'Bitch slap' flap rages on
By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published January 25, 2008 at 12:27 p.m.
Updated January 25, 2008 at 2:13 p.m.
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."
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January 25, 2008
12:48 p.m.
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Diff writes:
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!
January 25, 2008
12:50 p.m.
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rickg19611 writes:
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.
January 25, 2008
1:19 p.m.
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Diff writes:
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 ...
January 25, 2008
1:20 p.m.
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sheepherder writes:
I'm personally sick of the whole politically correct from both sides!
January 25, 2008
1:26 p.m.
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JB writes:
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
January 25, 2008
1:27 p.m.
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Spencer writes:
I wonder how the RMN feels about this story?
January 25, 2008
1:46 p.m.
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HolierThanThou writes:
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...
January 25, 2008
1:49 p.m.
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Oh_Wise_One writes:
HolierThanThou- Fail.
January 25, 2008
2 p.m.
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jay045 writes:
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.
January 25, 2008
2:04 p.m.
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bxwatso writes:
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.
January 25, 2008
2:05 p.m.
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my3pugs writes:
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.
January 25, 2008
2:39 p.m.
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somebunnyluvsme writes:
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.
January 25, 2008
2:41 p.m.
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Flint87 writes:
She did get bitch slapped, didn't she?
January 25, 2008
2:44 p.m.
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vudumom writes:
Have you Bitch Slapped a Liberal Today? New bumpersticker.
January 25, 2008
2:44 p.m.
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Eagle5 writes:
This was totally wrong - this kind of talk belongs to that loud mouthed one who pushed for no smoking in casinos!
January 25, 2008
3:17 p.m.
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jay writes:
lol....Lynn "The Hatchet" Bartels strikes at the evil "liberal groups" once again
January 25, 2008
3:24 p.m.
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somebunnyluvsme writes:
HEY VUDUMOM, YOU HAVE THEM PRINTED, AND I'LL MARKET THEM!! WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO RETIRE BEFOR JOHN.
January 25, 2008
3:25 p.m.
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JB writes:
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!
January 25, 2008
3:57 p.m.
Suggest removal
Lowtaxequalsfreedom writes:
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.
January 25, 2008
3:58 p.m.
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angka writes:
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.
January 25, 2008
4:14 p.m.
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somebunnyluvsme writes:
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!
January 25, 2008
4:16 p.m.
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POHA writes:
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! :)
January 25, 2008
4:26 p.m.
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denverinfidel writes:
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.
January 25, 2008
5:22 p.m.
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snowbelly writes:
I thought barack was going to do that to hillary the other night. I know he wanted to. The old BS to BS.
January 25, 2008
8:15 p.m.
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duck writes:
Sounds like the constitutional right not to be offended is in play on this board.
January 25, 2008
8:15 p.m.
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mani writes:
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.
January 26, 2008
12:40 a.m.
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wjrudy writes:
The bumper sticker... I like that.
January 26, 2008
4:45 a.m.
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longpasttime writes:
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!!
January 26, 2008
7:32 a.m.
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ham writes:
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!
January 26, 2008
9:48 a.m.
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Chadley25 writes:
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.