‘Fire Dave!’: Crowd lines up to protest Letterman’s ‘Late Show’ Palin joke
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Tuesday, June 16th 2009, 3:58 PM
Savulich for News: Protestors demonstrate across the street from David Letterman’s ‘Late Night’ headquarters.
An apology from David Letterman was good enough for Sarah Palin – but not for protesters who demanded the late night host’s dismissal Tuesday at a Broadway demonstration.
“Fire Dave! Fire Dave!” the crowd of about 50 protesters chanted as Letterman fans filtered into the Ed Sullivan Theater for the show’s taping.
“I hope to have him see the light,” said demonstrator Josephine Sarnok, 59, of Newark. “I think it was over the line.”
BettyJean Kling, 61, accused Letterman of using the Alaska governor’s family to boost his ratings. She stood by a large plywood sign with the words “Fire the pervert” spray-painted across the front.
The demonstration came hours after Palin accepted Letterman’s Monday night apology for what he described as “a bad joke … a joke that was beyond flawed.”
The governor released a statement saying she accepted the mea culpa “on behalf of all young women, like my daughters, who hope men who ‘joke’ about public displays of sexual exploitation of girls will soon evolve.”
Letterman sparked the controversy with a crack about Palin’s visit to Yankee Stadium last week. The one-time GOP vice-presidential candidate attended the game with her 14-year-old daughter, Willow.
Letterman – who initially said he was referring to 18-year-old Bristol Palin – said the teen “was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez” during the seventh inning.
Bristol Palin became a single mom in December when she delivered son Tripp.
Filed under: ERA, Feminism, Media Bias, Misogyny/Sexism, Sarah Palin, Women in Politics, Women's Rights | Tagged: /sexism will not be tolerated against Sarah, Bettyjean Kling, Blatant sexism, Dem women defend Sarah, ERA, Feminism, Free US Now, Media Bias, Misogyny, Misogyny/Sexism, protesting sexism, Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin is a Feminist, The Majority United, women |
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Free Us Now Weblog 
Thank you Betty Jean, for going to New York, and for all of your blogging efforts on this issue. I wish I could have been there with you. Whether Letterman is eventually fired or not, he and CBS have definitely been feeling the heat. I don’t believe that his apology was sincere, any more than I believed his original excuses. I read her apology, and it seems to me to include another veiled rebuke of David Letterman and the continued sexism of the media. I understand what you’re saying about her accepting the apology on behalf of anyone other than herself, but she may have phrased it that way because of her original statements that Lettermans comments were, or should be, offensive to all women and girls.
“”Of course it’s accepted on behalf of young women, like my daughters, who hope men who ‘joke’ about public displays of sexual exploitation of girls will soon evolve.
Letterman certainly has the right to ‘joke’ about whatever he wants to, and thankfully we have the right to express our reaction. And this is all thanks to our U.S. Military women and men putting their lives on the line for us to secure America’s Right to Free Speech – in this case, may that right be used to promote equality and respect.”
Governor Sarah Palin”
Of course but it is hard to take a week to put together a rally then have this creep apologize the night before and have her accept and then what do we do stay home? CNN and CBS actually reported the rally was called off do to the apology! the ofor a forced apology and a gracious acceptance that left us fired up with no where to go!bots on Facebook reported it was cancelled too. If it wasn’t for the 5 PM news – many folks would not have known we were there – some showed up at 6:30 because they thought we were cancelled. We worked hard and sid not appreciate being short circuted-
BJ, you are one amazing, strong and beautiful woman. You were fantastic today and I can’t thank you enough for all that you are doing. Stay strong.
I understand why you were frustrated Betty. I heard the “Oh, Dave apologized and Sarah Palin accepted. It’s all over now. Let’s let bygones be bygones” coverage yesterday. I’m just thinking that Gov. Palin might not have even known about the rally, and just half-heartedly accepted the apology when somebody called her for a comment. And she had already said in the two interviews last week when they put her on the spot that “Yes, of course she would accept a sincere apology”.
The media has been hard at work trying to paint her as “playing the victim card”. I can just imagine the field day they would have had if she had refused to accept the apology. I’m sure that’s why Letterman apologized Monday night, and I’m equally sure that her phone was ringing off the hook with reporters looking for a statement before rally time.
But, as Amy Siskind said at the New Agenda, this has gone way beyond Sarah Palin now. And the rally did get quite a bit of coverage on the cable news shows last night. Most of what I saw was along the lines of “Sarah Palin may have accepted Lettermans apology. But women across the country are still mad, and they’re saying enough is enough.” So maybe it’s for the best that Gov. Palin took herself out of the equation early. I think it had the effect of causing the rally to have a greater impact, because it kept the media from being able to paint it as “just a bunch of crazy Sarah Palin supporters”.
You are so right and it made me rethink my comments so- I ammended them. She really has other things to do and I am glad that she removed herself and left it in our hands to take over .
Let’s take it from here ladies- Let’s not do to Sarah what we did to Hillary let’s not leave it all on her shoulders to fight alone and fight for us while we sit on our duffs.
Thank you Betty Jean. But I don’t think she’s removed herself permanently. I think that she is well aware of how desparate the media is to make this all about her, so she may have just stepped aside to make room for the rest of us in the spotlight. I’m sure she knows that this fight isn’t over for her, or for the rest of us. I think that she will continue to stand with us. And if she doesn’t, I will be one of the first to call her on it.
Betty Jean is right! This is not just about Governor Sarah Palin and her family, this is about the way that those who are in the public eye, like Mr. Letterman, some in the media and some of our vicious political personalities and organizations, who chooses to exploit and ridicule others who do not have the same personal or political view.
When did it become a free for all to ridicule children who are not able to protect themselves for show ratings?
Mr. Letterman did not just ridicule and insult Governor Palin and her family. What about the malicious remarks of his comparison to the flight attendants (who majority happen to be women)! They are hard working professionals, who also happen to be, single individuals, wives and mothers and do not deserve to be all put into Mr. Letterman’s insulting, vulgar remarks for show ratings! When do they get their apology?
We could go on and on citing different groups and individuals that Mr. Letterman and the rest of his cronies have in plain English lambasted for years. When does it all stop?
There is nothing funny about thoughtlessness and disgusting, malicious remarks for the sake of ratings!
Choices, it is all about choices! We all have that freedom and ability to choose the difference between what we know is right from wrong. Many of us have been taught this and we proceed to teach our children and they teach their children.
Thank you Betty Jean, “Free Us Now” protesters and supporters for being out there in the forefront to speak for those who need a voice!
Did you guys know last September Jay Leno did a joke insinuating John Edwards had sex with a then 17 year old Bristol. Why was there no outrage then? That was a joke that was really about sex with an underage girl, unlike Dave’s joke.
Dave explained the next night his joke was about Bristol(18) not 14 year old Wilow. He then apologized. Move on with your lives or start protesting Jay Leno, he really is guilty of what you accuse Dave of.
Mike:
I cannot help but cringe when I hear the words “move on with your lives”. It only reinforces awareness of the depth and width of the real problem: You, too, must truly believe that the abuses of females throughout history are perfectly acceptable atrocities?
Maybe if you had protested Jay Leno, the Dave Letterman incident would have been less likely to have happened.
As it is, your own complacency on this issue is exactly why you have no investment – other than to be another judge, jury and hangman of Women struggling against, at the very least, attitudes such as yours.
Signed,
“knocked up” at age 4 and I am sure considered nothing more than a “slutty” little temptress by the pervert who committed the atrocity.
P.S. No thanks, Mike, I will not “get over” Dave, Leno or YOU and “move on”.
It was a joke, Dave does jokes about men and women. Does he and every other comedian now have to stop doing jokes about women?
That is a straw man argument Mike and you know it. Stay on topic. We are not trying every pervert to ever come down the pike – the buck stops here. We are talking about DL. We are not talking about anyone else right now. But you want to change the subject rather than deal with it- you want to spin it- you want to go with what about this that and the other thing- We are not going there .
Not changing the subject at all. If you’re going to go after Dave for his jokes about sarah and her family, why didn’t you after everyone else who did it too? Leno’s joke was much worse than Dave’s, it was blatantly about sex with a teenager.
Read this interesting article:
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=75852
Gov Palin appeared on SNL AFTER they did a sketch joking about Todd having sex with their two daughters. Did your group protest SNL after that? Probably not.
Gov Palin is a hypocrite who only used this situation to try to get herself some sympathetic press coverage.
Betty Jean,
Saw the Great tape! Thank you for standing up for ALL women.
You are so right! I no longer even know what the “liberal agenda” is and certainly feel out of place within it.
I am so proud of everything you stand for! Every time I hear you speak, you definitely speak for me.
We missed you tonight on the radio, but the program was excellent, as always!
Love you, BJ!
Thank you so much for all your love and support – I could not do this without it.
Sorry I took the bait and ran with it, BJ.
It is about Dave Letterman – today.
But, as I like to say these days, “Throw a dart, it is only a matter of degrees”.
Rant over – and will stay on topic from now on.
heheheeh- it’s what they do best- spin spin spin change the subject- I only throw that in there to remind everyone not to waste their breath –
But you can rant away if you want – I rant all the time – just do not raise your BP.
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