chthonic:
Thank you for the challenging response. I'm not sure I understand it. Are you asking me to provide a link to one of these people?

If so, I cannot, because I do not watch or listen to any of these guys, and I do not care to pay any attention to their overheated prognostications. Nor am I going to take the time to look backwards in their public demonstrations of hot air for any significant quote or item of interest.

I don't have a tv, don't watch tv, don't want one, don't need one. Too much trash and wasting of time. Whatever I get of media comes through this Mac or my wife's Dell downstairs, or print copies of the Charlotte Observer, or dvd movies that my wife and I watch. I saw the Letterman clip on HuffPost, and was disgusted by it, which is why you see the statement above.

I'll say this about each of the references that you mention above:

Re Bill O'Reilly: I watched the clip one time; it didn't make much sense to me because, not being attuned to tv, I didn't have a context for the exchange between O'Reilly and Helen Thomas. Apparently however, he was foolish to publicly question the intelligence and character of the grand dame of the Washington press corps. His criticism of her was disrespectful, and yes, sexist.

Re Rush Limbaugh:
Based on the quote that you chthonic provided: "Then he put up a picture of Chelsea Clinton, who was 13 years old at the time. (and Limbaugh says:) 'This is just what Sally Jesse Raphael looks like without makeup!' "
My response: If this quote is accurate, Limbaugh's sexist comment is in the same reprehensible category with Letterman's cheap shot at Sarah Palin's daughter.

Re Gordon Liddy:
You chthonic wrote: "you could only have missed his most recent misogyny if you aren't paying attention.."
Well, that is in fact the case. I was not paying attention, so i don't know what you're talking about here. Perhaps you could enlighten me. But I do have a question: Is this same guy who was one of the Watergate criminals?

If you're questioning why I (or anyone would be) am a Republican, here is the reason: I don't want to see meddlesome government interference in the millions of venturesome startups that must soon be initiated if Americans are going to overcome this oncoming depression.

Regulating big business is appropriate. There should have been more of it in the finance and stock-trading industry of recent years. But with small business people who are struggling to get a start in the world of commerce, a little bit of needless over-regulation can put them under.
There is hope for the Republican party, because:
a.) we need to have a two-party (at least) system.
b.) The GOP is not represented by these guys you mention. No, not all. Here are a few capable Republicans: Bill Bradley, Bobby Jindal, Michael Steele, Condoleeza Rice, and occasionally Newt Gingrich.
c.) And, truth be told, I have a fondness for Libby Dole, although I fear her political role has already been played out.
d.) and of course Sandra Day O'Connor.

And btw, I'm not a sexist either. I'm a writer/house husband whose wife makes a lot more money than I do.

So there you have it, chthonic. Any more questions?

Thanks, Credente, for the informative response.
Although I am now an author/teacher, I spent 25 years as a carpenter in the construction industry in the mountains of North Carolina.

Tourism is a large component of our local economy here. Income from construction of second homes, retirement dream-houses, and small resort developments-- these are bread and butter work for a multitude of small business people--contractors and sub-contractors, etc. But these grassroots entrepeneurs struggle with burdensome overhead expenses.

Many small contractors walk a fine line between legitimate business and "under the table" business. The little Craig's list or Angie's list guy who is doing honest, quality work (electrical, plumbing, or general contracting,etc.) for people is ostensibly cornered by governmental regulations into staying small. He cannot hire helpers because he cannot afford to. Here are a few governmental restrictions that impede his expansion:
~OSHA regulations that are unreasonably restrictive
~FICA matching contributions for social security
~workers' compensation insurance expenses and claims
~bookkeeping expenses associated with all the above
~expensive licensing requirements

It's all a part of doing business, right? Sure. But a large percentage of construction contracting that goes on (all over the nation) operates on a de facto black market double standard. It simply costs too much to "go legitimate," and so many small business owners never take that step.

Now if a properly-constructed re-structuring of the health care system (single-payer or otherwise) could remove these burdens from Joe plumber et al then maybe that could be a good thing. It's been our experience that Republican ideology, i.e. deregulation, generally favors this type of release from governmental intrusion, while bureaucratic Democratic approaches do not. The Dems' inclination is generally to just ditch micro-capitalism and turn everything over to governmental neo-deal agencies.

I'm projecting that in the depression which now approaches us, citizens will need to do business with one another unobstructed by governmental red tape and regs, just to make a living. Every one that can "make it" on their own out there in the cold cruel world is another that will not have to lean on the neo-deal and its tax-financed largesse.

Anyway, I've strayed from the original topic here. Bottom line is:
Get the government out of the way so people at grassroots level are free to do business with one another. That's why I'm a Republican

And what does that have to do with O'Reilly or Limbaugh or Liddy, Letterman, or Palin? Nothing. I don't appreciate any of that hyped-up political fluff.

Now back on topic: If you'll watch what Letterman had to say about the governor's teenaged daughters, you may notice a disrespectful, flippant, sexist attitude toward young women there. This lecherous chauvinism is pervasive among American men. It is not an attitude to be cultivated or encouraged. It's not a joke. Therefore men like me who consider themselves moral need to start raising the issue. Women, like small business have been "taken advantage of" for too long.