Conservative Columnist Blames Obama For Letterman's Palin Joke

During a discussion of David Letterman's joke about Sarah Palin on "Hannity" on Thursday night, conservative columnist S.E. Cupp blamed Obama.

Cupp and Sean Hannity didn't accept Letterman's explanation of his joke, in which he regretted the comments, and slammed the lack of outrage in the mainstream media about the jokes in which Letterman referred to Palin's "slutty-flight-attendant look" and quipped that her daughter got "knocked up by [NY Yankee] Alex Rodriguez"

Cupp, who is a contributor to the Washington Post and Politico, fumed:

"This is the enduring legacy of the Obama campaign. I'm not saying this to be inflammatory, I blame Barack Obama because he allowed his surrogates in the media and Hollywood and everyone else on the left to do this dirty talking for him."

Cupp called on Obama to condemn the comments.

Hannity agreed with Cupp, adding "It's like a Sista Souljah moment," referring to the infamous scandal in which then-candidate Bill Clinton repudiated the rapper's comments, outraging free-speech advocates but helping him win the votes of conservative Democrats.

Watch the exchange:

Comments

[Tasha Gordon-Solmon - Huffpost Blogger]

Okay, jetting off to see a play on Broadway is one thing. But now he's on the writing staff of Letterman? How does he still have time to run the country, is what I'd like to know.

[vagabondvet]

I know! When does Obama run the country when he spends all his time trying to be a banker or an automobile executive?

[Levittown]

It used to was to blame Hillary or Bill for everything the swift-boating right wingers were annoyed with but now if not Michelle it must Barck Obama that should be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail. Well they can get in line. The whiners who are supposed to be helping to get America back on course are also too busy trying to decide who should head their party. And until they select a leader they are taking petty pot shots at Barack and Michelle for going out to dinner and a show or going to their
daughters school for a visit. It seems when the high and mighty lose their way they strike out in all directions and end up with their feet in their mouths. The voters will remember and if this administration ever gets going with a special prosecutor to back track on the Bush and Cheney years they will really run for cover.

[Tetiana]

She is short one french fry of a happy mean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WaitingforJanuary]

Michelle Obama doesn't have slutty flight attendant look, but was attacked about her sleevelessness..

[WaitingforJanuary]

Why would Obama be expected to condemn Letterman?

[wagthedog1001]

You can't fix STUPID.

[womo41]

When I think class I look at the Obama family. Just the opposite to the class of the Obamas, you'll find the Palins. Look at the mess surrounding the Palin family: unwed pregnate eldest daughter; mother-in-law arrested for drug possession. You never saw Michelle or Barack parading their daughters around during the campaign. The "talking heads" on Fox can see only wrong without logic when comes to Democrats, liberals or moderates. During the campaign Barack did, in fact, state that families--not just his families, but all candidate families should be off limits when it came to attacks. Sarah Palin paraded her entire family to all her campaign jaunts as if it was her "red badge of courage". It made me so ashamed to see her trouncing on stage with her 14 months old down-syndrome baby. I kept asking myself: "how can she do that?" But again this was classless on her part. So she has placed herself in a position to be lampooned--all I can say is: "good riddance".

[vagabondvet]

How classy is allowing an illegal immigrant aunt get deported, or allowing a brother to live the so-called "less than a dollar a day" life? Or what about dates costing tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars?

[maineac2]

Spot on!

[JessWonderin]

or spending MILLIONS to trim brush at a country photo prop . . . . or allowing a brother to fleece school districts with worthless software . . . . oops . . . THAT"S George . . . . .

[whitehawk]

Believe me; This woman loves contraversy, and as long as her name is mentioned she's in heaven, She doesn't care I swear what is said, as long as it gives her the 'star' opportunity. Many conservative columnist's are upset with her, telling their audience the truth.

"She is unready for an election of this magnitude, and unwilling to upgrade herself with knowlede to further her career". "She believes she is ready and does not want to be told otherwise", "and she will lose the bid for re-election or for a higher office". "She does not like to be told".

So this is the little game she 's playing to distract the entire country with petty melodramatic, domestic issue's when Americans are suffering. This is how 'selfish she is and how incompetent she is.

[Archivist1000]

Sarah Palin has a lot of nerve .. after what she said over and over again during the campaign, even debunked lies .... she has no call to be offended at anything anyone says ...

OH and ... that 14 yr old daughter, wasn't she sitting there, in an open vehicle, waving at the crowd last weekend, like 'royalty' ???? Put the kid out there, expect jokes about it Sarah ....

[ecomarxist]

By your logic aren't the Obama children fair game?

I'm sure all you caring libs thought it was hilarious when Jay Mohr compared Michelle to Elton Brand...

[LeftRight]

Actually, try to find anything about the Obama girls. They were at some of the most important campaign events (election night, convention, etc....) but they haven't really been in the news at all!!

[WaitingforJanuary]

I don't think waving makes a minor fair game, but I think he thought it was Bristol. Still a bad joke.

[OswegoKayaker]

Isn't this story past its shelf date? It was a dumb joke -- but it was a joke. Don't the repubs have anything better to be concerned about? Like climate change, healthcare, Darfur, people living in tents all over America because they lost their homes when Bush & Co. destroyed our country. Little things like that, not some joke told by a night show personality. I really think it is time to focus on something real -- like the economy. Like all the unemployed. Like energy. Dare I say healthcare. Not all this ridiculous outrage about a joke. And since we don't have Government run TV (not that the right wing media empire wouldn't want that) I really don't see how President Obama can be held accountable for something an entertainer said. They didn't hold Bush accountable for things that Jay Leno said.

Gov. Palin announced over the weekend that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months pregnant. And you thought John Edwards was in trouble before! Now he has really done it. -- "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," 9/2/08

[DDBabyDiva]

The saddest part about this all is that their viewers hang onto their every word.

[Margo Arrowsmith]

When asked about Sarah Palin's unwed pregnant teenage daughter during the campaign, Barack Obama defended both Sarah and Bristol in a very dignified way.

Sarah Palin is still using it against him, along with l*ing about his 'paling around with terrorists.

And people from this station, who promoted murder, think that he should say something again? How many more attacks on Obama would that result in?

[ecomarxist]

Nobody from "that station" promoted murder. If something ever happened to any of the Palins, I'm sure MSNBC, Olbermann, Maddow and E.D. Schulz would be held responsible. Correct?

[LeftRight]

So it's Obama's fault that David Letterman made a poor taste joke??

Reminds me of the movie The American President. The President's staffers have just told him that hid girlfriend burned a flag in an anti-apartheid rally 13 years before:

President Andrew Shepherd: Let me see if I got this. The third story on the news tonight was that someone I didn't know thirteen years ago when I wasn't president participated in a demonstration where no laws were being broken in protest of something that so many people were against, it doesn't exist anymore. Just out of curiosity, what was the fourth story?

[Butterflyby]

Sounds like a double standard to me. Where was all the outrage when Chelsea Clinton got called a dog by the almighty Rush. And she was only 13 at the time.

Oh i get it , it ius alright to pick on a democrats child, after all they deserve it. ..................NOT

[Wealer]

He said exactly that on a number of occasions, probably more than any other president in history (re: cautioned media on several occasions and defended John McCain even while campaigning against him. )

[KCRoger]

Is it any surprise that the pundits on Fox News blame Obama for the actions of the media? After all, Fox News gets it's marching orders from the leaders of the Republican party, so they assume that the rest of the media must get their direction from Obama. Wake up, Fox. No matter how many times you say it, there is no "liberal media".

[ecomarxist]

You're right. I like balanced, non-ideological coverage such as MSNBC, Air America, and the Huffington Post.