More than 50 years ago, Little Richard had a hit with "The Girl Can’t Help It." Don Imus’ sexism and racism are likewise straight out of the 1950s. But unlike the girl "who was born to please," Imus seemingly was born to pis diss women and blacks.
Fortunately, Media Matters monitors "Imus in the Morning." So, I don’t have to start my day with morning sickness. On a recent show Imus sank to a new low:
On the February 13 edition of Imus in the Morning, during a segment referred to as the second episode of "Imus in the Morning Radio Theater on the Air," regular guest, comedian, and impersonator Rob Bartlett played the character of "former president Billy Clayton" and left a message for "Kelsey Clayton," his daughter. During the message, Billy Clayton referred to "this pineapple-eatin' [Borat] Ohana" and asked Kelsey Clayton to "campaign for" her mother -- Hailey Clayton, a "New York Senator" and "onetime front-runner for the Democratic nomination" -- and "have sex with" delegates.
In character as "Billy Clayton," Bartlett said:
Hello, Puddin' Pop? It's Daddy. Listen, Love Bug, Mommy and me need you to do us a favor. If she's ever gonna beat this pineapple-eatin' Ohana, we need you to campaign for her, help her get some delegates. Now, I want you to understand that we don't want to exploit you. We don't want you buying them drinks or taking them to dinner or getting them gifts. We just want you to have sex with them.
When Imus returned to the air, he promised "no one else will say anything on my program to make anyone think I didn't deserve a second chance."
You can't teach an old dog new tricks so I had my doubts that Imus would seize the "opportunity to have a better program." He hasn’t.
Imus also promised to:
Never say anything in my lifetime that will make the young women at Rutgers regret that they accepted my apology or forgave me.
The Scarlet Knights must be red face that another accomplished young woman, Chelsea Clinton, is the target of Imus’ demeaning sexist "comedy."