Posted on 10/04/2003 3:56:14 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Here's something you probably never expected from Rush Limbaugh: No comment.
The nation's talk radio king, opiner on everything from Bill Clinton's misdeeds to feminazis, repeatedly declined Friday to discuss accusations that he illegally bought prescription drugs.
"I haven't yet gotten to the bottom of what all this is about," Limbaugh said during his three-hour broadcast, which reaches an estimated 20 million listeners. But when he knows more, he promised, "I'm going to come clean, as I always have."
Instead, Limbaugh used his electronic bully pulpit to defend -- and refuse to apologize for -- his controversial comments on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" about race and football.
"I meant everything I said, thought about it the night before, intended to say it, very proud that I said it, think it's right," said Limbaugh, who resigned Wednesday from the sports network because of the flap over his remarks. "So throw me in jail. So fire me. ... If that's what it takes to stand up for free speech, fine."
That approach seemed just fine with his loyal listeners, who proudly call themselves "ditto-heads" for their frequent agreement with Limbaugh. And at least for now, outraged defiance probably will be good enough to let the Palm Beach resident hold on to his radio empire, media relations experts said Friday.
But they warned that the drug allegations could cause lasting damage if not resolved soon.
Until then, he's trapped in Limbaugh limbo, unable to proclaim his innocence or seek his listeners' forgiveness as long as he is in jeopardy of prosecution.
"The very thing he needs to do is the one thing he can't do," said Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television, who listened to Friday's broadcast. And that could conflict with Limbaugh's reputation among listeners as a deflator of liberal lies.
"His whole thing has been getting to the truth: 'Forget all this dissembling and parsing of sentences,"' Thompson said. But when Limbaugh resorts to cautious, lawyerly language, he's doing "some of the things he has made a career exposing others for doing."
Del Galloway, incoming president of the Public Relations Society of America, said he's never heard of a celebrity in a position quite like Limbaugh's.
"The attacker is being attacked, and he's in uncharted waters," said Galloway, partner in a Jacksonville advertising and PR firm.
"If it were a mainstream, less controversial figure, I would urge the client to step back, step up and take responsibility for those comments and mend relationships," Galloway said. But for Limbaugh, "his success has been from being in your face. Why would he now back away from it?"
If Friday's show is any guide, Limbaugh can expect plenty of support. He said on the air that he had received 35,000 e-mails, overwhelmingly in his favor, since the ESPN flap erupted Tuesday.
One caller, Kurt from Traverse City, Mich., took the drug issue head-on:
"I support you whether you did anything or you didn't do anything," Kurt told Limbaugh. "People do things wrong in their life. It doesn't make them a bad person."
Other callers seconded Limbaugh's comments on ESPN, in which he accused journalists of excessively praising Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb out of a desire to advance black athletes. One caller said nobody complained about racism in the movie title "White Men Can't Jump."
But some chided Limbaugh for the way he said it.
"Mega free-speech dittos," said his first caller, Jerry in Wilton, Conn. But then he added: "I think you're a knucklehead for bringing up the racial aspect of the press coverage in a forum like the ESPN show, because it's basically a sound-bite forum."
"This was the place to say this," Limbaugh responded. "It's a football show!"
Limbaugh's show is syndicated to about 600 stations, said Keven Bellows, spokeswoman for Premier Radio Networks. In 2001, Limbaugh signed a nine-year, $285 million contract with the network, reportedly the richest deal in talk-radio history.
Other broadcasters have lost their careers because of remarks that were deemed racially insensitive. For instance, CBS football analyst Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder was fired in 1988 after saying blacks were "bred" to be athletes.
And Limbaugh has a throng of loyal, ideologically committed listeners to back him up, Thompson noted.
On the other hand, unlike many celebrities, Limbaugh can't slink away from public view until the controversy goes away. He has 15 hours of live air time to fill every week.
"I have to admit he finessed it pretty good," Thompson said after Friday's show. "He really did not come on today like a whipped dog.
Perhaps he can start up a EIB sports network on the radio or start a new cable channel!
The drug thing will blow away soon. It is of no consequence except fodder for his enemies.(which are many)
Thomas Sowell wrote a supportive column on the whole ESPN thing.
On a serious note though, I think the one person who can empathize with Rush right now is probably Pee Wee Herman.
Like O.J. vowing to look tirelessly for the real killers?
Rush has hired Roy Black (of William Kennedy Smith fame) as his lawyer.
I'm certain that the first thing Black told his client is not to comment on the situation in re: drugs.
What?
Rush was caught wackin in public in a porn theater?!
What will I tell my grandkids? LOL
[Mandatory Freeper disclaimer for the Clymers]
It's a joke ....... it's only a joke!
Palm Beach County gave us the butterfly ballot fiasco of 2000. Would you trust andy government official their?
Cosell like Rush got a little full of himself from time to time. The reason Americans of African descent stood by Cosell was his strong ties to Cassius Clay. Cosell outspokenly objected to Clay being stripped of his heavyweight boxing titles because of Clay's refusal to be drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War.
I think we'll all know soon enough what shakes. The Left better watch it, they may have that door slam on their nose yet again. Besides, where is the compassion, the "I feel your pain?"
In this vein, I saw Joe Kline (of Newsweek) on CNN. Do you know why he kept pounding the table with a "got-CHA!" about this manufactured "CIA Leak" story? Guess.....Yep! You got it! Because: "The Republicans went after Clinton...now they are getting P-A-Y-B-A-C-K!
No moral examination to determine if the porn-theater atmosphere of the Clinton White House is even analogous to the Bush White House is required. Just that Clinton soiled his underwear in public and embarrassed himself----so ergo----Liberals want Conservatives to "know how it feels!"
Incredible.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.