Protesters—15 of ‘em!—who gathered outside a Late Show With David Letterman taping yesterday had a hard time finding a consistent message.
Read More “David Letterman Protesters Prefer Leno, Hate Sluts” »

David Letterman apologized to Sarah Palin and her family last night for telling that joke. Palin accepted, saying:

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,” Palin said. “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.

Hey, minus the military-protecting-our-right-to-get-mad-at-rape-jokes stuff,  they both sounds pretty reasonable to me.

It is a simple formula for both comedy and political commentary:

Take a public figure (Sarah Palin) who holds disagreeable views (abstinence-only education). Zero in on an aspect of her personal life counter to those views (her own teen daughter, Bristol Palin, becoming pregnant). Reveal the comedic irony and/or hypocrisy of the public/private contrast. Repeat ad nauseam on blogs, 24-hour news channels, and late night talk shows.

We should all beware this construction. Though very easy to pull off—and often journalistically and comedically sound—it is a trap. And it will render us all hypocrites. Three lessons from history, after the jump.

Read More “Sarah Palin And the “Hypocrisy” Trap” »

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I don’t think much of Sarah Palin as a feminist, but the Alaska Governor has emerged as an interesting figure in the movement for one reason: she has encouraged conservatives to unwittingly defend women’s rights, and liberals to deny them. This MSNBC clip, featuring the Huffington Post’s Katharine Zaleski and the Washington Times‘ Amanda Carpenter, is a perfect example.
Read More “How Sarah Palin Confuses Liberals Into Arguing Against Feminism” »

UT OH:Anchorage blogger Linda Kellen Biegel, who goes by the name Celtic Diva has filed an ethics complaint with the state’s Attorney General, alleging that Palin promoted First Dude Iron Dog sponsor “Arctic Cat Inc.” while representing the state of Alaska by covering herself in head-to-toe Arctic Cat gear at the start of this year’s snowmachine race.

Read More “Daily Palin: Sarah Vs. Blogger Edition” »

Somehow, I think they’ll do all right without him.

LEVI ON THE BREAK-UP: Nineteen-year-old Levi Johnston is single, ladies! His coming out party was held in front of his Wasilla home and was attended by a horde of bloodthirsty reporters. He told the AP that the decision to end things with 18-year-old Bristol was mutual and decided “a while ago.” According to the AP, “He also said some details of the breakup, rumors of which had been swirling on the Internet, were inaccurate.”

Read More “Daily Palin: The Ballad of Bristol & Levi” »