Apparently liberals think no joke is tasteless, said Shannon Bell in Right Pundits, as long as it targets Rush Limbaugh. Comic and actress Wanda Sykes' performance at the White House Correspondents dinner over the weekend was a prime example. Sykes said the conservative talk radio powerhouse may have been the 20th hijacker on Sept. 11 but missed his flight because he was "strung out on Oxycontin," and that Limbaugh hoped Obama fails, so she hoped Limbaugh's kidneys fail. "Real classy." (watch Wanda Sykes' performance at the White House Correspondents dinner)
Conservatives are just mad because Sykes hit the "bull's-eye," said Gordon Marino in The Huffington Post. Sykes really hit the mark in a joke about former Vice President Dick Cheney's claim that waterboarding was okay because it helped get information out of terrorists. That, Sykes said, was like saying, "Yeah, I robbed the bank, but look at all the bills I paid." Sykes was merely demonstrating how devastating it can be to wrap the truth in a joke.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floodsCartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate changeIn the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?
