer Summit" to resolve this issue in a calm, reasonable manner. But since beer isn't the greatest thing for your health, we need another form of liquid nourishment.
The Intravenous Summit?
If we could all just take a deep breath, calm down, and act like people who love democracy and freedom of speech for all, we might actually be able to come up with a health care plan that most Americans could feel good about.
Now that would be something to shout about!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Finding Peace at Summer Camp
In my ongoing quest to find common ground between liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, let's go to camp!
Not just any summer camp. The Seeds of Peace camp where each summer, Israelis and Palestinians, and teenagers from other warring nations come together in an idyllic setting in Maine. To play sports, to laugh at the same jokes, and to engage in spirited, intense, yet respectful debate about the issues in the Middle East. Exactly what the "adults" on all sides have not been doing.
Just as teenagers are the people to turn to when your computer is acting up, they are also the ones who have a better handle on how to "fix" the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Consider this hopeful comment reported today by the New York Times:
"After the dialogue sessions have ended, everyone's really OK. We get together, we hug, we kiss," said Marian, a Palestinian from Ramallah who attended camp in 2007 and returned this year to help the newcomers."
For the past seven years, Palestinian-American comedian Dean Obeidallah and I(a Jewish-American comedian) have performed our comedy show "Standup for Peace: The Two Comedian Solution to Middle East Peace at colleges, theaters, Jewish Community Centers, synagogues and mosques across the U.S.
And one of our most gratifying and memorable performances was in 2005 for an audience of Israelis and Palestinians in their 20's who had returned to the Seeds of Peace camp in Maine 10 years after their initial visit. The same material we perform for American audiences was equally well-received at the camp. And of course, as usual, we crafted routines specifically geared for the Israelis and Palestinians in attendance. We still fondly recall the positive comments we received after the show from Israelis and Palestinians alike, who were thankful for a chance to spend an evening together laughing, and to walk away from the show with renewed hope for a better future. Dean and I especially cherish this quote from Vera Chang:
"I had the honor of working at the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine for the Leadership Summit, where I was captivated by your Standup for Peace show. It was not only incredibly funny and entertaining, but also carried peaceful messages of understanding. It was truly amazing to witness the Israelis and Palestinians come together after the performance later that night and reenact jokes, making both sides laugh."
I think we can all agree that the status quo in the Middle East isn't working for both Israelis and Palestinians. The rocket attacks from Hamas and Israel's bombing of Gaza only contribute to a cycle of violence that keeps both sides further away from peace. The only way to achieve peace in the Middle East is to talk. Some people say, "We tried talking; it didn't work". That's like saying, "I tried breathing; I didn't care for it".
When it comes to breathing new life into the quest for Middle East peace, the best place to start is the Seeds of Peace camp. And the Israeli and Palestinian teenagers there right now, know the best way to bring about peace is to talk to each other, listen to each other, express their varying points of view, and in the end, as Marian from Ramallah says, "We hug and kiss."
Now that's the kind of common ground we can all share.
Not just any summer camp. The Seeds of Peace camp where each summer, Israelis and Palestinians, and teenagers from other warring nations come together in an idyllic setting in Maine. To play sports, to laugh at the same jokes, and to engage in spirited, intense, yet respectful debate about the issues in the Middle East. Exactly what the "adults" on all sides have not been doing.
Just as teenagers are the people to turn to when your computer is acting up, they are also the ones who have a better handle on how to "fix" the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Consider this hopeful comment reported today by the New York Times:
"After the dialogue sessions have ended, everyone's really OK. We get together, we hug, we kiss," said Marian, a Palestinian from Ramallah who attended camp in 2007 and returned this year to help the newcomers."
For the past seven years, Palestinian-American comedian Dean Obeidallah and I(a Jewish-American comedian) have performed our comedy show "Standup for Peace: The Two Comedian Solution to Middle East Peace at colleges, theaters, Jewish Community Centers, synagogues and mosques across the U.S.
And one of our most gratifying and memorable performances was in 2005 for an audience of Israelis and Palestinians in their 20's who had returned to the Seeds of Peace camp in Maine 10 years after their initial visit. The same material we perform for American audiences was equally well-received at the camp. And of course, as usual, we crafted routines specifically geared for the Israelis and Palestinians in attendance. We still fondly recall the positive comments we received after the show from Israelis and Palestinians alike, who were thankful for a chance to spend an evening together laughing, and to walk away from the show with renewed hope for a better future. Dean and I especially cherish this quote from Vera Chang:
"I had the honor of working at the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine for the Leadership Summit, where I was captivated by your Standup for Peace show. It was not only incredibly funny and entertaining, but also carried peaceful messages of understanding. It was truly amazing to witness the Israelis and Palestinians come together after the performance later that night and reenact jokes, making both sides laugh."
I think we can all agree that the status quo in the Middle East isn't working for both Israelis and Palestinians. The rocket attacks from Hamas and Israel's bombing of Gaza only contribute to a cycle of violence that keeps both sides further away from peace. The only way to achieve peace in the Middle East is to talk. Some people say, "We tried talking; it didn't work". That's like saying, "I tried breathing; I didn't care for it".
When it comes to breathing new life into the quest for Middle East peace, the best place to start is the Seeds of Peace camp. And the Israeli and Palestinian teenagers there right now, know the best way to bring about peace is to talk to each other, listen to each other, express their varying points of view, and in the end, as Marian from Ramallah says, "We hug and kiss."
Now that's the kind of common ground we can all share.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Hey, It's a Joke!
Every American, whether they are liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, has something important in common.
We like to laugh.
And at a time when economic distress and other pressing problems face our country, we need to laugh now more than ever. Yet some Americans aren't just not laughing at the jokes, they want to stop comedians from telling jokes in the first place.
Those who urge advertisers to boycott the Late Show with David Letterman because of his jokes about Sarah Palin's adult daughter, and who even seek to have Letterman fired, remind me of the reaction to Bill Maher's very different kind of comments on his "Politically Incorrect" show shortly after the attacks of September 11. And at the time, I had this letter published in The New York Times:
"The television stations that drop ''Politically Incorrect,'' and the advertisers that boycott the show, are the ones guilty of a lack of patriotism, not its host, Bill Maher. It would be chilling if one of the first casualties of our war for freedom was our right to debate all opinions vigorously, no matter how unpopular, here at home. Whatever the nature of Mr. Maher's misinterpreted remarks, his rights and those of his guests to exercise freedom of speech should not be silenced."
Not long after that letter was published, Maher's show was cancelled. Fortunately HBO had the good sense shortly thereafter, to hire him as the host of a new show.
Letterman's Palin jokes were like all jokes. Some people thought they were funny. Some people didn't think they were funny. And some people were offended. The same three reactions all comedians, including myself, can expect. In the past, if you didn't think someone on television was funny, you had a surefire option. Turn the channel. Lately, some Americans seem to be ignoring their remote in favor of an advertiser boycott.
So far, only Embassy Suites(a Hilton family hotel) has caved in to the pressure from a handful of Americans, and cancelled its online advertising for the Letterman show and CBS. Which drew the ire of the letter writer in me once again. To the Hilton office, I wrote:
"As a longtime Hilton Honors member and a former warmup comedian for the Late Show with David Letterman, I was extremely disappointed to learn that Embassy Suites was pulling its online advertising for the Letterman show. By giving in to the pressure of right wing groups, Embassy Suites and the entire family of Hilton hotels, is rejecting the democratic ideals of free speech this country was founded upon. If your online advertising for the Letterman show is not reinstated, I will exercise my democratic rights by not staying at any Hilton properties in the future."
That letter isn't funny. Because comedians like myself aren't laughing at the way Sarah Palin unjustly attacked Letterman and essentially called him a child molester. Letterman has been singled out for going after the Palin family, even though both Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien performed similiar jokes during the campaign. Letterman has gone way above and beyond the call of duty, by apologizing numerous times. I wish he simply could have said, "Hey, it's a JOKE!" But that would not have satisfied a publicity hungry politician willing to use her children, rather than her intellect, to stay in the public eye.
There are many issues we should be vigorously debating right now in our country. Whether a comedian has the right to tell a joke should not be one of them.
We like to laugh.
And at a time when economic distress and other pressing problems face our country, we need to laugh now more than ever. Yet some Americans aren't just not laughing at the jokes, they want to stop comedians from telling jokes in the first place.
Those who urge advertisers to boycott the Late Show with David Letterman because of his jokes about Sarah Palin's adult daughter, and who even seek to have Letterman fired, remind me of the reaction to Bill Maher's very different kind of comments on his "Politically Incorrect" show shortly after the attacks of September 11. And at the time, I had this letter published in The New York Times:
"The television stations that drop ''Politically Incorrect,'' and the advertisers that boycott the show, are the ones guilty of a lack of patriotism, not its host, Bill Maher. It would be chilling if one of the first casualties of our war for freedom was our right to debate all opinions vigorously, no matter how unpopular, here at home. Whatever the nature of Mr. Maher's misinterpreted remarks, his rights and those of his guests to exercise freedom of speech should not be silenced."
Not long after that letter was published, Maher's show was cancelled. Fortunately HBO had the good sense shortly thereafter, to hire him as the host of a new show.
Letterman's Palin jokes were like all jokes. Some people thought they were funny. Some people didn't think they were funny. And some people were offended. The same three reactions all comedians, including myself, can expect. In the past, if you didn't think someone on television was funny, you had a surefire option. Turn the channel. Lately, some Americans seem to be ignoring their remote in favor of an advertiser boycott.
So far, only Embassy Suites(a Hilton family hotel) has caved in to the pressure from a handful of Americans, and cancelled its online advertising for the Letterman show and CBS. Which drew the ire of the letter writer in me once again. To the Hilton office, I wrote:
"As a longtime Hilton Honors member and a former warmup comedian for the Late Show with David Letterman, I was extremely disappointed to learn that Embassy Suites was pulling its online advertising for the Letterman show. By giving in to the pressure of right wing groups, Embassy Suites and the entire family of Hilton hotels, is rejecting the democratic ideals of free speech this country was founded upon. If your online advertising for the Letterman show is not reinstated, I will exercise my democratic rights by not staying at any Hilton properties in the future."
That letter isn't funny. Because comedians like myself aren't laughing at the way Sarah Palin unjustly attacked Letterman and essentially called him a child molester. Letterman has been singled out for going after the Palin family, even though both Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien performed similiar jokes during the campaign. Letterman has gone way above and beyond the call of duty, by apologizing numerous times. I wish he simply could have said, "Hey, it's a JOKE!" But that would not have satisfied a publicity hungry politician willing to use her children, rather than her intellect, to stay in the public eye.
There are many issues we should be vigorously debating right now in our country. Whether a comedian has the right to tell a joke should not be one of them.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sarah Palin Gets A Bronx Cheer
As a political comedian, I was thrilled that Sarah Palin was in New York over the weekend. But not as thrilled as the owners of the New York Yankees. Palin was at Yankee Stadium with Rudy Giuliani on Sunday, making them the first people to actually sit in those $2600 seats behind home plate. Not that they paid for the tickets. Palin may not like accepting federal stimulus money to help Alaskans, but she's happy to say "you betcha!" when offered free first row Yankees tickets.
Apparently when Giuliani first asked Palin to go to the game, she said no. Then she said it was a communication error, and that she had meant to say yes. Even though she wasn't sure if Giuliani had in fact asked her in the first place. Then she told Giuliani she wasn't going, until she found out he had invited Newt Gingrich to the game instead of her. But since Gingrich had been chosen as the keynote speaker for a Republican National Committee dinner on Monday, after Palin had said no, then yes, then she was never asked, then yes, then I'll just sit in the crowd and wave, Gingrich had to stay home and study for his big speech. Or Twitter about Sonia Sotomayor. So Palin wound up going.
I'm sorry Palin didn't get the chance to speak at the dinner Monday. And so is Tina Fey. Palin is fascinating and fun to watch. Newt Gingrich, not so much. In fact, I wish it was Sarah Palin and not Dick Cheney who was monopolizing the airwaves lately. Even though they both say things I strongly disagree with, I'm happy to watch Palin as she says those things I strongly disagree with. When Cheney speaks, the darkness and gloom overwhelms me so much, I have to turn the channel.
So I hope Palin doesn't act like a stranger, and visits New York more often. Maybe next time she can go to a Mets game and sit in the first row behind home plate at Citi Field. Those free tickets only cost about $600.
Apparently when Giuliani first asked Palin to go to the game, she said no. Then she said it was a communication error, and that she had meant to say yes. Even though she wasn't sure if Giuliani had in fact asked her in the first place. Then she told Giuliani she wasn't going, until she found out he had invited Newt Gingrich to the game instead of her. But since Gingrich had been chosen as the keynote speaker for a Republican National Committee dinner on Monday, after Palin had said no, then yes, then she was never asked, then yes, then I'll just sit in the crowd and wave, Gingrich had to stay home and study for his big speech. Or Twitter about Sonia Sotomayor. So Palin wound up going.
I'm sorry Palin didn't get the chance to speak at the dinner Monday. And so is Tina Fey. Palin is fascinating and fun to watch. Newt Gingrich, not so much. In fact, I wish it was Sarah Palin and not Dick Cheney who was monopolizing the airwaves lately. Even though they both say things I strongly disagree with, I'm happy to watch Palin as she says those things I strongly disagree with. When Cheney speaks, the darkness and gloom overwhelms me so much, I have to turn the channel.
So I hope Palin doesn't act like a stranger, and visits New York more often. Maybe next time she can go to a Mets game and sit in the first row behind home plate at Citi Field. Those free tickets only cost about $600.
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