'Bitch slap' flap rages on
By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Originally published 12:27 p.m., January 25, 2008
Updated 02:13 p.m., January 25, 2008
- Email this
- Print this
- Comments
- Change text size
- Subscribe to print edition
- iPod friendly
A liberal group targeted conservative talk radio host Jon Caldara for using the word "bitch slap" but didn't object when other media outlets used the same phrase.
ProgressNow this week asked supporters to express their concerns to advertisers on Caldara's show, which airs on 850 KOA from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. weekdays.
Blogger Ari Armstrong noted Friday that three alternative newspapers along the Front Range have used the term at least 20 times between them. The phrase has been used in Westword, the Boulder Weekly and the Colorado Springs Independent in stories ranging from sports to restaurant reviews to music reviews.
And the term appears in the well-known liberal blog, dailykos.com.
"ProgressNow is clearly going after Caldara because they don't like Caldara," said Armstrong, who lives in Westminster.
"It has nothing to do with the term."
But Michael Huttner, executive director of ProgressNow, said the problem is Caldara has a "history of hate against women."
"If he doesn't apologize we will send an e-mail to tens of thousands more people to call 850 KOA's advertisers and demand that they not be associated with Caldara and his shows demeaning women," Huttner said.
Caldara was criticized last year for saying an action by Gov. Bill Ritter and the Democrats was the "equivalent of fiscal date rape."
Caldara, Colorado's most politically incorrect pundit, said today he finds the flap "delicious."
Which isn't surprising considering he boasts that the slogan for the think tank he heads, the Independence Institute, is "Come for the public policy; stay for the sexual harassment."
"As a guy whose been bitch slapped in politics for the last 15 years, I think I well know what the term means," he said. "So do all these other newspapers and leftists that use it."
Caldara used the term Monday night after analyzing the Democratic presidential debate where senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama went after each other.
Obama mentioned something Bill Clinton said, which led to Hillary Clinton saying, "I'm here. He's not."
"Well, I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes," Obama fired back.
Caldara asked his guest, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter, "Was it fair to say this woman got bitch-slapped tonight?"
They agreed she did.
Westword's editor, Patricia Calhoun, noted her weekly appears to have used the phrase 12 times in 12 years.
"But I did add bitch slap to a story in next week's edition," she said, with a laugh. "Frankly, I don't have a problem with the term. In the proper context, sometimes bitch slap is all you can say."
One definition of bitch slap in the Urban Dictionary says: "To open handedly slap someone. Denotes disrespect for the person being bitch slapped as they are not worthy of a man sized punch. Suggests the slap was met with little resistance and much whining."
Comments
Posted by Diff on January 25, 2008 at 12:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Caldera is a complete jerk anyway! In about the same class as Brucie.
His comments don't deserve attention or any further comment ...
He his part of the Colrado A** Hole trinity:
Tom Jon and Bruce, should all be run out of the state!
Posted by rickg19611 on January 25, 2008 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Boo hoo..... the whining pukes know as liberals whine endlessly about actions that their own putrid kind does frequently.
Typical hypocrites. As usual.
One more example of why Caldara has high ratings, while Air America is bankrupt.
Posted by PajamaPulitzer on January 25, 2008 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Once again proving that Liberals have absolutely no interest in the truth or free speech.
Posted by Diff on January 25, 2008 at 1:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What of dignity? Guess Caldera shows us he has none...
It's your mouth, you can haul coal in ti if you want to Jon
And Truth?
Did anyone actually assault Hillary?
Not that I dislike her, (she is not my first choice for Prez canditate) and not that I would condone it but ...
if it happened I'd like see video of it. and the Secret service taking down who ever did it, would all have made for interesting and maybe entertaining TV ...
Posted by sheepherder on January 25, 2008 at 1:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm personally sick of the whole politically correct from both sides!
Posted by JB on January 25, 2008 at 1:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow..-
I'm pretty liberal and even I think ProgressNow is being stupid... wow, never did the day come when I'd defend ANYTHING that came out of Caldera's mouth...scary
Posted by Spencer on January 25, 2008 at 1:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I wonder how the RMN feels about this story?
Posted by HolierThanThou on January 25, 2008 at 1:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Conservatives like Jon Caldara and Ann Coulter get bitch slapped by the facts every day.
How do they cope?
Chirpy Announcer: Why that's easy Mister Thou! They drink Conservo-Hooch!
Thou: Conservo-Hooch? What's that?
Chirpy Announcer: It's better than the best whiskey in the world! It's a delightful combination of nutritious ethanol and vitamin PCP, delicately flavored with fusel oil and Columbian sugar! You got facts stepping on your mellow? Things like when you predicted that no one would ride RTD light rail and then they ran out of parking? Bad news like all the reasons for going to war in Iraq being a giant stinking pile of manure? Foreclosure at record highs because of conservative economic policies? Government run by conservatives going bankrupt throwing tax dollars at their cronies? Your man, Bush, lying so much that even YOU start to notice and get a little disturbed? No problem!!! Forget all your troubles and drink Conservo-Hooch!!!! You could take a bitch slapping from King Kong and not even notice!
Thou: No thanks, trying to cut down...
Posted by Oh_Wise_One on January 25, 2008 at 1:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
HolierThanThou- Fail.
Posted by jay045 on January 25, 2008 at 2 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm on the liberal side of the fence and I too think this is overboard. And while I disagree with most everything Caldera says, I would never put him in the category of Douglas Bruce. He actually is fairly mild compared to the invective of other talk show hosts.
Posted by Dan2 on January 25, 2008 at 2:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Freedom of speech, a supposed right that both partisans and their minion of mindless followers should be able to get with on the bandwagon, instead resort to being "offended" when someone says something they don't like.
We ALL have the right to say what is on our mind, REGARDLESS of who it offends. That is the one of the many beautiful things about our great nation, or at least was until the PC Police came in and were offended by everything they disagree with.
The only side I take on this issue is the one found in the first amendment, and until we ratify an amendment to our constitution that states specifically that we "have the right not to be offended," I think anyone that is offended by LANGUAGE, needs to get a freakin life. YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO BE OFFENDED BY. If you STOP TAKING OFFENSE, the problem GOES AWAY!
All this really demonstrates is the worthlessness of partisanship!
Posted by bxwatso on January 25, 2008 at 2:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
While I am sure the distinction is lost on RM reporters, I think Caldera is better described as libertarian or pro-free-market than conservative.
Coulter is correctly categorized as conservative or right-wing.
Posted by my3pugs on January 25, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So many flames, so little content. Let's review, you're free to say "bitch slap", you're free to complain about it and even free to be inconsistent about complaining about it, you're free to point out the idiocy, and free to be an idiot yourself. Go for it.
Posted by somebunnyluvsme on January 25, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Progress Now could use a good bitch slapping of their own. Hillary, or as I like to refer to her Hilarious, did get a little bitch slap from Obama, and now she has something else to shed tears about before the next tightly contested contest with Obama. Hey it worked in NH, She just tears up so, well lets just say she makes it look genuine. You know, kind of like a slighted little bitch. I am grateful for the fact that I am not a Democrat, and therefor don't need to decide between these two sorry choices.
Posted by Flint87 on January 25, 2008 at 2:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
She did get bitch slapped, didn't she?
Posted by vudumom on January 25, 2008 at 2:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Have you Bitch Slapped a Liberal Today? New bumpersticker.
Posted by Eagle5 on January 25, 2008 at 2:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This was totally wrong - this kind of talk belongs to that loud mouthed one who pushed for no smoking in casinos!
Posted by jay on January 25, 2008 at 3:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
lol....Lynn "The Hatchet" Bartels strikes at the evil "liberal groups" once again
Posted by somebunnyluvsme on January 25, 2008 at 3:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
HEY VUDUMOM, YOU HAVE THEM PRINTED, AND I'LL MARKET THEM!! WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO RETIRE BEFOR JOHN.
Posted by JB on January 25, 2008 at 3:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Vudumom-
That was pretty good. Of course now I have to come up with a good one about conservatives...stay tuned.
PS...you should get a bunch of those printed. I bet they'd sell like hotcakes!
Posted by Lowtaxequalsfreedom on January 25, 2008 at 3:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When did it become okay to control what others say think and how they express it?
News flash, if you do not like it, do not listen,watch,read participate.
You control freaks are going to destroy America. Oh yea that is your goal.
You want us all to join your collective and play by your rules.
Posted by angka on January 25, 2008 at 3:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have nothing but respect for Lynn Bartels but she's falling for the rightie spin on this one big-time.
For starters, I checked all the references on that right-wing blog that aggregated them -- NOT ONE OF THEM IS DIRECTED AT A WOMAN.
I think it's reasonable that this phrase, like other off-color phrases, can sometimes be used in a context other than its original offensive meaning. I personally wouldn't, but certainly it's possible.
But not when used against a woman! There's as much of a difference there as when African-Americans occasionally use a derisive term in jest with one another vs. Dog the Bounty Hunter using the same term. Frankly, with someone as perceptive as Bartels I'm amazed she couldn't see this distinction.
Posted by somebunnyluvsme on January 25, 2008 at 4:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yes angka that Lyn is one amazing piece of work there. I am amazed she can see past her own self righteousness. The social liberal feminist mind set, is replete with self righteousness isn't it. I suppose that if a bunch of them where sitting in a restaurant somewhere, and a women slapped her boyfriend for looking at another woman's a$$, and they where called upon to be witnesses, it would be perfectly alright for them to say the bitch slapped him! after all, their speech would be protected under the N word by black people clause in the feminist liberal version of the constitution. Right? I guess under your ground rules they just couldn't say , SHE BITCH SLAPED THE BASTARD!
Posted by POHA on January 25, 2008 at 4:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Boy, I'm sure glad this is important to everyone... what with the less important things going on in the world, it sure is nice to place our attention on something as inane as this! :)
Posted by denverinfidel on January 25, 2008 at 4:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Its called free speech. It is hilarious (and a little scary) when the left flips out over these things. Is this seriously what Progressnow spends their time on? It proves how lightly-tethered these people are in their beliefs. They will throw the first amendment out the window the second it benefits them politically.
Progressnow has made certifiable fools of themselves. Free speech also includes the freedom to turn off the radio. Just ask Air America how that works.
I remain convinced that the vast majority of lefties in this country have not read, nor understand, the Constitution.
Posted by snowbelly on January 25, 2008 at 5:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I thought barack was going to do that to hillary the other night. I know he wanted to. The old BS to BS.
Posted by duck on January 25, 2008 at 8:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds like the constitutional right not to be offended is in play on this board.
Posted by mani on January 25, 2008 at 8:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hater Huttner is an A S S hat - Media Matter dreams of getting a fraction of the Clear Channel attention. Their hack job webite spends most of it's space on "Failed to mention" reports. Just because it matters to the far left does not mean it matters to any one with a real life.
Posted by wjrudy on January 26, 2008 at 12:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The bumper sticker... I like that.
Posted by longpasttime on January 26, 2008 at 4:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Political correctness, whether from the right or the left, is wrong. The First Amendment guarantees the right of free speech. There is nothing in it that says you have a right not to be offended at what is in that speech. Get over it!
Political correctness will be the death of this country, and I, for one, am sick of it! We can't describe a suspect in a crime anymore, or profile terrorists in airport security lines, or correct a misbehaving child without a federal case being made out of it! Enough already!!
Posted by ham on January 26, 2008 at 7:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The hypocrisy of the lefties has no bounds. They pretend to be open minded and tolerant. Ha! They are only tolerant of people who spout the same company line. Be open minded; think like me!
Posted by Chadley25 on January 26, 2008 at 9:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just as idiotic uber-right-wing groups don't speak for all conservatives, this group doesn't remotely represent all liberals/progressives. But it's nice that all the conservatives posting on here like to use it as a rallying cry to denounce everyone on the left side of the aisle.
I personally think there are far, FAR bigger concerns than someone using the phrase "bitch slap." Good grief.
Post your comment (Requires free registration.)
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.