In case you are living under a rock somewhere, we hope Republicans out there all see the Alinsky-Al Sharpton style methods work: over the weekend, two of David Letterman’s sponsors apparently dropped him: Embassy Suites and Hellmann’s Mayo (still waiting on confirmation on that one, but it’s been appearing in emails to people from Hellmann’s corporate all morning).
These are not some of the four biggest advertisers of Letterman’s like Olive Garden, Mars Candy, Kelloggs, and Johnson + Johnson, but it’s a great start.
CBS obviously felt the heat and instructed Letterman to make another statement regarding his jokes about statutory rape. Once again, instead of just saying he was wrong, admitting his staff wrote a joke about a 14 year-old being statutory raped by 33 year-old Alex Rodriguez, and then tried to claim he was actually “joking” about “some other Palin daughter” thousands of miles and several time zones away, Letterman hemmed and hawed and tried to excuse his behavior.
Well, there is no excuse for his behavior.
Just as, to the Left, there was no excuse for Don Imus’ behavior.
Imus apologized after calling the Rutger’s female basketball team “a bunch of nappy-headed hos”. Al Sharpton heard that comment and, Adam West style, immediately slid down the race-baiter pole to his top-secret race-baiting cave deep beneathe Harlem, where his rally signs, protest banners, and legion of wailers and screamers are always revved up and ready to go. No sooner had the words left Imus’ mouth, it seemed, did Sharpton begin his march in front of the cameras, rolling around on the floor with a hue and cry for Imus to be fired.
For RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACISM!
Sharpton may be a lot of things (a crook, a liar, a snake, a cheat, a shameless race-baiter), but he man is a GENIUS when it comes to holding the MSM accountable for what he personally feels is RAAAAAAAACIST.
You can agree with Sharpton or not. You can think his tactics are childish and ridiculous — and we would agree with you. But, there’s no one who can deny Sharpton’s effectiveness. If forcing corporate America to its knees were an Olympic sport, Sharpton would be Michael Phelps, though hopefully not squeezed into anything manufactured by Speedo.
Ironically enough, Republicans most often remind us of the Gore Recount campaign back in 2000 whenever they are up against the MSM. Have you seen the HBO movie “Recount”? It’s worth a watch just for the depiction of Warren Christopher and Donna Brazile as the two most bumbling and asinine advisors a presidential candidate ever had. At some point in the movie, someone notes that Gore’s team “brought a knife to a gun fight”, because Christopher and Brazile kept saying how undignified this or that was, or how they were going to take the high road here or there, and how they had all these other bigger battles they needed to fight.
Yap. Yap. And more yap.
Meanwhile, at Bush HQ, Rove, Baker, and the Republicans actually operated effectively. As James Carville notes on his speaking engagements with Rove, “Bill Clinton would have won in 1992 with or without Carville, but Bush would never have won in 2000 without Rove”. A truer statement was never made, and largely this all boils down to the way the two camps approached that 2000 recount.
The other night, a group of friends was talking to us about another movie, Showgirls, with Elizabeth Berkley and many others whose careers have never recovered. The movie is terrible, but 99% of the people in it act their parts like they’re in a Royal Shakespeare production — all except Gina Gershon, who knows just how awful a movie she’s in, and revels in it. Everyone else pretends they’re in a much better movie than they’re actually in, but Gershon alone gets it.
Republicans got it back in 2000. They brought Uzzis to the knife fight.
Republicans got it back in 2004. Say what you want about Rove, but he masterfully rolled that election.
And then, after having won the White House for two terms in a row, Republicans wandered off into a fog and forgot where they were and what world they are living in. Rove is your Gina Gershon, but instead of following his example, you’ve all been pretending you are things you are not, living in an alternate reality whenever you try to pretend the MSM’s bias isn’t important and that you needn’t counter it each and every day to keep the moonbats in check.
There is absolutely nothing more important than hitting back HARD every time the opponent takes even the slightest swing at you.
Boy, does Al Sharpton ever know that. He declared all-out-war on CBS and its advertisers over the nappy-headed hos remark. Sharpton could not possibly care less about the Rutgers basketball team. We doubt he’s thought much about it since. But, it was an opportunity for him to flex his muscles and remind the MSM that any jab at the black community would be addressed with a loud, angry, take-no-prisoners mob.
Republicans, and women, need to realize that as repugnant as Al Sharpton is, the man is certainly effective. And did we mention repugnant. Because he is. On both counts.
And the great irony is that if Republicans and women both co-opted Sharpton’s playbook, and kept asking themselves “what would Al Sharpton do?” whenever they are confronted by something like David Letterman’s putrid statutory rape jokes, Al Sharpton and his fellow race-baiters like Spike Lee, Jesse Jackson, James Clyburne, Eric Holder, and John Lewis would all be sizably diminished.
As things stand now, Sharpton and company are the only ones who stand up to the MSM with sustained and dedicated effort to pressure sponsors and executives alike to hold on-air “talent” (a term used as loosely as possible) accountable to standards of behavior Sharpton and company themselves set.
You want fair and balanced media? Then put a little Sharpton in your life. Shake that rump. Rev up those pipes. Bellow and bluster and scream out at the obvious bias in the media, directing all your volume at the sponsors. If you take down the sponsors, you take down the networks. It is that simple, and it is what Sharpton has been doing now for over 20 years.
The same is true for women: you want an end to sexism and misogyny? You want political activists like David Letterman to be as afraid of making statutory rape jokes as they are about telling jokes about a watermelon patch or fried chicken? You want the MSM to be as afraid of being called sexists and misogynists as they are positively terrified of being labeled RAAAAAAAACIST?
Then you need to follow Al Sharpton’s example and HOLD THE SPONSORS ACCOUNTABLE. In turn, they will hold the networks accountable, which is something Al Sharpton has always known and has proven on more than 100 occasions to be true.
As much as you will hate to admit it, “What would Al Sharpton do?” is a question we ALL need to ask ourselves when dealing with the MSM media and the agenda it’s pushing for the radical socialist Left.

June 16, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Thank you Hillbuzz for doing this for Palin and all women. We appreciate it.
I wish there was a way to embed photos here like Youtube videos. There is a funny cartoon embedded at this site where Palin is looking through binoculars out over Alaska at Letterman and says, “I suppose I’m gonna have to send Todd out there on his snow machine to kick Dave’s ass…” Priceless. It’s one of the latter images, but the other ones are pretty good too.
http://thepeoplescube.com/red/viewtopic.php?t=3575
June 16, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Race is the only cosideration;everything else is secondary.Saw Sharpton on FOX last night-he looks like a cadaver.Said he’s been fasting.I figured it was AIDS.
June 16, 2009 at 12:55 pm
An excellent point made by a commenter on C4Palin regarding Maher and HBO:
“I just cancelled my subscription to HBO thru my local cable company, and the money I’m saving, can now be added to my contributions to Sarah.
Easy question:
Who do we want our money to support?……..Bill Maher…..or Sarah?”
——-
Hey, great job Maher, Letterman,…you are creating more support for Palin.
June 16, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I give. You are correct.
It *is* time for us Cons/Repubs to start screaming and to never sit still and accept the crap we are constantly dished out.
I am joining the fight.
June 16, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Sorry, but many of us who lived through Florida 2000 see things quite differently. Not that I would expect any HBO movie to get it right.
The fiasco only happened because your mayor’s brother and Jesse Jackson came down here trying to replicate Chicago style politics. There was so much garbage going on that day that was never reported again after cry-baby Gore questioned the results.
Sorry, but this is still a sore point with me. Living it, we say first hand how the media distorted events.
The reason Bush won was because Bush won.
June 16, 2009 at 1:25 pm
I still have a little Florida 2000 ‘I Voted’ sticker in my office as my own little reminder to NEVER FORGET. In my book that was the day investigative journalism died in America. And more than a few Florida politicians put party over Florida.
June 16, 2009 at 1:33 pm
As another Floridian, let me chime in and agree with FLMom.
It shows, though, that this kind of hell-raising has as much potential for sheer shenanigans as it does as a tool of redress.
What we Conservatives need to do is to develop our own style for doing it.
June 16, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I don’t want to be reduced to that.
Emptying out nursing homes of people who barely knew what was happening and ‘helping’ them to vote.
Encouraging college students to register again in the counties where they attended college.
Heck, with the Chicago influence so strong, my ancestors probably voted for Gore.
Then there was the dimpled and hanging chads. I still say the only way that happens is when you punch too many sheets at once. Try it with a paper punch and you will see what I mean.
June 16, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I meant reduced to what we saw in 2000
June 17, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Do we stand on principle and take the high road and lose…again…and in so doing, lose the country, our democracy, fairness and human decency? My answer? In a word: NOWAY! This next series of elections is far too important to the future of our country. If lying down with dogs is what it will take to save us, I shall bite my tongue and do it, knowing that to do otherwise will be to give our country away without a fight, only a whimper. No one hears whimpers, but they do hear shouts.
I have a particularly obnoxious friend who is embarrassing to be with in public because she makes such a stink over a dirty fork, no ice in her water glass, etc. However, I do notice that she gets attention and gets what she wants. Maybe her way is better. I’m wlling to try it.
June 17, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Hi, elizabeth. I cannot recall where, but I read that the Dems were probably going to pick up ten more seats in 2010. NOOOOOOO! And we know they already have the deck stacked. I am with you. It’s going to take every one of us. We HAVE to get out there and fight!
June 16, 2009 at 1:42 pm
FLmom –
I love you for telling it the way it is – or was!
I remember living through those days. And it’s also a sore point with me.
Throughout those weeks of counting and recounting, I found myself in a constant state of anxiety.
I was sure that algore and his comrades were attempting a coup.
But now, after these years, we really have all been victims of a coup.
Or so I believe.
June 16, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Amen and amen, FLMom
Not only do we have ACORN to contend with, there’s also the fact that Obama is moving the Census Bureau from Commerce directly to the White House. Let’s do a little creative population adjusting to benefit the Democrat party. . .
And if all that were to be counter-punched by the folks & Republican party, I’m sure the technology exists to just manipulate electronic voting totals.
Florida 2000 was a benchmark for the Democrat party. Even cheating they couldn’t quite get their candidate in office. So all the experience taught them was do a better job of cheating.
June 16, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I suspect that if the info was knowable, which it probably isn’t at this point, we would find ACORN involvement all over the complaints that prompted the recounts.
June 16, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I remember the media screaming bloody murder about being evicted from their lodgings for the people who had reserved rooms a year in advance for the UF-FSU football game.
Still puts a smile on my face.
June 16, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Your under the impression people pay attention to this buffoon? Oh, maybe his fellow race baiters but the rest of us know he is a first class cartoon character.
I could care less what this asshat would do or think. I don’t have to be told by anyone to stand up for myself and others when they are sh*t on
June 16, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Power. Revel in your own personal power pulsating from every pen and keyboard flowing into the nation’s centers of industry.
It’s only been a week. They are nervous, but not scared. Yet.
Scare them. Badly. Leave scars.
Keep The Pressure On.
June 16, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Hillbuzz, I agree with you 100%. I can’t figure out why the conservatives are so willing to give in. Over at C4C they are “taking the high road” and saying we should accept Letterman’s apology because Sarah did. Whoa baby. This is not just about Sarah Palin. This is about all women. Palin may have her reasons for accepting that apology, which once again was not a real apology, but my name ain’t Sarah and I am not stopping.
Olive Garden sent out this email today:
Thank you for expressing your concerns about Olive Garden and allowing us an opportunity to respond.
We understand your concern about Mr. Letterman’s inappropriate comments. Olive Garden screens network television programs whenever possible. Some shows, like The David Letterman Show, are taped on a daily basis and there is not an opportunity to review the content prior to airing. The content of the dialogue on the June 8th show is not consistent with Olive Garden’s standards and values. We have joined many of our valued guests in voicing our concern to CBS, and we will adjust our plans accordingly as we have done in the past when such situations occur.
Going forward, guest feedback, such as yours, will certainly be taken into consideration as we review our future advertising schedule.
Again, thank you for contacting us with your comments, and we hope you will continue to think of Olive Garden as a place to visit with your family and friends.
Sherri Bruen
Guest Relations Manager
June 16, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Puma for Life:
We(conservatives) are NOT giving in. I was at the first tea party rally here in St. Paul, and 10,000 people showed up.
I’ve been writing letters every day, and I’m starting to make calls(and write more letters).
The problem with the Republicans is their LEADERSHIP.
Sarah Palin is such a clear, obvious choice for our next President, but she’s got to contend with the stupid buffoons who call themselves our party leaders.
And I’m writing letters to those numbskulls, too.
Things will change. But it’s going to take a revolt from the “little folks” like us.
And trust me, we are not taking this crap anymore.
June 16, 2009 at 2:43 pm
REPUBLICANS give in. True Conservatives do not give in. They can’t because of their solid, grounded and founded beliefs and principles. :)
June 17, 2009 at 10:51 am
As always, very well said TXMom! Thanks. That’s the difference between having convictions and an empty suit. The latter you can fill with whatever happens to be popular for the day.
June 16, 2009 at 3:51 pm
I don’t know why some people are willing to give up when clearly, it is working! Letterman only attempted an apology because he was forced to. So far, I have only sent emails, but I’m gearing up for FedEx attacks too. We need to ensure our voices are heard by people who think they don’t have time for us. I also received the Hellman’s email stating they had withdrawn their advertising on his show.
June 17, 2009 at 9:12 am
C4P seems more devoted right now to their Webathon to raise funds for Sarah’s legal bills, so I’m giving them a pass only because they are doing something very important right now.
As for me, I’m not giving in.
June 16, 2009 at 2:34 pm
“You want fair and balanced media? Then put a little Sharpton in your life.”
You guys continue to crack me up AND inspire me.
So, NO, I am NOT taking down my list of phone numbers and email contacts for those who advertise on Letterman’s show. Not until Hillbuzz says “WE won.” :)
June 16, 2009 at 6:43 pm
BTW – I think I finally figured out what seemed so odd about the ads on the June 15th show (it’s been bugging me all day) – in my post on the “List of Advertisers” thread I mentioned that it seemed like there was more local advertising than normal.
Last week I noticed that the ad breaks during final 10-15 minutes of the show contained mostly local advertising; all the national ads ran during the first 45 minutes. During Monday’s big “apology” show, they sandwiched the apology segment (during the first 15 minutes) with local ads. They probably figured people would tune in for the apology and then tune out – thus, they attempted to shield the national advertisers from the controversy by running their ads well after the apology.
We’ll see if they flip the local ads back to the end of the show tonight.
June 16, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Any news on the rally today?
June 16, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I would like to hear from some who were there. one news report states 50 people were protesting.
June 16, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Hillbuzz and Sebastian,
Love the Sharpton batcave image. I see him doing all that wearing a purple velour sweat suit.
I have questions about letters to the advertisers.
Is it better to send 1 letter and cc the others on the list or should I go with the mail merge for each one?
How often should I send a letter to the same company? (I already emailed / mailed the Big 3 advertisers. Normally, I would wait for a response b4 sending the next letter. But, since this is a protest and things move swiftly, how often should I just keep firing them off?)
Any additions to the cc’s? Depending on the issue, I like to cc businesses and gov’ment agencies related to the company I’m targeting. The cc’s can include the Better Business Bureau, SEC, FCC, media outlets, etc. Media won’t be a big help here, but how about Fox News and the community relations department of local radio, El Rushbo, Hannity?
June 17, 2009 at 1:09 pm
[...] heartfelt thanks not only go out to Ms. Coulter, but also to HillBuzz — which made me realize I had to get busy on this fight — and Instapundit, The Other [...]
June 18, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Someone else I’d like to see the pressure placed on:
http://tv.yahoo.com/daytime/blog/everything-else-pales-in-comparison-to-palin–25.html
I’ve already written daily.
June 19, 2009 at 4:41 pm
A big thank you from me also.. Glenn Beck’s, the Letter petition has almost 100,000 sigs, that is in just 3 days.. Send this to your email list, post on sites you peruse, etc.. WE the people need to stand up, the pols aren’t going to.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/8/an-open-letter-to-our-nations-leadership
July 3, 2009 at 2:19 pm
[...] “We hope Republicans see that the Alinsky-Al Sharpton methods work.” The money quote: “There is absolutely nothing more important than hitting back HARD [...]