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Liberal group fickle on objecting to 'bitch slap'

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 26, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.

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A liberal group targeted conservative talk radio host Jon Caldara for using the term bitch slap but didn't object when other media outlets or Democratic pundits used the same phrase.

ProgressNow this week asked supporters to express their concerns to advertisers on Caldara's show, which airs on KOA-AM (850) 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. 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 has appeared in the liberal blog, dailykos.com, and has been used by Democrats Al Franken and James Carville.

"ProgressNow is clearly going after Caldara because they don't like Caldara," said Armstrong.

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 Democrats was the "equivalent of fiscal date rape."

Caldara said Friday he finds the latest flap over his comments "delicious."

"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.

But Huttner's campaign has picked up traction. One advertiser, Dun-Rite Kitchens and Baths Inc., already has asked the station not to air its ads during Caldara's show.

Caldara used the term Monday after analyzing the Democratic presidential debate where Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama went after each other.

Obama mentioned something Bill Clinton said, which prompted Hillary Clinton to say, "I'm here. He's not."

"Well, I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes," Obama fired back.

Caldara asked his guest, conservative pundit Ann Coulter, "Was it fair to say this woman got bitch- slapped tonight?"

Westword's editor, Patricia Calhoun, noted her weekly appears to have used the phrase 12 times in 12 years.

One definition of bitch slap in the Urban Dictionary says, in part, "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."

bartels@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5327

Comments

  • January 26, 2008

    6:40 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    stevea writes:

    Liberals are their own worst enemies, it seems. Shoot first, don't bother asking questions later. Threatening to send "tens of thousands" of e-mails if Caldara doesn't apologise is among the most infantile things I've heard recently.

    If Caldara says it, it's bad. If Patty Calhoun's LeftWord says it, it's OK. I'm definitely not a Caldara fan (or an Ann Coulter fan) but, come on, folks. Start acting like grownups.

    It's harder and harder to be a liberal nowadays. I've tried for years because of what I believe, but, we've reached a point that neither side of the political coin is "Heads" for me.

    BTW, Hilary got bitch slapped.

  • January 26, 2008

    9:50 a.m.

    angka writes:

    (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

  • January 26, 2008

    3:37 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Jocko writes:

    Duh! Looks like another case for liberal fascisim and intolerance. Isn't bitch slap something homos do to each other? Oops, used the h word, no that's huttner, right?

    Biggest intolerance comes from the liberal fascists. Just like Hitler and Stalin, nothing is tolerated unless it has their brand on it.

  • January 28, 2008

    9:55 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    bmenezes writes:

    Wow, now there's news: Ari Armstrong defending his former boss at the Independence Institute. Oh wait, a reader of this story wouldn't know that because Ms. Bartels neglected to include that rather relevant piece of context. Given that she's a frequent guest on Caldara's public television program, do you think she may have had an agenda here by leaving out that Armstrong and Caldara have a relationship?

    This is a one-sided story, in which the goal clearly is to try to discredit the critic rather than gather a balanced look at whether the average listener would find it offensive that a host on the public airwaves would use a term that literally refers to violence against women in describing a negative experience involving a woman.

    Why is that? Why does this story show no apparent attempt to contact the management at KOA for their reaction? Why was there no apparent attempt to speak with Caldara's advertisers to determine if they are comfortable sponsoring a show with this type of dialogue?

    Lynn?