May 7, 2014

"Was that wrong?"



I went looking for that right now because I was just paraphrasing a famously ludicrous argument made by a prominent American political figure and I realized I was sounding like George Costanza in his "Was that wrong?" speech.

Here's the context from the "Seinfeld" episode "The Red Dot" (the title refers a red dot on a sweater that Constanza buys as a gift for the cleaning woman in his office who has had sex with him on his desk):
MR. LIPPMAN: I'm going to get right to the point. It has come to my attention that you and the cleaning woman have engaged in sexual intercourse on the desk in your office. Is that correct?

GEORGE: Who said that?

MR. LIPPMAN: She did.

GEORGE: Was that wrong? Should I have not done that? I tell you I gotta plead ignorance on this thing because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing was frouned upon, you know, cause I've worked in a lot of offices and I tell you people do that all the time.

MR. LIPPMAN: You're fired.

GEORGE: Well you didn't have to say it like that.

MR. LIPPMAN: I want you out of here by the end of the day.

GEORGE: What about the whole Christmas spirit thing? Any flexability there?

MR. LIPPMAN: Nah. Wait, wait, she wanted me to give you this.

(He tosses the sweater and it lands right on top of George's face. George walks out of the office "wearing" it. )
That was written by Larry David and originally broadcast on December 11, 1991. If you question is Does that context provide a humorously useful clue to the identity of the prominent political figure Althouse was imitating?, the answer is: Yes.

13 comments:

Lucien said...

Close, but no cigar.

Patrick said...

Wild as guess: Bob Packwood?

Unknown said...

I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. Sure, she gave me a BJ. Was that wrong?

Gabriel said...

As usual with something eqregious that George Costanza did, it is a true story about Larry David--he was fired for having sex with a cleaning woman in the office and did plead ignorance.

richard mcenroe said...

Ann: any thoughts on the court ordering a halt to the "John Doe" Walker harrassment campaign?

james conrad said...

Nevermind all that, I am interested in your reaction to today's news of a federal judge quashing the secret john doe investigations. I never realized Wisconsin had such strong leanings towards establishing a police state, who knew? I thought you guys were into cheese & dairy products.

Anonymous said...

Uncle Bubba?

Once written, twice... said...

I find it halarious that right wingers are going to spend all of their time on this two decades after they got their asses handed to them the first time.

BTW, the Clinton's remained married and seem to have a union that is stronger than ever.

test said...

"Was that wrong"?

It depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is.

Rocketeer said...

Vanity Fair plus Monica Lewinsky equals right wingers? Good grief. More proof leftists suck at math.

Drago said...

Once written, twice: "I find it halarious that right wingers are going to spend all of their time on this two decades after they got their asses handed to them the first time."

Huh?

Monica Lewinsky and Vanity Fair are now the responsibility of the republicans?

Since when?

"BTW, the Clinton's remained married and seem to have a union that is stronger than ever."

Well, yeah. Of course Bill likes the arrangement. He gets to live apart from Hillary and have sex with anyone who comes along.

What's not to like from his point of view?

Does that kind of activity really make for a stronger "union"?

Hmmm.

And let me guess, I'll bet you believe that picture of Bill and Hillary dancing together on the beach was really some photographers violation of the Clinton's sacred privacy don't you?

LOL

What a schmuck.

I didn't know garage had a cousin posting on this blog.

djf said...

"BTW, the Clinton's remained married and seem to have a union that is stronger than ever."

Bill and Hillary deserve each other. They're made for each other just like the late, unlamented Nicolai and Elena Ceausescu. However "strong" the Clintons' marriage/business partnership might be (and, really, who cares?), each of them is discredited by his or her choice of spouse.

Quaestor said...

I didn't know garage had a cousin posting on this blog.

More like a conjoined twin. GM is said to be rather girthy, no?