Posted on 03/03/2012 11:34:22 AM PST by DestroyLiberalism
By the time the clock was about to hit midnight on FRIDAY, MARCH 2nd, a half-dozen advertisers had used TWITTER to notify their clientele that they had pulled their advertising from RUSH LIMBAUGH's syndicated program.
CALIFORNIA mattress store chain SLEEP TRAIN was the first to announce via TWITTER that it has pulled its ads from LIMBAUGH's syndicated PREMIERE NETWORKS show after the host referred to a college student testifying about contraceptive availability as a "slut," then demanded that women on the pill provide sex videos since the government mandates insurance pays for the pill -- comments LIMBAUGH asserted were made as a form of absurd humor.
The chain, which operates in the SACRAMENTO, SAN FRANCISCO, SAN DIEGO, CENTRAL VALLEY and INLAND EMPIRE markets, tweeted, "We don't condone negative comments directed toward any group. In response, we are currently pulling our ads from RUSH with RUSH LIMBAUGH (sic)."
National advertiser SELECT COMFORT, which advertises its SLEEP NUMBER mattresses on the show, also pulled its ads from the show, tweeting, "Recent comments by RUSH LIMBAUGH do not align w/our values, so we made decision to immediately suspend all advertising on that program." Neither company's tweets indicate for how long the suspension of ads will last.
Later in the day, QUICKEN LOANS sent out the following Tweet: Due to continued inflammatory comments -- along w/valuable feedback from clients & team members -- QL has suspended ads on RUSH LIMBAUGH program."
Apparently, LIMBAUGH only fueled the controversy over his comments about activist law student SANDRA FLUKE and her attempts to testify before Congress in favor of government-funded contraception, saying on FRIDAY, "when the left wants to pretend they have no sense of humor, they are excellent at it. Yesterday in the riff about it, 'Okay, okay, fine. If we're gonna pay for this, at least let us have something for it. How about some sex videos?' If anybody doesn't realize that we are illustrating absurdity here by being absurd and that that is the trademark of this program ... But oh, no! 'Oh, of everything else you've said, that's the lowest of the low. Demanding sex video? Who do you think you are?' Lighten up. I remember using that phrase all the way back in 1989: Lighten up."
He later added, "now, at the end of this week, I am the person that the women of AMERICA are to fear the most. What can I do to the women of AMERICA? Do I have the power to raise their taxes? I do not. Do I have the power to regulate their behavior? I do not. Do I have the power to make health care decisions for them? I do not. Do I have the power to withhold birth control pills from them? I do not. Do I have the power to audit their tax returns? I do not. Do I have the power to take their little four-year-old kindergarten student's lunch and throw it away and make 'em eat something else? I do not. Do I have the power to look into their personal life and leak the information to the media? I do not. Is there one bit of freedom that I can deny them? Can I raise their taxes? They want to blame me as being the person they should fear, when in fact the people doing all these things I just said I have no power to do, the DEMOCRAT PARTY (sic) is doing."
Once The Dominoes Start Falling....
LIMBAUGH'S rant certainly didn't quell the furor, as LEGALZOOM then tweeted that it "has suspended all advertising on the RUSH LIMBAUGH show."
Next to be heard was CITRIX, which went on FACEBOOK to announce, "We have listened to our customers & have decided to cease our advertising on The RUSH LIMBAUGH Show immediately."
But that may not be all, as PRO FLOWERS tweeted to its followers: "Rest assured, your feedback is heard. We heard about the comments and we will reevaluate our marketing plan."
What's more, CARBONITE CEO DAVID FRIEND posted this open letter to his customers:
Over the past two days we have received a tremendous amount of feedback on RUSH LIMBAUGH’s recent comments. I too am offended and very concerned about his comments. LIMBAUGH’s remarks have us rethinking our future use of Talk radio.
We use more than 40 Talk show hosts to help get the CARBONITE message out to the public. The nature of Talk radio is that from time to time, listeners are offended by a host and ask that we pull our advertising. This goes for conservatives like LIMBAUGH and progressives like STEPHANIE MILLER and ED SHULTZ. We even get customers who demand that we pull the plug on NPR. As an advertiser, we do not have control over a show’s editorial content or what they say on air. CARBONITE does not endorse the opinions of the shows or their hosts.
However, the outcry over LIMBAUGH is the worst we’ve ever seen. I have scheduled a face-to-face meeting next week with LIMBAUGH during which I will impress upon him that his comments were offensive to many of our customers and employees alike.
Please know your voice has been heard and that we are taking this matter very seriously.
Seems to me that Rush isn’t going anyplace, and that’s because his audience isn’t going anyplace.
Therefore, other advertisers are going to find ad space on the most listened to radio program in America.
LOL! Good one...
I just called Carbonite, 877-665-4466, (couldn’t find an email address) and told the young lady that I wouldn’t do business with the firm.
Their CEO could have just kept his mouth shut, but instead, showed he was a hypocrite of epic proportions, not condemning anyone for the attacks on Sarah Palin, Meg Whitman, etc.
I love it when my enemies paint a target on themselves.
If you lose your advertisers, you lose your show. It’s what happened to Glenn Beck. I am contacting all companies that I like that if they pull their advertising, then I pull my support for their products.
I was literally just calling up Rush advertisers. The ones that have pulled ads are making a huge mistake. We have a select comfort bed, Easy Water softner and buy only Pro Flowers because of Rush. I just got off the phone with Easy Water and they said they are a conservative company who has no plans to pull ads from Rush..so I would encourage people to call and support them. In a couple of days the Fluke people will go back to their parent’s basement or their OWS tent and we need to make these companies understand that we will not spend our money with them. I am now off to buy some Tea.
yes, keep listing the names of the former advertisers so most of america knows who to avoid.
The left’s assault on Rush Limbaugh is utterly predictable but will fail, as they always do. His audience is huge and I suspect that the majority of these sponsors - who can’t afford to deliberately ignore ‘offended’ customers - will quietly return to Rush’s stable of advertisers when the media heat dies down. Meanwhile, Rush’s ratings will soar and the left’s heads will continue to explode.
This is an e-mail message I sent to Select Comfort’s Media Relations department a little bit ago:
<<
I first learned about Sleep Number beds and mattresses through your advertisements on Rush Limbaugh’s radio program. My wife and I were planning to purchase our first Sleep Number bed and mattress sometime this year. But after learning of your recent and hasty decision to pull your sponsorship of Limbaugh’s program in the wake of the Sandra Fluke controversy, we will no longer be purchasing a bed and mattress from Sleep Number. While you are free to make any business decisions you choose, we oppose your decision to cower to left-wing pressure and “political correctness” by throwing Mr. Limbaugh under the bus. After all, he is the reason my wife and I and millions of other Americans ever learned of your company and products in the first place.
>>
I’m thirsty. I think I’ll order some ice tea.
Perfect!
It’s fine. For every advertiser that pulls out, there will be one waiting in the wings.
I have done thousands of dollars in business with ProFlowers and their affiliated sites over the years - I use them for gifts as well as sending thank you arrangements to my clients. I just emailed them to advise that my business will cease should they decide to bow to the coordinated efforts of the minority. I realize that I am just a drop in the bathtub in terms of their business, but I will be damned if they see another cent if they pull their ads.
Beck lost his show because Fox News is more wobbly by the day.
Beck STILL has a huge radio show, and his own growing online network with true independent programming. I listen to his radio show most mornings.
Rush owns his time slot. Nobody comes close. He’s going nowhere.
In fact he’ll gain audience from all this publicity.
Bigtime.
I too am offended !!!!1111!11!!!1!1!!1 By Mr Rush Limbo!!!11!!!!1!!1!1!
Let's roll...we can never rest, and we must be as persistent as the enemy.
Just sent an email to carbonite saying that I will cancel my subscription if they cancel advertising on Rush’s show.
What’s with the shifty punctuation?
Whoever wrote this ARTICLE has a real PROBLEM using too much UPPER CASE. I find it VERY ANNOYING.
That being said, I’m sure Rush isn’t too worried about this brouhaha.
Carbonate offers a free trial offer. I am going to order the trial (have been putting off doing it anyway since I need the backup) and I’ll say that I will continue with an ongoing account only if and when I see that they are still a sponsor for Rush.
I hope some of you will join me on this.
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