Wow. Everyone from Campaign 2008 is making a comeback this week. First my homeskillet the good Rev. Jeremiah Wright and now it’s Sarah Palin everywhere! Sarah Palin all over my teevee! Sarah Palin on the Today Show! Sarah Palin on The Situation Room! Sarah Palin all over FOX News! You remember Sarah? Mighty, but petite female governor, Republican, Tina Fey doppelganger? The woman who would not shut up not matter how ridiculous it got? She was the Effie White of Election 2008. She told us she wouldn’t be going!
Well, she’s back! Or should I say, she never left and I just didn’t write about her for an insanely long time! Why? Because I’m a charter member of the “Sick of Sarah Palin Club.” And when you were as sick of something as I was of Sarah you just stop writing about it all together. But since everyone has thrown in their two freakin’ cents on this thing I figured I’d dust off the mukaluks and give it a go, one more time — with feeling.
For the uninitiated, David Letterman is a sometimes funny, but kinda mean comic who made a joke about one of Sarah’s daughters. He claims it was the oldest one who makes me feel sad if I think about her too hard. The Palins, that would be Sarah and the dude Palin, Todd, say he was directing the joke at their daughter Willow, who is 14. It really doesn’t matter as the joke was rather tasteless. Something about Alex Rodriguez knocking one of them up. Letterman also called the Alaska governor a “slutty flight attendant.” Or, he at least called the look her stylist created for her as “slutty flight attendant.”
The jokes were sexist and uncalled for. Me and the woman who WOULD NOT SHUT UP were actually on the same page for once. What an ass, that Letterman. How DARE he! Leave Effie Nanook of the North and her chilluns ALONE! Especially the chilluns. Good Lord. They didn’t ask to join this freak show.
But, per usual, just when me and the Palinator were starting to get along for the first time in history her husband had to accuse Letterman of making a rape joke about the fourteen year old when, ahem, it was just a tasteless, sexist joke. Not a rape joke. Then when Letterman gave his half-assed, backhanded apology (as he is wont to do), they continued with the caterwauling and flung out the “R” word again, sent out a catty press release saying they should keep Letterman away from Willow and Palin started going on all the networks screaming as loud about this as possible.
The Awl‘s Alex Balk:
You could actually make a case that it represents the kind of prudery and disgust with the idea of sexuality of which liberals are always confusing conservatives of being afflicted. Unfortunately, Sarah Palin had to go on the “Today Show” this morning and discuss it, and now I’m like, you know what? Screw everybody. The idea that this woman-the logical conclusion of the forty years of anti-intellectual boob bait Republican strategists have been throwing at the public with phenomenally successful results-is somehow the defender of teen girls and their self-image is more insulting than any joke Letterman could have told.
What the hell? Everyone was agreeing with you and you blow it by pushing the “rape” line? What’s the old bastard Letterman supposed to do to satiate you? He’s a self-loathing court jester. He’s to be mocked and pitied. Why blow this up and make it Child Rape-Palooza 2009? Why is your eldest daughter Bristol an abstinence spokesperson when I just want her to grow up, quietly, with her baby and have a chance at a normal, non-media exposed life? Why must everything be a reality television show with you? Why is my head exploding? Why? Why? Why?
But what I hate about this the most is what this does for women and girls who will, inevitably, have the same thing happen to them, but will get disregarded as being hysterical and overly-sensitive because of how Palin has played her hand. Because that’s what happens. We all get labeled crazy ladies who can’t take a joke. Well, we can take a joke … when it’s actually funny. The joke about Palin’s daughter(s) wasn’t funny, but because it happened to The Woman Who Would Not Shut Up, everyone is still laughing anyway, obfuscating the bigger problem of sexism.
People can’t get past Palin’s ambition to actually focus on the ten kinds of wrong going on here. Instead, it has turned into another round robin of “blame the victim,” even if the victim is someone you absolutely are sick of.
Long story short: You’ve got every right to be mad, Effie, but you’re trying my patience. Big time.
Live Your Best Life. 
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