Althouse: "That was the comment from the wasteland of the country — waistline, sorry. Can I do that joke again?"

April 14, 2014

"That was the comment from the wasteland of the country — waistline, sorry. Can I do that joke again?"

"What Rush Limbaugh says is about as far away from anything I would be interested in as anything I can imagine unless it were Dick Cheney."

28 comments:

Michael K said...: I don't doubt for a milli-second that Cavett thinks that way.

Johnny Carson was great and nobody knew who he voted for.

Back in the day. I never watched Carson but my mother did all the years he was on TV.; 4/14/14, 5:17 PM
Roost on the Moon said...: "You know, I'm supposed to sit here and praise the guy who said the Taliban has a better record with women than I do? I'm supposed to praise that?"

-Rush L.

I guess we're supposed to have hurt feelings along with Rush here, but, even told like this, that's a pretty funny joke.; 4/14/14, 5:21 PM
sojerofgod said...: Steve who?
I really have better things to do with my time than watch late night TV. Like sleep or watch paint dry. (It's really cool when you can pick out the thick spots: They take longer.) I don't get my news from comedians and I don't watch politicians for laughs. Though G-d knows what a bunch of jokers they are.; 4/14/14, 5:32 PM
The Godfather said...: When I was young and could stay up late, I watched Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, and even Steve Allen. Other than the occasional YouTube of a monologue, I haven't seen any of the latter day late night hosts (I did once attend a wedding reception with Conan O'Brian's parents, though) and won't watch Coal Bear. So my opinion matters even less than Limbuagh's or Cavett's.

However, being a successful late night host is hard. I have no idea whether Coal Bear has the ability to do it. If he does, more power to him, regardless of his politics. If he doesn't, he's toast, regardless of his politics.; 4/14/14, 5:46 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: Greg Gutfeld is somewhere between ten thousand and a million times funnier than Stephen Colbert, give or take.; 4/14/14, 6:14 PM
test said...: Roost on the Moon said...
I guess we're supposed to have hurt feelings along with Rush here

We're supposed to be disapointed so many Americans are so insane they prefer acid thrown in women's faces and killing children to intimidate parents because expecting people to pay for their own birth control is too extreme.

even told like this, that's a pretty funny joke

Says a lot.; 4/14/14, 6:21 PM
John said...: He is now, and has always been, a complete elitists asshole, ( I speak of Dick, not Rush.); 4/14/14, 6:24 PM
dwick said...: heh... few people under 50 even know who Dick Cavett is (or was...)
But it seems entirely appropriate to hear such small-minded comments to be squeaked by an ever-shrinking man. Perhaps he's off his meds again.
Looking through his occasional puff pieces in the NY Times (lately mostly fawning remembrances and obituaries for Hollywood friends and acquaintances of long ago), I suspect Dick Cheney and the majority of the people here in the 'wasteland' have an equivalent lack of interest in anything uttered or written by Dick Cavett.; 4/14/14, 6:45 PM
Saint Croix said...: What's so interesting about Rush is his egomania. It's always about him! And I think a big percentage of that is phony. He pretends to be more egotistical than he is. He makes a joke of his ego, plays it for laughs. But he really does have an ego, of course.

This is a routine that he loves to do. Look how I've upset the media! And it's bizarre how the media plays into this, how they quote him. For the media, Rush Limbaugh is their bad guy, and for his show, the media is the bad guy.

There's nothing in that monolog about Colbert. Colbert is irrelevant. He's a side issue. "I don't care," says Limbaugh, and he really doesn't. He doesn't watch the show, why would he care? But he cares very much about the "drive-by media" and this is a brilliant take down of them.

Jon Stewart often does the same thing, by the way. He will use media clips to mock people in the media. That's probably why I enjoy both Stewart and Limbaugh. They are really good at what they do.; 4/14/14, 6:46 PM
rhhardin said...: Rush isn't much good at disparaging his enemies.

It makes him look small.

He also slammed Imus as a broken-down disc jockey, back when Imus was running Rush parodies.

In particular the song "white faces," which painted Rush as a larger-than-life racist.

The joke was the larger-than-life, not the racist, which Rush was too dumb to get.

Cavett is a lefty to the point of blindness, on the other side. Rush ought to have helped him out, offer first steps.; 4/14/14, 7:01 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Tyrone- agree with you about Greg Gutfeld. He is a talent and quick.; 4/14/14, 7:31 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: "What a lesson here. You conform or else. You conform or you are an enemy of the state. If you don't conform, if you don't think exactly the way we do, and if you don't think exactly the way we want you to, we're coming for you."

That's the same message the Right gives, to anyone breaking ranks, so I don't get this beef at all.

I lost friends on the Right because I wouldn't vote for Romney.

I lost friends on the Right because I wouldn't stand with people saying racist shit during Trayvon.

I lost friends on the Right because I wouldn't heckle Trayvon's grieving parents.

I lost friends on the Right because I won't stand with racists in the Republican Party.

I lost friends on the Right because I,...; 4/14/14, 7:53 PM
glenn said...: Rush, JAPBBS. Think about it.; 4/14/14, 7:56 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Greg Gutfeld is somewhere between ten thousand and a million times funnier than Stephen Colbert, give or take.

It is interesting to contemplate Gutfeld behind the desk on a show like that. And, I do think that he probably has a wider appeal then Cobert. But he also has an edge that I don't think would work there. He seems to insult even the people with whom he is good friends. I think that one thing you need in that sort of position is enough sympathy to put them at ease. Gutfeld is an acquired taste. I have acquired it, but some probably never could. Every once in awhile Dana on the Five, sitting right next to him will wince at his attacks. But, as the show progresses, she seems to be more willing to needle him a bit. A bit out of her super nice personality, which is why it is cute. He doesn't seem to ruffle as many feathers on Red Eye, probably because he gets a hand in picking the participants, and most of them seem to be used to him, and they are a rougher crew (with at least one other comedian always on the panel). Still, I would watch Gutfeld long before I will watch Cobert.; 4/14/14, 8:09 PM
rcocean said...: You can't blame Cavett, he's been making lame jokes and snotty remarks about Conservatives his whole life.

Damn he must be 75, and if IRC his Cable TV got cancelled over 15 years ago.

Some of his interviews are on DVD and they actually include some of his Stand-up routine. It was pretty pathetic. He should thank Rush for responding to him, now someone under 45, might look up who he was.; 4/14/14, 8:27 PM
rcocean said...: And Rush made a good point. It is WEIRD how all MSM types, even those from NBC and ABC, think Colbert is the greatest thing ever, and that giving him the Late Night gig is a fantastic move.

They really are Robots.; 4/14/14, 8:29 PM
Biff said...: I'm stunned to hear that Cavett is still with us. I swear, I would've bet the farm that he died years ago!; 4/14/14, 8:35 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Crack can make every post about race. He's like a Cedarford negative.; 4/14/14, 9:12 PM
Henry said...: It's radio, so there's a lot of repetition, but I do admire how they guy can find a funny word and throw it on the fire:

You know, it's how you mollify yourself; 4/14/14, 9:16 PM
Michael K said...: "
Crack can make every post about race. He's like a Cedarford negative."

It' easy because I scan right past his comments. If he says anything worthwhile will someone let me know ?; 4/14/14, 9:22 PM
William said...: I watch The Five regularly. It's funny, and the interplay between Greg and Dana is very, very funny. If Fox wanted to do counter programming, they could put them on at eleven and give them somewhat lighter stories to cover and perhaps a few celeb sit ins. They would be something new in the nighttime line up and, just on that basis, would probably attract an audience........Colbert is more of he same. He's quick witted and, on a personal level, seems like a decent person unlike that wretched dirt bag Letterman. But it will just be more fat jokes about Christie.; 4/14/14, 10:12 PM
rcommal said...: Whatever. Who cares. It's not as if Rush doesn't demand conformity as well, as a casual thing.

(Did I ever mention that I originally learned of and listened to Rush before Rush was **Rush**--that is, **now-Rush** as a media juggernaut who now gets to casually say whatever-the-fuck and therein and therefore to enjoy seeing however people and folks respond and react.)

Rush now--and by that I include his fall-back humor--is roughly similar to the guy and/or gal collecting and then pinning bugs to a board, as akin to a 3rd-grade project back in the day that used to be not just considered but also required as a normal and expected part of education at age 8-9.; 4/14/14, 10:56 PM
rcommal said...: Basically, as from the start, Rush wants to be both the best little boy in the world *and* the worst little boy in the world, at the same time, without having to pay the consequences for being either, much less for being both.

Thus, his sense of humor.; 4/14/14, 11:07 PM
Fen said...: Crack: I lost friends on the Right because blah blah blah

No Crack, you lost friends on the right because you called them all racists.

And because you revealed yourself to be a racist.

We don't like racists.; 4/15/14, 12:11 AM
Trashhauler said...: "I lost friends on the Right because...."

Nothing done on the Right comes close to the growing trend on the Left for saying, "Shut up."; 4/15/14, 2:52 AM
Rumpletweezer said...: Dick Cavett shows up regularly on Imus. Every time he's on he makes a comment about Dick Cheney, or about Sarah Palin being stupid, or both. He's become a sad, upper West Side, old man.; 4/15/14, 7:32 AM
damikesc said...: Man, Cavett is amazingly unfunny.

He also slammed Imus as a broken-down disc jockey, back when Imus was running Rush parodies.

Isn't Imus a broken-down, washed up disc jockey? Been one for a long time?; 4/15/14, 10:51 AM
Steven Wilson said...: Cavett, Adlai Stevenson, and Obama all acquired, for reasons that remain murky, mysterious and unsubstantiated, a reputation for being intellectual. I remain unconvinced.; 4/15/14, 7:32 PM