At the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday night, comedian Wanda Sykes took swipes at everyone, including Barack Obama. But, her best barbs were aimed at the titular head of the GOP, Rush Limbaugh. She took a swipe at Hannity, too. For those who didn't see it:
When I posted the video on Saturday night, I wrote:
You know that both of these guys are going to be in a frenzy about this over the next couple days...the hard core right-wingers are very thin-skinned and have no sense of humorWell, no less of an authority than Chris "The Fix" Cillizza, also a self-described Drudgeologist, wonders the same thing. First, Cillizza talked to some Republicans who, of course, didn't think it was funny at all. No one is ever allowed to make jokes at the expense of Rush.
Several Republicans the Fix spoke with, however, were far less sanguine about Sykes.Wanda should know we've got her back.
"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."
Limbaugh himself did not return an email from the Fix seeking comment but it's hard to imagine that he won't address the issue in some way, shape or form on his radio show today. (Limbaugh may also want to take note of the fact that former vice president Dick Cheney said Sunday he'd rather have El Rushbo in the GOP than former Secretary of State Colin Powell. OUCH.)
Is this all much ado about nothing? Maybe. But, remember back to 2006 when Stephen Colbert used his speech at the Correspondents Dinner to deliver a smackdown of President George W. Bush and the press that covered him -- a moment cast by many liberals as an early clarion call for the sort of change Obama ran on and won with two years later.
Given that, there is clearly potential for Sykes' speech to echo well beyond the walls of the Washington Hilton. The question is whether anyone -- Limbaugh, GOP politicians etc -- will fan the flames over the next 24 to 48 hours. And, if so, does Sykes (or do any prominent Democrats) hit back?
The traditional media types never got the Colbert thing. There is no equivalency here. Colbert mocked everyone sitting in that room.
Sykes was joking about a fellow entertainer, albeit one who runs the Republican party. But, watch to see if the inside-the-beltway pundits start saying Wanda was too tough on Rush. GOP leaders cower before Rush, but Wanda Sykes, a comedian, doesn't. And, many, many in the traditional media cower before Rush, too. Poor Rush. The butt of jokes. Because, you know, Rush is such a class act. He would never ever pick on or mock anyone -- especially anyone with debilitating disease:
