Watching Sykes, I was so pleased. I thought: My God, there’s never been a better match for Limbaugh. He’s an entertainer and a comedian – I despise him, but every once in a while he’s funny – and he’s regularly off color; Sykes is all those things while, in my opinion, funnier and less cruel. But let’s be honest: We had comedian and entertainer v. comedian and entertainer. She’s his match and his equal, and anyone who criticizes Sykes without sending the same criticism to Limbaugh is both a phony and a wuss.
Press secretary Robert Gibbs reportedly tried to back away from Sykes, and amazingly – according to Newsbusters.com, not the most fair and balanced Web site – so did Keith Olbermann. (I’ve emailed MSNBC for comment because I can’t quite believe that.) But there’s been no rebuke from Obama, and that makes me happy. Much of Sykes routine was actually tweaking Obama: My favorite jokes included Sykes lampooning the president for his shirtless photos (“I know you’re into transparency but…I don’t need to see your nipples”), his race (“The first black president, I’m proud to say that, unless you screw up, and then it’s gonna be, what’s up with the half-white guy? Who voted for the mulatto? What the hell?â€)
And much of Obama’s routine shockingly crossed our dull political lines as well. He described Dick Cheney’s new book, “How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People,†and welcomed John Boehner as a fellow “person of color,” although “not a color found in nature.†Obama actually cut a wider swath of comedic pain across the political landscape than Sykes did – but Sykes came down hard on He Who Cannot Be Criticized, Oxycontin Man! And she’s now in deep trouble.
I’m late to the faux outrage about Sykes’ edgy hilarious routine, but let’s let Jon Stewart get the last word. Like many of us on Monday he wondered how Sykes could provoke outrage while torture revelations provoke yawns and/or lame rationalizations.
Let this be the beginning of a beautiful new era of savaging Limbaugh freely and with delight – and please God, let the rumors of Olbermann’s disapproval be false!
Really? You know what would be hilarious? If Janeane Garofalo died of hepatitis, hahahahahahaha!
Geez. Tough crowd.
UPDATE: Taranto at WSJ on Frissongate (also citing Jules Crittenden)
UPDATE x2: At Cold Fury, Mike predicts my future and completes the diagnosis
Comment by B Moe on 5/12 @ 5:28 am #
All humans aren’t really sentient beings. I have come to realize that lately.
Comment by Pablo on 5/12 @ 5:38 am #
What planet has she been living on? On Earth, Limbaugh has been a useful and favorite target for decades.
Comment by router on 5/12 @ 5:48 am #
it didn’t say squat about obamadork
Comment by router on 5/12 @ 5:49 am #
it never read al franken’s book
Comment by SBP on 5/12 @ 5:51 am #
I’m pissing myself at the thought of Joan Walsh dying of metastatic cervical cancer.
Hi-LARIOUS!
Comment by Mr. Pink on 5/12 @ 5:55 am #
“but Sykes came down hard on He Who Cannot Be Criticized, Oxycontin Man!”
What’s with the continued jokes on the Oxycotton when the real He Who Cannot Be Criticized snorted freakin coke?
Comment by Mr. Pink on 5/12 @ 5:57 am #
What I do not get about this article is how the writer tries to suggest that calling someone a terrorist or hoping they get kidney cancer and die can be considered either criticism or funny.
Comment by Pablo on 5/12 @ 6:03 am #
This one is a dim yet overwrought bulb.
How dare she!?!
Comment by N. O'Brain on 5/12 @ 6:04 am #
“…there’s never been a better match for Limbaugh. He’s an entertainer and a comedian – I despise him, but every once in a while he’s funny – and he’s regularly off color;…”
Has anyone, ever, regular listener or intermittent dial twirler ever, EVER, heard Rush Limbaugh be “off color”?
Comment by Pablo on 5/12 @ 6:05 am #
What would really be funny is watching an anvil land on Joan Walsh. Especially if she held up a little sign that said “Ouch!”
I love comedy.
Comment by N. O'Brain on 5/12 @ 6:09 am #
Comment by Pablo on 5/12 @ 6:05 am #
The problem with that is that she’d recover.
Wile E. Feminist.
Comment by Matt on 5/12 @ 6:19 am #
I listen to limbaugh daily- his persona is pompous blowhard - I get that. But I can’t remember a time he’s been “off color” and Im pretty sure he’s never wished death on anybody. There’s certainly no “hate speech” which I hear him constantly accused of. Honestly, I hate the words “hate speech”- what does that even mean?
I can tell I’m going to be cranky today. ANother glorious day in our socialism paradise.
Comment by Mr. Pink on 5/12 @ 6:22 am #
So Joan writes that she despises Limbaugh, but then holds out Olbermann as someone she has respect for? The only thing I can infer from that is that the only reason she despises Limbaugh is his political beliefs.
Comment by urthshu on 5/12 @ 6:47 am #
A lot of words to just say “its funny ‘cuz its true”
Comment by TheGeezer on 5/12 @ 6:49 am #
Leftists see all politics not theirs as off-color, hateful and to be hated, and that all who belive in non-leftist ways of doing things should - or must - die.
Comment by Kurt on 5/12 @ 6:57 am #
Rush meant that he wanted Obama’s heart to fail. Feel free to post pics of yourselves with little “I’m sorry jokes go over my head and I make an ass out of myself” signs on the internet.
Comment by BJT-FREE! on 5/12 @ 7:00 am #
Hey, you know what would be funny?
If Olberman, during one of his interminable spittle flecked segments on why Bill O’Reilly is a fascist… I mean right in the middle of holding up a swastika, if symbol spontaneously combusted with a bright, white light and fell on top of Keith’s head and burned all the way through to his neck while he screamed hideously until collapsing in a smoking, gurgling heap.
[...]
What, you think comedy is pretty?
Comment by Mr. Pink on 5/12 @ 7:02 am #
It is almost as if these people performed frontal lobe lobotomies on themselves in January so they would forget their own actions of the prior 8 years.
Comment by Pablo on 5/12 @ 7:02 am #
I hope Kurt’s bladder fails.
Comment by BJT-FREE! on 5/12 @ 7:05 am #
No. no, Pablo, we need to hope that Kurt’s Bladder explodes!
FOR THE TRANSCENDENT COMEDY!!!
Comment by Kurt on 5/12 @ 7:11 am #
Apparently my ability to convey sarcasm has failed and exploded.
Comment by Rob Crawford on 5/12 @ 7:14 am #
I once heard him do a couple minutes about people farding in their cars.
Comment by Rob Crawford on 5/12 @ 7:15 am #
Kurt, the problem is, without explicit indications of sarcasm, nothing’s beyond belief these days.
Comment by BJT-FREE! on 5/12 @ 7:17 am #
Hey, I got Kurt’s sarcasm. No, Really! I did! WHY WON’T ANYONE BELIEVE ME!?!?!?
(slinks away)
Comment by Darleen on 5/12 @ 7:35 am #
what “outrage” Joan? Is saying “good lord that was pretty UNfunny” now “outrage”?
I guess the default position is anything less then glowing reviews of Obama and his minions is either “faux outrage” and unacceptable.
it is going to be a long long four years.
Comment by Darleen on 5/12 @ 7:37 am #
btw welcomed John Boehner as a fellow “person of color,†although “not a color found in nature.â€
what does that mean? I know the audience had “laugh here” signs, but did I miss something about what Boehner has done to earn that line? Did he have a bucket of paint fall on him in a hilarious White House incident or something?
Pingback by Passing for funny | Cold Fury on 5/12 @ 7:41 am #
[...] floats a riposte, for which he’d soon be hanging from his thumbs in a dingy Ogulag basement (which, by the [...]
Comment by JD on 5/12 @ 7:46 am #
Darleen - I assume it refers to Boehner’s odd coloring from his perpetual fake tan.
BJ - I found something that scares me more than midgets and clowns - ventriloquist dummies.
Comment by geoffb on 5/12 @ 7:53 am #
No, JD. They are magic.
Comment by JD on 5/12 @ 7:58 am #
I thought we were friends, geoffb.
2 1/2 Men polluted their once great show with a hideous evil ventriloquist dummie, causing me to have Chiantix nightmares last night.
Comment by JD on 5/12 @ 8:00 am #
Joan Walsh is an ignorant slut. She prolly likes Meghan McCain.
Comment by BJT-FREE! on 5/12 @ 8:16 am #
Oh, oh, I know what would be a scream.
Let’s say Joan Walsh develops gallstones! I mean so bad that the pain is excruciating and she has to be rushed to the hospital where they have to operate! Oh, and while they operate, they nick her bile duct and poison her body, meaning they have to operate again! Can you just imagine the guffaws in the course of …
[...]
Oh, sorry, JD, I guess it wouldn’t be that funny even if it were Joan Walsh.
My bad!
Comment by JD on 5/12 @ 8:20 am #
Just make Joan Walsh have to drive herself to the hospital …
Comment by alppuccino on 5/12 @ 8:27 am #
You could almost see Obama’s reflexive reaching for the imaginary Colt 45 malt liquor at the same time he was laughing at the hijacker and kidney jokes. I bet he was wanting a cigarette really bad.
Or maybe he was reaching for the imaginary church bulletin.
Comment by Matt on 5/12 @ 8:35 am #
Actually, I was wondering what tone deaf moron thought it would be a good idea to have Wanda Sykes speak at this thing.
Comment by Pablo on 5/12 @ 8:44 am #
That would be Jennifer Loven.
JOUIRNALISM!
Comment by psycho... on 5/12 @ 8:46 am #
In real life, it was things ending in -codone that Rush liked, wasn’t it?
Doesn’t matter, does it? But its not mattering does.
-based
Comment by Joe on 5/12 @ 8:53 am #
The Boehner bit was very funny.
Comment by Dan Collins on 5/12 @ 8:56 am #
Was it, Joe? I think the President might be an Oompa Loompaphobe.
Comment by Abe Froman on 5/12 @ 8:56 am #
How did Limbaugh get addicted anyway? Was he taking them for a legitimate ailment at first? Considering how much noise there was about this whjole thing you’d think I’d know the answer but don’t recall ever hearing it.
Comment by JD on 5/12 @ 8:58 am #
No, Dan. I possess that phobia, and Barcky is not a member of any group that I belong to.
Comment by Asymmetric Polyhedron (formerly mojo) on 5/12 @ 9:01 am #
Why is Feherty apologizing? Is it the shooting thing?
Hell, just strangle her too, then. Although blunt force trauma is much more satisfying.
Or so I’ve been told.
Comment by Mr. Pink on 5/12 @ 9:06 am #
How is Obama’s drug use ok but Limbaugh’s is a source of ridicule? It is hard to keep track of these double standards.
Comment by Rob Crawford on 5/12 @ 9:07 am #
Mr. Pink — despite mentioning it in his book(s), Obama’s drug use is Not To Be Discussed.
Comment by alppuccino on 5/12 @ 9:11 am #
Limbaugh’s shady method of acquiring his drug of choice put those doctors’ licenses in jeopardy, and ended up costing us all in health care. Some 45 million people are without health care this day. *sniff*
Obama got his blow from a dealer. That doesn’t hurt anyone.
Comment by Matt on 5/12 @ 9:19 am #
Abe, it was a back injury. Rush’s story is like alot of people who have constant pain. I’ve had alot of cases, on plaintiff and the defense side, and I’ve seen how easy it is to slide into that addiction - Rush was probably even worse off because his money and connections allowed him access to all the pills he wanted. Oxycotin, for example, is incredibly addictive and will knock you on your butt- I’m not sure how Rush managed to live up to his show commitments on the stuff.
Pain management clinics, which usually are staffed by a doctor who couldn’t make it as any other kind of doctor and now just writes scripts, give the stuff out like candy. Unfortunately, there are some injuries which doctors will tell you “you’ll just have to make the best of things” and those people typically turn to pills. House does a good job of showing a classic drug abuser who has a legitimate reason to abuse.
Comment by Sdferr on 5/12 @ 9:22 am #
Except that he walks with his cane in the wrong hand.
Comment by Abe Froman on 5/12 @ 9:35 am #
Thanks Matt. Getting addicted to medication while it 9is prescribed to you for an ailment is hardly the same thing as taking recreational drugs by choice and then getting hooked. But the left loves to manufacture them some hypocrisy.
Comment by Chad on 5/12 @ 10:38 am #
I’m thinking more along the lines of “Garafolo dies of space herpes.” She’s got to have a whole colony of the buggers living in there…
Comment by J. "Trashman" Peden on 5/12 @ 10:50 am #
But let’s be honest: We had comedian and entertainer v. comedian and entertainer.
No, we had Affirmative Action on display. Pretty funny, eh?
Comment by Christopher Taylor on 5/12 @ 11:48 am #
“funnier and less cruel”
Uh… huh?
Comment by SicSemperTyrannus on 5/12 @ 1:30 pm #
I hope Wanda Sykes gets sickle cell!
COMEDY GOLD!!!
Comment by Techie on 5/12 @ 3:24 pm #
Again, who the hell is Wanda Sykes, and why should I give a damn?
Comment by geoffb on 5/12 @ 3:33 pm #
Just got back home.
Re: #30, JD I just couldn’t resist. That was one creepy movie that got creepier after he did “Silence of the Lambs”.
Truce or your move, your choice.