David Letterman Is Pulling For Hillary
It was great television.
Kingmaking in real time.
The pivotal moment occurred during the recent Letterman show featuring the indefatigable Hillary Clinton. During a pregnant pause, Hillary Clinton suddenly started to look like a President of the United States of America.
And to kick it into the stratosphere, Letterman hosted the mighty Bill Clinton a few nights later.
David Letterman did it.
He ever so subtly endorsed the Clintons before the Democratic primaries.
Thus, clever Dave doesn't have to allot equal air time to lame and entertainment-challenged candidates -- unless he wants to.
What is the pivotal moment to which I refer.
It occurred just after Hillary asked, "Dave, why don't you join us on the campaign trail?"
A relaxed smiling Hillary.
Instead of answering Hillary's question, Dave went into neutral. He froze. There was a pregnant pause. (We Dave fans know the meaning of every move of every finger on each of the man's hands. He's that much fun.)
So, anyway this time Dave freezes, then inhales and looks down and to his right toward Hillary with a positive look in his eye.
For Dave this is a shout of assent.
He was silently shouting something along the lines of: DUH, HILLARY, I AM ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS WE SPEAK.
I believe that Dave's silent shout of assent is the turning point in Hillary's campaign. He made Hillary look presidential.
Let me explain.
First, Hillary's invitation to Dave had to be scripted -- I bet Dave approved it -- hey maybe he suggested it. He's a bright man -- perhaps the brightest and most influential man in public life -- certainly in TV broadcasting.
Thus it came to pass that David Letterman -- arguably the most influential man in America -- was seen by millions of people in the act of throwing his substantial weight behind Hillary Clinton.
This means Dave will do his best to put the dynamic duo back in the White House.
And why not. Somebody had to do something!
Mazel tov Dave.
David Letterman is coming out after years of assiduous broadcasting non-partisanship -- Republican-rich guy-nonpartisanship -- to stump for the most competent duo running for president in memory.
Okay, Dave's makes us laugh at poor President Bush's malapropisms in "Moments In Presidential History".
But that ain't enough.
Laughter isn't the only thing Letterman does better than just about anybody. He has to be a political genius to balance year after year at the tippy-top of a soul-deadening tv bureaucracy.
A rumination on Dave-power -- the man has changed the way we look at the American male.
* Dave brought us Everybody Loves Raymond and we're still laughing with recognition as we watch an average housewife getting angrier and angrier in prime time TV -- because her likable average husband's a selfish hog.
* Dave's changing what we call male sexuality by bringing us tingly and adorable Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show -- Craig calls Orlando Bloom dreamy and says, "Hey I'm not gay, I'm European."
Long live Letterman.
A Caveat about our Dave.
*Why does Dave thinks it's funny (and here's where I flip to Leno for a breather) when he fails to remember so much as the first name of a good sport in the studio audience who's playing "Guess Your Cuts of Meat."
Dave must be hell on earth to work for.
He's mostly heaven to watch.
I worry.
I worry when Dave mumbled he'd stopped drinking because he'd grab a bottle and get soused by himself.
My first response -- of course, the poor guy's stuck chatting as though he means it with hundreds of icky celebs a month -- so pleasure for him is drinking and thinking alone.
Of course, we writers enjoy solitude. Should Dave write?
No. Dave's expressing himself night after night -- in the monologue and the sitdown talk before the guests traipse out, and even in the interviews.
But, Dave,what about getting a little buzz on with a loved one?
Or next time you feel blue, grab a beer, pull the baseball cap down lower and pick out some stranger relaxing on a bench in Central Park.. Of course they know who you are -- but that's a good thing. You are loved.
Dave, few people are as snakey and self-serving as the celebrities you fence with night after night.
But wait, here's an easier antidote.
Just go out of your way to be nice to the average guy in your studio audience who's playing "Name Your Cuts of Meat".
Start by remembering his first name -- hey it's a baby step.
You'll feel better. We'll feel better.
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Great blog!Stirs up the late nighters.Thank
you Susan.Thank you Dave for speaking in
signs.Thank you Dave for bringing us Craig.
My favorite bit of Letterman was when he skewered Rush Limbaugh. To my knowledge, Limfat has never made another network tv appearance. He was breaking out in a bucketful of nervous, fat-guy sweat, stuttering and stammering like the RainMan on too much Mountain Dew.Letterman, with one line, revealed Mr oxycontin for what he is. Thanks, Dave. Say hi to Rupert.
I wouldn't worry about David. He's a big boy. How many pairs of sun glasses do you figure a guy like Paul Schaeffer owns?
Anyone who thinks Letterman isn't funny doesn't watch him enough. His genius is subtle and usually quite interesting. Don't know for sure about his politics but it's a safe bet that he's no fan of George Bush (who is?)! My guess is he's "a clueless indy type" (quoting a commenter above) or democrat.
I don't for a minute think he forgets audience members' names. Calling people "Larry" and whatever is part of Letterman's schtick. A quick peek at a teleprompter could keep him up on people's names but his way's much funnier.
His genius is to come up with 'lame' bits and
put them out there for us night after night
after night, and still we watch.
'Right after the break, tonight's Top Ten...'
'Right after the break, "Will It Float?"'
'Right after the break, "Is This Anything?"'
Yes, we are in the presence of genius, almost every night.
'Right after the break, there's a detailed explanation in Wikipedia...'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sketches_on_Letterman
Lame is right. "And still we watch". No. I am unable to watch his show for more than a minute or two. Watching comedy that isn't funny is painful (see the 'Half-hour News Hour'). He constantly repeats himself while doing a bit. Funny? No. I feet like his audience is the same local group of fans night after night. Do writers actually write the 'Top 10' or just people off the street? I'll give him that he does better interviews than Leno but Leno's monologue is much better and funnier.
Insightful things can happen on Late Night. I recall, prior to the first selection of Bush the Younger that Mr. Bush (during commercial, though played on tape the next evening) used a Late Night staffers dress to clean his eye glasses. According to the staffer it was without permission. Make of such behavior what you will.
self-replial but here's a link.
http://politicalhumor.about.com/cs/bushvideos/v/bushkleenex.htm
all I can say is that when Dave put Parasite Hilton to the coals and left her hanging there, I fell in love with him.
Hey, Paris, "That's Hot," heh?
First off, to anyone who thinks Leno has a sharper mind than Letterman: I have some real estate to sell you, in a scenic desert community (outside Baghdad).
Secondly: Dave Letterman helped create (much to his later chagrin) the currently-pervasive atmosphere of hip, self-referential irony that Stewart and Colbert have mined so well. Props to both of them, but without Letterman, Stewart might still be doing standup and hosting MTV videos; Colbert might still be doing improv in Chicago.
As to Letterman's "partisanship", I have ground my molars flat watching him toady up to some of the rightwing, neocon wackjobs he has had on the show in the past. I have noticed his tendency to "suffer fools" has declined in recent years; hooray for you, Dave!
A final item: Anyone who thinks Letterman is anything less than the genuine article should watch his first shows post-9/11. Dave put into words, better than anyone I have ever heard, exactly what so many of us felt at the time. Apologies to all, but Jay Leno isn't even in the same class as David Letterman.
Leno plays to a wider audience than Dave, which means his humor has to be softer so as not to offend people. I don't think anyone knows the real Jay Leno. Dave is, on the other hand, nonpretentious. What you see is what you get. You can't act like Dave on purpose. It just wouldn't work.
I don't think Dave likes his audience, guests or his show but he makes good money. Leno has the ability to say the most wickedly funny things and still be a nice guy, night after night. He doesn't have to insult his guests for our amusement.
Gee...I wonder who Susan Braudy is endorsing.
I love Dave, but he is never going to endorse a candidate. Further, even if he did, it woudl be a big "so what?" at this point. People love Dave for his wit, his timing, and his humor.
Remember how much fun Dave had at the expense of the Clintons when President Bush took office? Bush read a top ten list, and number 1 was to give the Oval Office "one heckuva good scrubbin'."
Susan, Letterman has not been influential in years. Listen to what your posters are saying. Change your nighttime viewing habits. Watch Stewart and Colbert, as we hip folk do. Then you can switch over to Travis Smiley or catch the rest of Leno.
If you must stay up late, watch Dave, then catch the rebroadcast of TDS and Colbert the following evening at 8 and 8:30 respectively.
On the contrary, it's precisely because he's so influential that he knows better than to endorse any. Why alienate half his audience?
We all have our preferences on Late Night hosts (Dave's my choice) but what does that really have to do with anything?
Amen!
"as we hip folk do"? I've always heard that if someone tells you they're "hip", "cool", etc. it generally means they are the farthest thing from it. Ask Stewart and Colbert if they think Letterman is "hip". Travis Smiley? That proves my original point.
It seems Dave is now a Rorschack ink-blot test upon which all the posters here are projecting their feelings.
Let me play this game too, while keeping it simple:
Dave is a liberal, despite being a multi-millionaire.
Dave has a mean streak, but not to the point of pathology.
Dave is funnier than Leno, especially since Dave favors intentionally un-funny "anti-material," as opposed to Leno's committee-scripted monologue of thirty or so fairly "good," if conventional, jokes.
Dave is straight--not even an opccasional toe-tapper. He's from Indiana, for God's sake!
BTW, It was so cold today I saw a squirrel in Central Park roasting his nuts!
I vote for Stephen Colbert. He's the smartest.
Maybe he should run for president.
According to Larry King, Colbert IS running for President, on BOTH tickets!
Letterman is a master host and I'm a regular watcher (can't stand Leno) but I've never felt he treats Hillary better than any other candidate. He treats them all with respect but with that slight lip curl he does to surpress laughter. This is light entertainment after all and not Charlie Rose.
BTW - I luv the slyly brilliant Craig Ferguson, I wish he lived in my house.
~Simone~
Ditto on Craig Ferguson. Now THAT man is FUNNY!
If Dave can make Hillary look presidential, why can't he make himself look funny? The hosts of shows on the Discovery Channel are not exactly comedy gold.
AIPAC has already pegged Hillary to be the next President.
The rest of the bullshit will be milllions spent by many candidates, spinning their wheels.
Want to know how strong the Zionist lobby is in America??? Just watch the MSM over the next months....
She's got a six run lead in the third inning. So what do you do? Watch the other six scoreless innings, or turn off the TV and go to bed early?
Hmm...
How odd...
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