Today Show

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Palin is not the issue here. Her daughter is. Palin's daughter was not deserving of Letterman's comments. If Letterman made that comment about my daughter, I don't think I would be as restrained as Palin. Lauer wasn't doing his job. He was playing politics.

I wonder how Letterman would react if someone had made that comment about his wife or daughter.

Sorry, Palin has MADE herself the issue by how she is choosing to handle it!

 

[TnTsParty]

If Letterman wouldn't have made the stupid comment in the first place we wouldn't even be discussing any of this - including the comment Stapleton made. Basically Letterman and anyone in the media who is treating this as some kind of joke is really sick. I am tired of the media being so one sided.

Its never a good thing when we have degraded society so much that everyone thinks its "ok" to make jokes about a young girl getting impregnated while sitting at a baseball game? You can bet Obama would be mad as hell if it was his daughters that were being talked about (or like just about any parent would be if someone was making these kinds of jokes about their teenage daughter - irregardless of if he meant the 18 year old or the 14 year old - its just wrong.) But yet so many are willing to just pass this off as Palin being over the top or in the wrong in some way. We have fought too long and hard in this country to have people just looking the other way when it comes to the way women are treated in the media.

 

[Nik's Mom]

It was a joke in poor taste. He apologized and made it clear that he did not mean the 14 year old (although the joke was in poor taste for any age). This story needs to go away. The more they make of it, the more attention it will bring to a joke that they feel was in poor taste. And that's all I can say, since we can't discuss politics anymore.

 

[happygirl]

Sorry, Palin has MADE herself the issue by how she is choosing to handle it!

So if someone said this about your kid you wouldn't be up in arms

 

[DeluxePrincess]

Oh please. Palin is THRILLED to be back in the spotlight. I actually found her more offensive when she referred to Obama as the "candidate who must be obeyed". I'm sure if one of Obama's daughters turned up pregnant during the campaign, they would not be so untouched by media jokes. I thought the Letterman joke would be more offensive to A Rod than it was to the Palin family.

 

[LisaR]

does anyone remember the SNL skit that implied incest in the Palin family? What did Palin do then? Not only did she give them a big old pass, she went on the show all smiles and making nice!!!!!!

I think it is very telling that now that she is out of the spotlight, she makes such a huge deal out of this. You watch - Dave will let it die down and she will hype and ride this out for everything she can get out of it.

This isn't so much about her family, it is about how much media attention she can get out of it and how long she can keep her face in the news!!!!!!!
She isn't upset as much as she is eating this up....and her appearances are proving that!!!!

she is all about staying in the spotlight!

I think this needs repeating. This is the first thing I thought of when I heard the whole Letterman "scandal." What makes this any different than SNL? I think she will grab the spotlight whenever and wherever she can and this is just another example of that.

I do believe Letterman's jokes were tasteless and I feel the same way about SNL. However, it is interesting how she handled two almost identical situations.

 

[KristinBelle]

I think Letterman was wrong and I forgot he was still on before all this. With the Jay Leno last show/ move to 10pm he hasn't been in the spot light.

I think Sarah Palin should've just ignored him. By reacting the way she did, she just gave him just what he wanted-attention. Coincidentally, she's back in the spotlight as well.

Like I said before I think Letterman was over the line but I think there's also a lot of faux rage going on as well. I think they're probably both enjoying the attention they're getting from all this.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

So if someone said this about your kid you wouldn't be up in arms

totally!, I already stated Letterman made a huge blunder.

I am addressing Palin's handling of the problem and her hyping the situation to keep herself in the news. I would NOT be handling it this way. She is transparent in her motivations. I would simply be a concerned mom asking for an apology, and not making ridiculous statements and appearing on every media outlet to further my own agenda. I would step back to protect my family from any more of this nonsense instead of resorting to all this hype.

I also would have had the same response to SNL - and not have gone on there pandering to the people who insulted my family!!!!!!!

 

[rie'smom]

Sorry, Palin has MADE herself the issue by how she is choosing to handle it!

How would you feel if he said something like that about your daughter?
Oh and I guess it would be ok for Letterman to say something similar about the daughters of the man who lives in that big white house?

 

[TnTsParty]

Okay color me confused here, but I read over the Top 10 and most of the jokes were lame. However, I saw absolutely nothing that mentioned a child or anything that even insinuated rape or sex with young girls.

What am I missing? Can someone please point me in the direction or just type out what it was he said that got everyone so upset?

Personally, I think the response from Palin, about how she needs to keep Brooke from Letterman to protect her was a bit dramatic and over the top. Talk about overstretching something and being histrionic.

Of course, if what I read is not all of it and there was something else horrible and disgusting said by Letterman, then I may view her comments in a different light.

Here is what Letterman said

LETTERMAN: One awkward moment, though, during the game. Maybe you heard about it. Maybe you saw it on one of the highlight reels, one awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game. During the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.

Then when called out on it because the daughter Palin had with her at the Yankee game was her 14 year old daughter Willow Letterman tried to make it more acceptable since he said he was talking about her 18 year old daughter Bristol. I don't think in any situtation it would be acceptable to talk so freely about anyone getting "knocked up" by a baseball player during a baseball game. And I would expect any parent to react the exact same way the Palin's resonded.

This has nothing to do with politics but more on a moral issue and how we shouldn't treat other people like big jokes just to get a laugh out of others.

 

[TinklednPants]

I can't think of very many jokes I've heard in my life (ok none) in which someone or something is not targeted. Some hit closer to home than others. It's called comedy and I just love it.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

How would you feel if he said something like that about your daughter?
Oh and I guess it would be ok for Letterman to say something similar about the daughters of the man who lives in that big white house?

no, kids are off limits- period!

I never said anywhere that his statement was OK.

(However, the older one IS getting to be an adult. I feel when Chelsea and others get to be adults and start making public appearances - then that is different.)

 

[kaytieeldr]

It was an attempt at a joke - the "joke" ultimately being on Letterman, given that it wasn't funny.

If he made the same joke about my fourteen year old daughter, no, I wouldn't be happy. On the other hand, I wouldn't be on The Today Show discussing it either.

Letterman HAS apologized, and seems sincere.

 

[happygirl]

I can't think of very many jokes I've heard in my life (ok none) in which someone or something is not targeted. Some hit closer to home than others. It's called comedy and I just love it.

oh yah nothing funnier then joking about 14 years being knocked up be older men,

 

[Nik's Mom]

I can't think of very many jokes I've heard in my life (ok none) in which someone or something is not targeted. Some hit closer to home than others. It's called comedy and I just love it.

Isn't that the truth! I can't remember what comedian said this, but they said "Comedy is offensive. That's what makes it funny." And it's so true.

 

[TinklednPants]

oh yah nothing funnier then joking about 14 years being knocked up be older men,

He WAS joking about the 18 year old who WAS previously knocked up.

 

[swald91]

I don't think that Sarah Palin can't take a joke-she's been the butt of them for quite sometime now. It wasn't a joke so much about her but toward her young daughter & that was true what she said about before the election that kids were off limits. I guess that doesn't matter now b/c she wasn't elected? I would strike back if someone said something like that about my kids!!! I do think she stood up to him pretty good though.

 

[happygirl]

He WAS joking about the 18 year old who WAS previously knocked up.

This was letterman said word for word. It was Willow the 14 that was at the game not Bristol who is 18 still a minor. It still not funny not joke about a minor getting pregnant by a adult.

Quote:
LETTERMAN: One awkward moment, though, during the game. Maybe you heard about it. Maybe you saw it on one of the highlight reels, one awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game. During the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

This was letterman said word for word. It was Willow the 14 that was at the game not Bristol who is 18 still a minor. It still not funny not joke about a minor getting pregnant by a adult.

Quote:
LETTERMAN: One awkward moment, though, during the game. Maybe you heard about it. Maybe you saw it on one of the highlight reels, one awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game. During the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.

and Letterman has stated very sincerely that he would never joke about this situation concerning a 14 year old and never find that kind of thing funny. Clearly someone messed up and confused which DD was there. It has been addressed. You can choose not to believe him, but then you are just putting words in his mouth - words which he adamantly denies!!!!

Palin could do the classy thing and graciously accept his explanation - and call for an apology based on the comment toward the older one. However, continuing to insist that he was talking about the rape of a fourteen year old is what keeps her in the news.

 

[LoraJ]

He did not specify Willow. I don't know which daughters attended the baseball game, as I am sure most people don't, and would assume he meant the 18yo daughter.