Shitting in his Worldwide Pants?

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on June 15th, 2009

Since posting about David Letterman’s apology, a lot has happened.

Tomorrow, there’s a rally scheduled in Manhattan to exert pressure on CBS to fire Late Show host David Letterman. Should he be fired? It’s not a question of “should.” It’s a business decision. And that decision most likely rests with Les Moonves, president and COO of Columbia Broadcast System.

Moonves will no doubt consider several things like how many people show up, how much MSM coverage it gets, how long the controversy might last or how many women viewers he can afford to alienate by keeping Letterman on. Or… urge Letterman to call a press conference and issue a second apology. Stranger things have happened.

The National Organization for Women (NOW) has added Letterman’s June 8 performance to their “Media Hall of Shame.” They conclude the page by exhorting their followers to “Take Action” and “Write to CBS and tell them what you think,” which, when clicked, brings up a handy-dandy form to generate either email or an actual hard copy.

Huffington Post readers were treated to this essay by Amy Siskind, described as the president and co-founder of The New Agenda, a nonpartisan organization devoted to advancing women’s rights. Siskind sees the wayward monologue and the ensuing outrcy as a watershed moment:

And perhaps most revolutionary of all are the unlikely alliances being forged to fight against the words of David Letterman. Women who have had abortions are joining hands with those whose religion forbids it. Men who voted against Proposition 8 are joining hands with lesbian couples. Women who pulled the lever for a Republican are joining hands with men who voted for a Democrat. All uniting in the name of common decency and the desire to make things better for the next generation. It’s a “how did we let it come to this” type of moment.

Of course, it could all be over with by Thursday. With Letterman back securely at the helm of his show and everyone in the media onto the next controversy, the next outrage, the next gaffe.

Then, there’s the results of a US Weekly “Water Cooler Poll,” which asks, “Whose side are you on?”

Sarah Palin– %89.31
David Letterman– %10.69

This has taken a fascinating turn.

If Dave loses his gig (and we’re putting it at 60/40 right now that he keeps his job), a scenario similar to the Imus debacle will no doubt unfold. There is plenty of residual good will toward Letterman and there will be virtually no decrease in his celebrity– perhaps even an uptick! After a cooling-off period, he’ll resurface on ABC or Fox as host of a show that goes up against whichever show replaces his.

In much the same way that Bill Maher re-surfaced, in a slightly different format and with a different taping schedule on HBO after stirring up a controversy on his ABC show. Imus returned to radio after being signed by Citadel Broadcasting.

In both the Imus and the Maher situations, some folks tried to represent what happened as censorship. And in neither case was that so. Neither CBS nor ABC (nor MSNBC, who dropped Imus’ simulcast) are government entities. They are corporations who bowed to public pressure, and to pressure from sponsors. At no time was any government involved. And, it is worth noting, both hosts are now gainfully employed, doing what they did before they lost their previous jobs. And, to our knowledge, no one is suggesting that either man be removed from his current position.

But this isn’t going away overnight. And it can’t be easily dismissed as a “manufactured hissy-fit” by knuckle-dragging “sows” with the “IQ of a door stop.” It seems to be a rather broad and varied gang of people who are expressing their disappointment– and in a variety of ways. Women, womyn, men (fathers), NOW members, mothers, daughters, Alaskans, HuffPo readers, conservatives, feminists, housewives– if the juggernaut has such a broad demo, the problem is real.

It may not be, as Siskind writes, that “men who voted against Proposition 8 are joining hands with lesbian couples,” but it certainly is varied enough that it can’t be dismissed out of hand as some sort of “rightwing withchunt” as so many have speculated. And that’s doubly bad for Dave.

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