De Niro's first lady remarks draw rebuke: Gingrich insists that Obama apologize

Showbiz figures venturing into presidential politics are getting a reminder that jokes and stray gestures can draw laughs one minute and polarization the next.
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The latest such figure is Robert De Niro who along with his wife, Grace Hightower, hosted first lady Michelle Obama for a fund-raiser at their Manhattan eatery on Monday evening.
In introductions to the first lady before she addressed the crowd of about 85 people, De Niro quipped, "Callista Gingrich. Karen Santorum. Ann Romney. Now do you really think our country is ready for a white first lady?" According to a pool report from the evening, the line drew a roar of laughs, and De Niro added, "Too soon, right?"

The joke, coming from a figure who's normally reticent in media interviews, drew a sharp rebuke from Newt Gingrich, who has staked part of his campaign on railing against media and Washington elites.

He charged that De Niro's remark was divisive and called on President Obama to apologize.
"What De Niro said last night was inexcusable, and the president should apologize for him. It was at an Obama fund-raiser. It is exactly wrong; it divides the country," Gingrich said, according to CNN.
He also drew a comparison to the flap over Rush Limbaugh's remarks, suggesting that those on the left are quick to criticize conservative figures yet do not do so when it comes to liberals. But he went on to seize on De Niro as an out-of-touch movie star, familiar territory for many Republicans who have long targeted Hollywood's embrace of Democrats. Others who attended all or part of the De Niros' event included Starr Jones, Angela Bassett  and Ben Stiller. Beyonce and Harvey Weinstein also were spotted.

"De Niro is rich enough he probably doesn't notice the price of gasoline," Gingrich said, per CNN. "He's successful enough he probably doesn't notice the unemployment rate. As the Hollywood actor, he might well be shortsighted enough he doesn't understand what it might do to our children and our grandchildren."
A campaign spokeswoman for the first lady called De Niro's joke "inappropriate."
A spokesman for De Niro had no immediate comment.
Last week, Cee Lo performed at a fund-raiser for President Obama in Atlanta and, somewhat humorously, gave the audience the finger. That triggered an entire segment on Sean Hannerty's Fox News show in which commentators talked of how appropriate that was for a performance where the president was appearing.
It won't be the last time a showbiz figure steps into the partisan fray, particularly as Obama's campaign taps entertainment figures to draw crowds at fund-raisers and campaign appearances. One co-chair of his re-election campaigns, Eva Longoria, who is focusing on women and Latino voters, appeared on MSNBC on Monday and slammed Mitt Romney's contention that his decisive victory in Puerto Rico means he has a shot at drawing heavily from the Hispanic vote. Showbiz figures on the right, such as  Ted Nugent, who is endorsing Romney, also have drawn their share of criticism.