Sex, Limbaugh and Videotape

Let’s all step into the go-back machine for a moment.

In June 2009, Sarah Palin and daughter visited New York City. David Letterman, who had been telling jokes on late night television for decades, decided to tell a few jokes about Palin’s visit.

One joke: The hardest part of the trip was keeping Eliot Spitzer away from her daughter.

Another joke, referring to Palin and daughter attending a Yankee game: There was one awkward moment during the seventh-inning stretch; her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.

These jokes, taken together, were obviously about former New York governor Eliot Spitzer and Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez at a time when both men were known for having trouble keeping their pants zipped. But Sarah Palin decided that Letterman had impugned the reputation of her 14-year-old daughter and went ballistic.

In 2009, when Sarah Palin went ballistic, she stirred up the entire media establishment. Pressure mounted on Letterman to apologize for the crude, coarse, inappropriate remark he had made about a 14-year-old girl! In just a couple of days, everyone forgot that Spitzer and A-Rod were the butts of the jokes.

The Palin family and everyone in the right-wing attack machine demanded that Letterman apologize or get fired. Or both. Letterman apologized.

Now let’s exit the go-back machine for a review of this week in media. Rush Limbaugh has spent a couple days making crude, coarse, inappropriate attacks on a woman whose transgressions include attending Georgetown University’s law school and advocating a health insurance mandate on contraceptives issued by the Obama Administration.

On Wednesday, February 29, Limbaugh labeled the woman slut and prostitute because, in Limbaugh’s view, she was asking that everyone in America pay her to have sex.

The next day, Limbaugh voiced what he thought was a great idea: “If we are going to pay for your contraceptives and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. And I'll tell you what it is. We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch.”

Uh, okay. That may be the creepiest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say. About anyone.

But the right wing attack machine that demanded an apology from David Letterman in 2009? They’re digging in and defending Rush Limbaugh. They’re saying he’s an entertainer—a satirist—and liberals can’t take a joke. Or they’re joining the attacks on that slut at Georgetown who has so much sex she can barely walk (Limbaugh’s words).

Which makes me ask this: Why was David Letterman so disgusting with his jokes but Limbaugh is worthy of defense? Why did Letterman have to apologize while Limbaugh gets to gloat?