Can Joan Rivers Survive Calling Obama Gay, First Lady 'Tranny?'

Joan Rivers’ stock in trade is shock.

Her latest shock tactics, though, may have crossed a line created when Barack Obama took the oath of office in 2009.

This week Rivers called President Obama “gay” and dubbed First Lady Michelle Obama a “tranny.”

Crude humor, no doubt. And hardly funny. But while President George W. Bush was fair game for comedians who could call him anything they wished, the same rules haven’t applied to this First Family.

Will Obama’s defenders demand an apology from Rivers? Will such a statement be enough?

Frankly, Rivers doesn’t normally work the apology circuit. She often refuses to make amends for her cutting remarks, like when she dubbed the powerhouse singer Adele “fat” and wouldn’t back off when confronted on it.

Rivers can survive if her reputation and time served in the comedy trenches come into play. Like Don Rickles, Rivers’ biting brand of comedy is more or less grandfathered in. If enough voices rise up to smite her and her comments, her long career faces a serious threat.

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