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
Is she black? I thought she was just dirty!
Surely Whoopi should NOT be around children...even in cyberspace. Let's protest THAT!
Exactly.
If it weren't for the GOP, Whoopie could still be a slave.
I haven't been ignoring your comments folks... I was offline for a few days while moving to a new house. Now it's time to start freeping again!
Im not sure if slimfast sponsored whoopi's comedy act. If she was there speaking out as a free citizen of the United States then her speech would be protected by the Constitution. To hold Slimfast accountable for her remarks-not occurring while acting as their spokesperson would, in that case be misguided.
Since I don't listen to the Kerry fundraising events, I don't know what Whoopi said. It is not uncommon, however, for comediens to make jokes about politicians. It must have been REALLY BAD however, because there was more of a fuss made about it than the liberals made of the "Girly-boy" remark made by Ahnold. Send me a link to a site that has whoopi's remarks if you know of one because I can't find one around. Thanks!
Check out what Cheney said on the floor of the Senate the other day:
In a chance encounter in the Senate, where the vice president is sometimes the presiding officer, Cheney reacted to a face-to-face meeting with Democratic senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who had criticized him about his ties to the Halliburton Company, Cheney's former employer. Cheney told the senator to go "f--- yourself" as he stalked off in indignation. So much for the president's pledge to bring about "a return to civility" to Washington.
I copied this from the website; Thewashingtonspectator.com .
It seems that the liberal media is always trying to make us look bad.
But I'm sure "Crappy GoldTwit" is all up in arms about the statement by ShwarzenKennedy, calling the DemonRATs "Girly-Men"...she's defending HIS "Freedom of Speech" against all the DemonRATs caterwauling over his "EEEEEeeevil" slander...right?
< insert cricket sound here... >
Welcome to FR, WWJD. If you have read this thread you will realize that the Constitution protects the rights of citizens to free speech from retaliation BY THE GOVERNMENT. It says nothing about other citizens reactions to statements by free citizens. The group from FR that boycotted and e-mailed Slim Fast was simply exercising their right to free speech by telling the company they would no longer patronize their products as long as their spokesperson was irresponsible. This has nothing to do with constitutionally guaranteed rights of free speech. Again, welcome to FR.
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