Posted on 03/05/2012 11:51:28 AM PST by raccoonradio
The tally of advertisers who have pulled their spots from PREMIERE NETWORKS host RUSH LIMBAUGH's show over his comments about law student/activist SANDRA FLUKE last week (NET NEWS 3/2) now stands at nine, although it is presently unclear whether LIMBAUGH's weekend apology (NET NEWS 3/3) will result in any returning advertisers or whether the advertising suspensions are permanent or temporary.
The list of advertisers pulling spots from LIMBAUGH's show includes CALIFORNIA regional mattress chain SLEEP TRAIN and national advertisers QUICKEN LOANS, CITRIX (GOTOMYPC), SLEEP NUMBER, PROFLOWERS.COM, CARBONITE (which initially said it would hold off pulling its ads until its CEO spoke to LIMBAUGH), AOL, and LEGAL ZOOM. QUICKEN LOANS' sister CLEVELAND CAVALIERS have pulled spots from LIMBAUGH's show on CLEAR CHANNEL Talk WTAM-A/CLEVELAND, which happens to be the team's flagship station, according to WTAM, citing TALKING POINTS MEMO. Most recently, MICHAEL ROZBRUCH of TAX RESOLUTION SERVICES tweeted: "We have decided to join other advertisers and suspend our sponsorship of The RUSH LIMBAUGH Show."
Limbaugh Opens Show With Apology And Barbs At Obama, Left
At the outset of his show TODAY, LIMBAUGH joked about canceling his own company's "TWO IF BY TEA" commercials but being unable to get past a busy signal. "Give me 30 minutes here," he said, "and then you can do what you want."
Taking a shot at the left for what he described as saying and doing anything to make its point, LIMBAUGH said, "In fighting this issue last week, I became like them ... I descended to their level ... I became like them, and I feel very badly about that." He added, "I do not think that she is either of those two words ... the apology over the weekend was sincere ... I became like the people we oppose."
He then went on to criticize President OBAMA's "socialist agenda" and "extra-constitutionally" making moral judgments over what private insurance plans cover, and recounted his version of the timeline of the issue and Rep. DARRELL ISSA (R-CA)'s rejection of FLUKE's bid to testify before Congress. "All of this," LIMBAUGH said, "is political," adding that the examples of women denied coverage of contraception by GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY's health plan that FLUKE sought to testify about were anecdotal and "unprovable" hearsay, and that FLUKE, knowing that GEORGETOWN is a Jesuit Catholic school, went there to change the policy. He repeated his apology's assertion that the segments from last week were intended as satire and prompted by reports of FLUKE claiming that she could not afford birth control. "I acted too much like the leftists that despise me," he said. "It's wrong, and that's why I apologized. Don't be mad at them or mad at her, everybody was being true to their nature except me."
On the departed advertisers, he said he is "sorry to see them go," but noted that they had done well through their access to the LIMBAUGH audience. "It's a business decision and it's theirs to make. They've decided that they don't want you, and so be it." He said that he "knew the political inclinations" of the advertisers and that they didn't care, nor did he, as long as they were making money. He said that he rejects "millions" of dollars a year from potential advertisers, including, he claimed, GENERAL MOTORS. He said the show will "replace those who leave... who no longer want your business" and advised listeners to "make your own decision" on doing business with those advertisers. And he repeated the apology as well as his assertion that the left does not apologize for its own comments (including BILL MAHER's calling SARAH PALIN names) and that the right should not descend to the left's level.
Fluke Isn't Impressed With Apology
FLUKE, appearing on ABC-TV's "THE VIEW," said that the apology didn't change anything for her. "I don't think that a statement like this issued, saying that his choice of words was not the best, changes anything," she said, "and especially when that statement is issued when he's under significant pressure from his sponsors who have begun to pull their support."
One Activist Wants Clear Channel To Do More
Meanwhile, the same activist who issued a press release rejecting CLEAR CHANNEL's offers after Talk KFI-A/LOS ANGELES hosts JOHN AND KEN as not enough did the same regarding LIMBAUGH, issuing another pair of press releases reiterating her intention to complain to the FCC. JASMYNE CANNICK's JOHN AND KEN release contradicted the comments of other activists who had met with KFI officials, including PROJECT ISLAMIC HOPE leader NAJEE ALI, who told the LOS ANGELES TIMES, "Mission accomplished. We got everything we asked for."
I appreciate this, forced mandate by any party is wrong. Which is no more than saying health insurance mandated by gov't is wrong!
Keep the gov't out of this, I don't want to pay for selfish crap other people want!
The assault on the 1st Amendment isn’t something you roll over for, but let’s say you’re right. We let the left force the Catholic Church to provide both abortion and birth control pills.
The economy is the issue, right? We can’t worry about whether the USG can tell us, “Look, save your hosanas for the four walls of your church, but once you leave, just know that God no longer runs the bingo - we do. You made a deal with us, and now we are changing that deal, and there really isn’t much you can do about it.
I would look to the USG taking receivership of any hospital the Catholic Church tries to close. In many states, a hospital files a ‘statement of need’ before it can be built. In many places, the Catholic hospital, or hospital system, is the primary care facility in the area.
Can I see the USG saying, “Closing these facilities nationwide will take 1/3 of our health services capacity off line. As of now, we will run those hospitals, and those assets, while remaining in the financial control of the Catholic Church, will be temporarily administrated and staffed by the USG.”
So, you’re right, that whole ‘pay for my fornication’ thing worked for the left, primarily because they are serious about it, and its highly diversionary.
Check the pump price - gas isn’t coming down. Not for a long time.
Look at the price of crude since 1940 measured in gold, not dollars. In 1940, an ounce of gold would buy 16 BBL of oil. In 2012, as of last Friday’s spot price of oil and gold (oil = 108/BBL, gold = $1717/ounce). How much oil can you buy, today, with an ounce of gold? 15.89 BBL.
So, it isn’t demand, supply, refinery repairs, Iran, or anything else except idiotic monetary policy that is making gas expensive. You see that changing in 9 months?
The issue’s going to be there, unless of course they finally go to the last trick in the book and ask the extraterrestrials monitoring Earth to land on the WH lawn in September, emerge from their saucers, and endorse Barak Obama.
Newt threw red meat to the masses and they liked it. But he still ultimately answered the question.
And for that matter, he like Rush and the media elites still didn't for that moment focus on the economy, jobs or gas prices.
“The bigger person is the one who admits it,offer apologies, and moves on. Rush did just that in my opinion; I won’t attempt to change yours.”
Number one, he wasn’t wrong. Number two he didn’t admit it until he began losing advertisers. Proof is that on Friday he was bragging about how the MSM was making the story about him and that none of the Republican’s in congress should apologize for what he said.
I still like and listen to RUSh I just wish he lived up to his rhetoric.Kinda disappointing that someone so powerful and reaching so many people can be defeated by a 30 year old professional agitator
You’re absolutely right.
And Rush was the guy who has been talking about Steffy Stephanopulos bringing out the contraception question that nobody cared about back in the first debate in January. Likely directed by Axlegrease.
This is like your star ball carrier fumbling on the one yard line after an 80 yard run.
But it’s only March. Long way to go.
The Left always uses our strengths against us.
Yes indeed!
If you let them they do. Rush refuses to! He's right, they are purposefully wrong, that's why they are such losers!
Rush should not have apologized for telling the truth.
You're missing the point. He didn't apologize for telling the truth, he apologized for using a vile, inappropriate word(s. He apologized for stooping to the left's level and insulting a woman with which he had no knowledge of her activities. He apologized for lowering his standard.
Granted this is obviously a ploy by the left to smear Rush, but that's nothing new!
It doesn’t matter what he was aplogizing for, the Left took the apology as a weakness.
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