Posted on 07/16/2004 2:45:01 AM PDT by kattracks
WASHINGTON - Whoopi Goldberg lashed out at Republicans again yesterday, branding them hypocrites for trying to "punish" her for joking about the President.Fired from her gig as SlimFast spokeswoman, the salty entertainer hit back at Republicans who threatened a SlimFast boycott over sexual puns she made about President Bush's name at a Democratic fund-raiser.
"America's heart and soul is freedom of expression without fear of reprisal," she said in a statement.
"I find all this feigned indignation about 'Bush bashing' quite disingenuous," she said, noting the Bush administration has savagely gone after critics like former Sen. Max Cleland, Iraq whistleblower Joseph Wilson and ex-terrorism chief Richard Clarke.
"For the Republican Party to pretend this is new to them seems a little fake," she said.
"The fact that I am no longer the spokesman for SlimFast makes me sad, but not as sad as someone trying to punish me for exercising my right as an American to speak my mind."
The Bush-Cheney campaign has been making a lot of hay out of Goldberg's set at last week's celebrity gala at Radio City Music Hall, professing shock at her blue jokes.
Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman called the event a "hatefest" that proves John Kerry doesn't "share the same values" as the rest of America.
Kerry, who is trying to woo swing voters, did not stand by his celeb supporters. On the defensive, he distanced himself from Goldberg and said through spokesmen that he thought her comments were inappropriate.
Running mate John Edwards was asked about the flap yesterday by Fox News. "They weren't speaking for me, and they weren't speaking for John Kerry," he said, adding the ticket is "focused on our positive, optimistic vision of hope."
Mehlman has repeatedly demanded that Kerry's camp release a video of the event, even going so far as to promise not to use the footage in ads.
Kerry campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill said tartly that he could have the video after Bush releases his military records and details of Vice President Cheney's secret energy task force.
Diversity promoter Asa Khalif, who has made headlines for accusing celebrities of insensitivity, cried foul in the Goldberg firing. "I smell racism from beginning to end," said Khalif, head of Racial Unity USA in Pennsylvania. "SlimFast must realize that black women have every right to voice their views."
Originally published on July 16, 2004
>"The fact that I am no longer the spokesman for SlimFast makes me sad, but not as sad as someone trying to punish me for exercising my right as an American to speak my mind."<
Boy, isn't it great how a few years back, Whoopi went right to Anita Bryant's defense, when the libs started that campaign to kick Anita off as the orange juice spokesman? After all, Anita Bryant was just speaking her mind about homosexuality.
What? Whoopi was nowhere to be seen?
Exactly. *Your* salary is paid with the money we spend to watch your movies. Treat us with some respect. As the old saying has it, what goes around, comes around. Its still not too late to resuscitate your career that's now in the dumps. Whether you learn what the public wants is your choice.
Oh, their claim will be they were laughing WITH the crowd, not at Whoppi.
Goldberg forgot to be funny. I have no problem with pointed political humor, for or against the President. Thats "part of it".
What Goldberg forgot, ala Ellen Degeneres a few years back, is to be FUNNY.
And like the discredited Dixie Chicks, she displays a complete and total misunderstanding of the First Amendment.
This isn't censorship. This is America taking advantage of its freedom to walk away from anyone they choose, any product they choose, any political viewpoint they choose.
Funny how liberals only seem to think choice is viable when its abortion, but never is choice viable on any other topic, isn't it?
I choose to send Slimfast my comments. I choose to not buy their products as long as Goldberg was the spokesperson.
And apparently, millions of other Americans did the same thing.
Ain't Democracy grand?
Exactly. No business that disregards its customers' concerns will remain in business for long. That's the beauty of the market at work in our free enterprise system. It has to listen to the people who buy.
Free speech is alive and well. She spoke her mind, we spoke our minds, Slim Fast spoke their corporate mind and nobody went to jail for doing so. So what's the problem Whoopi?
I'm thinking of Dr. Laura Schlessinger. I didn't see much concern for her free speech from the Hollywood Left then. Methinks Whoopi is all sour grapes on this one.
Mr. 180 has already flipped and flopped on this issue. What a surprise!
Oh yes, play the victim card. That will win her a lot of sympathy. For what its worth, she made the *choice* to use foul language at Radio City. No one forced her to talk in that manner about our President.
very good point.
Uh huh. I do have a problem with someone who adores communism and hates the values our country was founded upon.
On the other hand, I see her point: President Bush should have freedom of expression without fear of reprisal from potty-mouthed moral-liberal entertainers!
Don't you mean decision making inability?
Well said. I wonder about Radio City Music Hall in NY, though. When a drunken black whore waves a wine bottle around that big stage and insults the president, shouldn't there be more scrutiny about their venue?
Looks like Caryn Elaine Johnson will have even more time on her hands now.
I read in one review that even the crowd was, at best, lukewarm to Whoopi's tirade. Any decent person should have been offended by her vulgarity. It was not speaking out but her vulgarity and sluttiness that led her to lose her spokesperson status.
Absolutely. It is the power of the consumer not being happy with her and her views. I didn't like her before, and the fact she is a spokesperson for this product, causes me to become nauseated to use this product. Poor taste in a spokesperson.
Didn't like her before, really don't like her now.
Yes, and they didn't have her back. She has no class.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.