Wanda Sykes’ Rush Limbaugh Joke Was Funny
Republicans are enraged – and engaging in a gasket-blowing competition after comedienne Wanda Sykes “crossed the line” and went after their hero during her routine at the White House Correspondents Dinner over the weekend.
Sykes took aim at GOP radio host Rush Limbaugh, saying “maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker but he was so strung out on Oxycontin he missed his flight.”
She later said she hoped Limbaugh’s “kidneys fail.”
From WaPo reporter Chris Cillizza’s blog, The Fix:
Several Republicans the Fix spoke with, however, were far less sanguine about Sykes.
“Sykes was funny, toeing the line with her comedy the entire time until she brought up Rush,” said Matt Mackowiak, a GOP consultant who attended the dinner. “It’s one thing to say he is guilty of treason, another to say that he sounds like Osama Bin Laden, was the 20th hijacker on 9/11, and that you hope his kidneys fail. I thought it was over the line and marred her otherwise good performance.”
Another GOP strategist who spoke only on the condition of anonymity said that Sykes’s remarks about Limbaugh were “way beyond the pale” adding: “In essence she was saying, ‘He’s an anti-American terrorist and I hope he dies.’ It’s hard to see how that’s in good fun.”
Good Lord.
That joke was about the only funny thing Sykes said all night, and the fact it received a smattering of boos just goes to show you how anally PC our nation’s capital has become.
The whole episode demonstrates why the GOP is dead, people – the party has absolutely no sense of humor. Well, that and it totally bailed on its core fiscal principles during the Bush years.
Instead of whining like a bunch of bitches about what Sykes said, the GOP should recognize it was a joke – and start making some jokes of its own. Hell, the President of the United States is a socialist whose middle name is Hussein, people. If that’s not fertile comedic ground, we don’t know what is.
More importantly, though, humor is an integral part of making your point in our culture – but the GOP just isn’t funny. Never has been.
Limbaugh in particular is guy we’ve always viewed as a bloviating fear-monger who preaches to a bunch of people who exist to be offended.
Our advice to “El Rushbo?” Laugh it off.
Our advice to Limbaugh’s audience? Stop looking for reasons to be offended and start offending.
It’s way more fun that way.
Comments
By JBV on May 11th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Good points.
By Liberty For Me on May 11th, 2009 at 9:13 am
I agree sir…grow a pair people.Like we dont laugh at these idiots and their shollow beliefs in socialism.Limbaugh has been no Libertarian and has promoted right wing socialism.So he deserves a few shots.
By Nice... on May 11th, 2009 at 10:14 am
“Limbaugh in particular is guy we’ve always viewed as a bloviating fear-monger who preaches to a bunch of people who exist to be offended.”
Though I typically disagree with everything you say, this was one hell of a good point you made. Everytime someone tells me they “heard it on Fox News” or “Rush says…”, is it common reflex to grasp their throat and shake them for a few minutes?
By Lee on May 11th, 2009 at 10:52 am
I really hope our non-citizen, cocaine sniffing Muslim president’s kidneys fail too!.
(laughter ensues!)
By Sally Calder on May 11th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Nice, is that because we should get our facts and news from CNN and Al Franken?
By Mary on May 11th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
I agree that we should be able to take a joke but can I have this in writing for the next time a conservative makes a joke and then has to resign.
I think wanting someones kidneys to fail is a little more vile than in the case of Jessie Hemms being complimented on his birthday.
By fitsnews on May 11th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Mary,
You do have it in writing – and if you stick around this site long enough you’ll find that Obama gets it far worse (and far less politically-correct) from us than pretty much any other U.S. politician.
And with good reason.
-FITS
By adam on May 11th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I disagree; the GOP already tries to offend (rather than simply being offended) and it’s really annoying because they stop listening altogether and just try to piss everyone off. Rush, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, and that other crazy blonde lady (can’t think of her name right now) are all offensive people but they’re not funny. Wanda Sykes was offensive but she was funny because she didn’t start any fights. She was just mocking people who were arrogant and hypocritical and didn’t have a sense of humor about it. Obama’s jokes were pretty decent too. Love the one about John Boehner being a person of color.
By James the Foot Soldier on May 11th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
I liked the one about Michell’s “right to bare arms”…very clever.
btw….Rush used to use a lot more humor in his early days…but then….when one has as large an audience is it really time to change the formula?
By Jennifer on May 12th, 2009 at 12:32 am
Ya know? I consider myself to have a pretty good sense of humor. And I enjoy a nasty dig at us Republicans if it is well done and clever. But I gotta tell you, Sykes’ joke just wasn’t funny. It lacked imagination. The 20th hijacker? Huh? A lame drug joke? Please! If you are gonna offend with a joke, make it count, people! There is plenty of better material about Rush.
Obama’s stuff was much funnier. Liked his joke about the GOP not being eligible for a bailout and Rush not being an asset.
By ntstpd on May 31st, 2009 at 11:20 pm
While Lush becomes wealthier along with his right wing collutionists, the nutty right wing zombie like followers become poorer.No joke about that.
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