American Popular Culture Home American Popular Culture Home
American Popular Culture Home About Americana Contact Americana American Popular Culture Archive
 MAGAZINE AMERICANA
 
Film
Television
Music
Sports
Politics
Venues
Style
Bestsellers
Emerging Pop Culture
Archive
Links
Magazine Home
 ENDOWMENT FUND
Become a member!
Receive our
e-newsletter
 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Magazine
Journals
E-newsletter
 
 
FROM THE RIGHT:
WANDA SYKES GOES TOO FAR

Rush Limbaugh said he hopes this administration fails,” Wanda Sykes said at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. “So you’re saying, ‘I hope America fails.’ You’re like, ‘I don’t care about people losing their homes, their jobs, our soldiers in Iraq.’ He just wants the country to fail. To me, that’s treason."

"He’s not saying anything differently than what Osama bin Laden is saying," she continued. "You know, you might want to look into this, sir, because I think Rush Limbaugh was the twentieth hijacker. But he was just so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight.”

The room split over that joke. She noticed and asked, “Too much?”

Indeed, it was.

But did that stop her? Heck no, she was on a roll.

“Rush Limbaugh," she said, "'I hope the country fails.' I hope his kidneys fail, how about that?”

And for her grand finale: “He needs a good waterboarding, that’s what he needs.”

Without a doubt, Wanda Sykes went too far. So far, in fact, that even the White House press secretary Robert Gibbs admitted this during his briefing today: "I think the president - I haven’t talked specifically with him, but my guess is - I think there are a lot of topics that are better left for serious reflection rather than comedy. I think there’s no doubt that 9/11 is part of that."

Indeed.

I, for one, am tired of the ad hominem attacks on Limbaugh, Palin, and the like. We need to discuss issues and look for real answers to real problems, not poke fun at one of the worst disasters in American history.

Toby Harnden of the London Telegraph stated, "Obama seemed to think this bit was pretty hilarious, grinning and chuckling and turning to share the 'joke' with the person sitting on his right. There's not much room for differing interpretations of what Sykes said. She called Limbaugh a terrorist and a traitor, suggested that he be tortured and wished him dead. What was his crime? Hoping that Obama's policies - which he views as socialist - will fail. That's way, way beyond reasoned debate or comedy and Obama's reaction to it was astonishing...Obama laughing when someone wishes Limbaugh dead? Hard to take from the man who promised a new era of civility and elevated debate in Washington."

Not only do I agree, I couldn't have said it better myself.

May 2009

[back to top]

Home | About Us | Contact | Archive

© 2009 Americana: The Institute for the Study of American Popular Culture

Website Created by Cave Painting