Michelle Malkin: The Wonkette-ization of Laura Bush

Michelle Malkin ^ | May 3, 2005 | Michelle Malkin

[EveningStar]

Most of Mrs. Bush's humor at the correspondents' dinner was just right: Edgy but not over the edge. But I think the stripper and horse jokes were totally beneath her.

Just put it to the other-shoe test: If it were Teresa Heinz Kerry standing up on the dais telling the same jokes, the conservative commentariat would be buzzing for the rest of the year about what a tasteless skank she is.

[Palladin]

Michelle Malkin agrees with me:

"Lighten up?" How about cleaning up? The First Lady resorting to cheap horse masturbation jokes is not much better than Whoopi Goldberg trafficking in dumb puns on the Bush family name. Unlike many Beltway and Manhattan commentators, I do not think the Wonkette-ization of the White House is a good thing."~~M. Malkin

[brytlea]

No, actually the most overused phrase in the English language is "I'm offended".
I bet not...
susie

[Dahoser]

The horse joke was about not being able to tell the difference between a HORSE and a COW, not an udder and a penis.

I began this thread being surprised that people are offended at the jokes, but now I am utterly amazed that the milking the horse joke got morphed into horse masturbation. And by the very same people who are offended. Maybe I'm just a city slicker so I didn't think about it beyond what you said, that is, not being able to tell the difference between a horse and cow. But there's an awfully huge difference between milking a horse by mistake and masturbating a horse. To take that joke and run it to the extreme of masturbating a horse, and then take great offense at the First Lady for telling a joke about sex with farm animals is astounding. Makes me wonder where those people's minds are.

[Peach]

Exactly! And well stated.

[EveningStar]

Yes, there are a lot of crackpots at FR and in the GOP and some of them are probably posting on this thread. However, you folks are overreacting. Step outside and look up at the sky. It ain't falling.

[Howlin]

Mrs. Bush offended him but this doesn't:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1396068/posts?page=110#110

[MikefromOhio]

well thank you :)

I was just a contractor over there....

I guess God didnt bless any of these people with a sense of humor or something....

[Primetimedonna]

I join you solidly in the middle. I, too, get a bit annoyed with so many on the extreme right as well as the extreme left trying to hijack the political system. When the First Lady can't make jokes at a dinner where that is the primary purpose without being attacked, enough is enough! With all the sensitivity claimed by so many (either real or feigned) should we just give up on humor completely?!?! Humor is one of the few ways to defuse uncomfortable situations....I don't know how people can get through life without a sense of humor! To those who can't put things like this in perspective, get over yourselves!!

[CharlesWayneCT]

One of the funny things of the whole speech had nothing to do with WHAT she said.

Each time she made a joke, she would look over to Pres. Bush for approval. Like, is that OK, or should I stop now. He'd give her this look (each time it was a slightly different look, but the TV only caught a few of them) which also were hilarious.

It was very much like a roast, where what you say is judged by the effect on the one being roasted. A self-deprecating speech BY PROXY, letting his wife do the deed.

I'm not going to chastise people who were offended by some of the jokes, although I will say that you had to have your mind in a certain place in order to BE OFFENDED, because she didn't use the words that are being used here to DESCRIBE her jokes.

I imagine that some people expected to see a president make fun of himself in a classy way, and could have been offended by the first lady. I don't think we should be intolerant of those who were disturbed by jokes that in fact could be considered offensive.

I think that people who call the First Lady crude names for being crude are a bit hypocritical. So I guess I'm drawing the line between those who were dissappointed in her (I wasn't, but I understand why they could be), and those who have called the wrath of something down on her.

I believe that a lot of the rabid talk against her HAS been instigated by the left. You could trace it from the fake FVC web site post (officially the FVC found nothing wrong with the speech), and to David Corn's mock outrage (I can't imagine ANYTHING would really shock that boy).

Meanwhile, both I and my wife enjoyed the speech as a whole, glancing at each other ONLY on the horse joke, but more like "ewww" than real disgust. If my wife can see the humor, I think we are OK.

[what's up]

Yes...I appreciate Malkin's views. They are also mine. And I don't care if she lives in the city or the country...she's a good, solid conservative.

[MikefromOhio]

whooptie do...michelle Malkin agrees with you. You act like it is the first time or something.

This is the first time that I disagree totally with her as a matter of fact.

Doesn't mean she is right...

[ReeWalker]

The First Lady resorting to cheap horse masturbation jokes

You're either a city slicker,very very young, or have lived most of your life very sheltered. The joke was about not being able to tell a cow from a horse. I can remember my granpa tellin me his granpa told the joke to him...It's older than dirt.

[sinkspur]

Michelle Malkin agrees with me:

She has reason to worry.

[Palladin]

That's a direct quote from Michelle Malkin, you moron!

Lighten up?" How about cleaning up? The First Lady resorting to cheap horse masturbation jokes is not much better than Whoopi Goldberg trafficking in dumb puns on the Bush family name. Unlike many Beltway and Manhattan commentators, I do not think the Wonkette-ization of the White House is a good thing

[Alkhin]

I dont know...wallace claims he's been around since 1998 and then accused me of being either a 'libertarian' or 'liberal' or from DU. And he claimed he knew better than Christ what real Christianity means by saying that people who were gay and lesbian could not honestly put in a claim as Christians. I think gays and lesbians are living the wrong lifestyle, but I am not less of a sinner than they are, but he seemed to have forgotten that Christ hung out with the worst kind of sinners.

[exnavychick]

I have been noticing this kind of stuff more and more since around the first of the year...actually, since the Kid Rock brouhaha.

At first, I laughed it off, but as time rolls by and we see more and more of this, I am beginning to think that there really ARE folks trolling here just to try to make conservative Christians look bad, and others are just going along for the ride, for whatever reasons they may have. (I honestly don't care to reflect too much on THEIR motives)

I see it, I don't like it, but other than trying to point out their absurdities when I see it, I don't really know what to do about it besides gnash my teeth in frustration.

*a really long-winded version of I agree 100%* LOL

[Celtjew Libertarian]

The problem is that since the 1970s at least, the GOP has been two parties -- A conservative, religious party and a libertarian free-market party -- united against those who hate America (or are willing to use such hate for political purposes), known as the Democrats.

In the wake of the Terri Schiavo case, I'm thinking that maybe the religious right can hook up with Jesse Jackson, Tom Harkin, etc., the free-marketers can pickup a few socially liberal, but free-market Dems, and the core of American Haters in the Democratic party can take over total control of it.

The result would be two major parties that love America, merely disagreeing on how Americans greatness should be preserved and improved on. Personally, I think that would be wonderful.

[WVNan]

Peach, how many times have we been down this road before? I guess everyone has their "hot-button" issues that makes them get their knickers in a wad. FWIW, I think that a lot of (maybe younger) people have never seen a Roast before. The nature of a Roast is to over-exaggerate the perceptions that the public has of a public figure. Laura did that at an adult venue where satire is expected. It would not have been satire if it had not been antithetical to the real people being roasted. Everyone knows that Laura is a lady who would never even think of going to Chippendale's and neither would any of the ladies she named. The horse joke comes from a different era and perhaps urban people don't get it. The problems that some are having come from within themselves. I suppose one could see sexual inuendo in the joke, but then perhaps they see sexual inuendo in a lot of things. I didn't take the joke that way because I come from a Southern rural culture and that joke is old as I am. It's obvious that there is not going to be agreement on this issue, so we will just have to let it ride until it blows over. It will.

[Smittie]

I'm disappointed that Laura stooped down to the level of the Hollywood rats that were in the audience. Why would you even want to attend such an event that was filled with people who spend each day ridiculing you and your beliefs? What was she hoping to accomplish?

[proud American in Canada]

Thanks, onyx. This place has gone nuts.

Things have been tense since the Terri debate, perhaps because the anonymous Internet encourages vicious name-calling.

If we were all sitting in a living room discussing the First Lady's speech, we'd just agree to disagree and things wouldn't get to the boiling point.

I, for one, while at first a little startled at the Desperate Housewives joke, thought Laura was very funny and graceful at an event where the whole point is to roast the President.