Sarah Palin and her Frank Sinatra Complex
Okay, to start off with, two disclaimers: first, I'm a big Sinatra fan, always have been, and secondly, I was too young to swear that this story isn't apocryphal, but if memory serves me right, sometime in 1980, one of my favorite disc jockeys at the time, Jonathan Schwartz, was suddenly taken off the air for making a pejorative remark about one of Sinatra's latest recordings.
Fast forwarding to David Letterman show in June, 2009 and someone who is currently being groomed to be the Republican candidate for the presidency in 2012. I'm not suggesting, for a minute, that Letterman's comment about knocking up either of Palin's daughters wasn't crude, and even a bit over the top, but it wasn't in violation of FCC rules which are already antediluvian, and draconian.
Moreover, the larger question here is -- should any one person be so powerful that they have the ability to force management to pull the plug on a radio, or television, personality? And, what does it say about someone abusing power that they don't really have, especially when that person might, gawd forbid, be the next president of the United States?
Apparently, the far right, and NRA's darling, Sarah Palin, has a bit of a Frank Sinatra complex, meaning when she waves her magic wand, she expects the entire world to shake as it would during a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. In this country, we make politicians of our celebrities, and celebrities of our politicians. Well, Ms. Palin, here's some breaking news for you: you've had your fifteen minutes of fame.
A great English poet once wrote: "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." In his defense, Frank Sinatra was born great. Ms. Palin -- well, she has had greatness thrust upon her. She must learn to use that instrument judiciously, or relinquish it along with her crown.
Keep in mind, we are supposed to have a little thing called free speech here. A few generations of Americans paid the ultimate price in defense of it. Well, I thought we did anyway, and today, this being Bloomsday, is as a good time as any to revisit the days when the first edition of James Joyce's Ulysses was banned in the U.S., under the Tariff Act, from date of publication in 1922 until Judge Woolsey's ruling in July, 1933 that the novel wasn't "pornography." If you have a copy handy, you might want to take a peek at Ulysses, the greatest novel in the English language, and ask yourself whether Governor Palin might be among those who would still like to see it banned.
You'll recall, in the 2008 presidential campaign, there was a story circulating about how Sarah Palin asked a Wasilla librarian how she might react should she be instructed to remove certain books from the public library, arguably books that might contain passages about young girls getting "knocked up." Well, I can tell you how Judge Woolsey would react -- he wouldn't like it; that's why we have a First Amendment, remember?
So, Mrs. Palin now goes from trying to have books removed to trying to have late night entertainment figures removed.
Or, maybe it's not the Alaska governor, after all, who is trying to force David Letterman to his knees, but his network's management after the show reportedly lost one major sponsor, Embassy Suites.
Those who say that David Letterman should not have apologized are right, but he, too, may have faced the threat of termination like the radio announcer in New York who dared to criticize a Frank Sinatra song.
If anyone needs to apologize here, it's those sponsors who withdraw their support from Letterman's show; those major networks like CNN who give Sarah Palin ammunition by running her impotent claims, and anyone else who supports a climate that engenders censorship, hate, and lies.
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See Jayne Lyn Stahl's Profile
Lest there be any confusion, I'm not comparing Sarah Palin to Frank Sinatra in any way. I have too much respect for Frank Sinatra to do that.
It's fair to say that Sinatra's celebrity went to his head, at times, as it would to anyone else's. When he felt that he was being mauled, he defended himself. The act, not the man, is contemptible.
Whenever anyone abuses their power, it's intolerable whether that someone is Frank Sinatra, Sarah Palin, or the supreme leader of Iran. To condemn an act is not the same as condemning the agent.
Now Sarah wants to have all ethics complaints filed against her denied if anyone talks about them. I thought we lived in the land of the free and have First Amendment rights. I hope she does this and gets sued all the way to the US Supreme court.
How dare you compare Frank Sinatra to Sarah Palin in any way.
First Palin is not calling for Dave Letterman to be fired.
The “Joke” was about 14 year-old Willow. It is NOT possible that Letterman/CBS did not know it was Willow at the game as well as on this trip.
CBS New York reported it as their TOP STORY June 7th look it up.
Dave’s jokes are written, vetted, and approved by CBS BEFORE they are aired.
If that were not bad enough, Dave’s “Rape Willow” joke was on Monday. Within min. Dave was informed that he just made a joke about rapping a 14 year-old girl, did he apologize? Not exactly, the following night he makes a joke that Willow, the 14 year-old was a prostitute, nice yes?
Palin was in New York doing charity events all over the state for children with disabilities. She raised OVER $750K. She does this all over the country, so please tell me what you have against children with disabilities?
Why do you HATE children with disabilities?
Please tell me why you let your irrational hatred of Palin, damage kids with disabilities?
Do you, or have you donated YOUR time or money for a cause?
Back to Dave. He knew these jokes were about a 14 year-old girl, that is undeniable, IMO he did this to boost HIS personal ratings PURELY for MONEY.
Letterman/CBS have no problem with destroying a 14 year-old girl PURELY for MONEY.
Do you support that, find that acceptable, find that Funny?
If you climbed slightly higher you might take it completely over the top. Get over yourself.
"Hate children with disabilities"? No but plenty of people dislike a woman who actually has a child with a disability using him for a campaign tool and tossing him around like a sack of potatoes when he's not useful. And cutting funding, in the state she ostensibly governs, for children with disabilities. She cut funding for special education by about 60%. So who "hates" children with disabilities? Not us.
My dislike of Pain is not irrational. (I can speak only for myself. Anybody else feel free to chime in.) I dislike know nothings who hold race baiting rallies to try to get into national office while simultaneously talking about "our great country". Which is made up of people of many races. And then demanding apologies from her hobbled high horse.
Letterman didn't attempt to destroy a 14 year old. He just told a bad joke and apologized twice. However Sarah has used her daughter never minding if the publicity might "destroy" her in some way. And by the way she's not 14. She's 15 and 1/2. Apparently her own mother didn't even know that. She's not been home much lately....
Again - get over yourself. Oh - and you owe us an apology. :-)
It IS possible they didn't know Willow was at the game. There are absolutely no pictures of her there, just pictures of her mom and dad and the Guilianis. If she was there, she wasn't sitting with the rest of the group. Also, her aunt and cousin, who also came to NYC with them, didn't go to the ball game and stayed back at the hotel.
Surely you're not naive enough to think that Letterman makes up those jokes on the spot? The line about Bristol was written long before anyone knew Willow was going to be at that game (if she actually was; all the photos I've seen as "proof" are actually of Mrs. Giuliani). You may find this hard to believe since you obviously spend your life worshiping at Sarah's altar, but most people in this country neither know nor care how many daughters that woman has. In addition, there was no joke about rape, or about prostitution; if you want to sway people's opinion, it helps to start with facts. And to jump from there to the conclusion that anyone who dislikes Sarah Palin's demagoguery must therefore hate children with disabilities is head spinning. For instance, I have a child with a disability--she's hearing impaired. Sarah Palin's "small government" tendencies would take funding away from such children--as she herself has done in Alaska. Finally, the only people destroying Willow's reputation was her own parents--just one more example of her atrocious parenting.
In a word...PLE
I'd love to see Sarah Palin keep going. She's pushed the envelope on complete lunacy and madness. It won't be too far off, before the world comes crashing down on her, and it won't be pretty.
When it happens, I want to be there!
I'm with you, Jayne. Somehow Sinatra's thuggery was tolerable, almost endearing, but it just doesn't wear well on Sarah.
Perhaps I'd have more respect for her if she just quietly had someone bust Letterman's nose, like what happened to Jackie Mason when he dared to mock the "Chairman".
Plus, Ol' Blue Eyes just plain had style. Palin, on the other hand, had it "thrust upon her".
II cannot understand this 'free speech' bit when what it really means is that Hannity can say that Obama desires that Iran have nuclear weapons when in fact he said they might desire nuclear 'power'? He also frightens his listeners that Mohammed Obama is a terrorist and that the nation is in danger. So why are we talking about a late night comedy show? To think that this woman complaining 'could' have been the one 'in charge' right now is incredible?
I just sent this email to Embassy Suites Press and Media office:
I will make sure that I will always frequent your competitors and never stay in another Embassy Suites hotel because of your support of Sarah Palin's hysterics. I'm an american that believes strongly in free speech principles. I find your company to be cowardly and will no longer support it with my dollars.
pray tell,where can i e-mail these ignorant fools?
I went to their website and followed the labyrinthine pages until I found a page to contact. There's not an actual address I can lead you to. But if you have a minute, what the heck?
Be sure to contact Olive Garden as well. They've withdrawn their advertising. Withdraw your wallet.
And anyone on Facebook or such who can mass contact friends - let them know. Get them on board.
what a RIOT. this is why i party with liberals (well, not the only reason, but...) now my liberal ingenues are going to write yet more letters to guide wayward companies, senators, and whomever on their way. and- bereft of learning capacity- they will get more palin- just like their letters got more war and less health care the more they wrote. these ppl aren't free like you, girls; these people need money. ship your $10,000 bundles parcel post and REPLACE THE BINDERS WITH RUBBER BANDS PLEASE.
While I do think Letterman's joke was unnecessarily mean, Palin never seems to miss an opportunity to use the unimpeachable goodness of her kids as part of her political strategy.
Like her Philidephia Flyers appearance in October 2008
"Palin had hoped her daughter would shield her from the boos. Fox reports, "The GOP Vice-Presidential nominee said at an earlier fundraiser that she would stop some of the booing from the rowdy Philadelphia fans by putting her seven year old daughter, Piper in a Flyers jersey. She said, 'How dare they boo Piper!'" "
If Sarah Palin, God forbid, should ever be sneaked into that White House we would not have a President. We would have a Queen. Who while find of saying the phrase "our great country" doesn't seem to have the most rudimentary idea of what it is that makes it great.
At this stage she still doesn't understand that the First Amendment is to protect speech from her - not protect her from speech. I imagine she still isn't clear on what the difference is between Miranda rights and a writ of Habeas Corpus (hint - they are two separate things) and that the Vice President doesn't run the senate. Running for high office is nothing more than another beauty pageant for her, and I doubt she could pass a basic civics test.
Which suits her standard of knowledge just fine and is one of the reasons she is constantly in trouble trying to be a glorified mayor that passes for a governor in Alaska. She doesn't follow rules, she does what she pleases. And when called on the violation of the state constitution or basic ethics, she just pouts her persecution complex. Or shouts a proverbial "off with their heads!" and goes for political revenge like any power mad queen.
America would have a queen. And I'd be living in Canada.
Sarah needs to apologize to the American people. She does not have one iota of morals.
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