Posted on 03/08/2012 7:30:22 AM PST by Kaslin
Many Americans disdain Rush Limbaugh, some of them high-placed and influential. The author of Rush Limbaugh Is a Big, Fat Idiot is now a US senator from Minnesota. The incumbent president of the United States publicly picked a fight with the broadcaster less than a week after being inaugurated. "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh," Barack Obama admonished attendees at a White House summit in January 2009.
But tens of millions of fans do listen to Limbaugh – fans whose years of loyalty have made him the most important talk-show host in America. Those fans deserved better than Limbaugh's disgraceful performance last week, when for three days running he insulted liberal activist Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown law student who testified in support of the ObamaCare contraception mandate.
That mandate is part of a preposterous public policy, and Fluke's testimony – with its wacky claims about $1,000-a-year contraception and throngs of Georgetown women "struggling" to pay for birth control– offered ample scope for ridicule and rebuttal. What Limbaugh resorted to instead was crude ad hominems. He didn't just call Fluke a "slut" and "a prostitute." He also labeled her "round-heeled," an "immoral, baseless" woman, someone "having so much sex it's amazing she can still walk." He demanded that she post "the videos of all this sex ... online so we can see what we are getting for our money."
As if this misogynistic dredge through the gutter wasn't reprehensible enough, Limbaugh compounded his offense with an apology that reeked of insincerity. In a 12-sentence statement posted on his website Saturday, Limbaugh praised himself as a hardworking master of the absurd who never intended to launch "a personal attack on Ms. Fluke." Most of his statement was devoted to rehashing his contraception argument. Not until the last sentence did he "sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke" – and even then, it was only "the insulting word choice" he was sorry for.
On Monday, with seven sponsors having pulled their advertising from his program, Limbaugh tried again. "The apology was heartfelt," he claimed. "The apology was sincere." He didn't believe that Fluke was "either of those two words," and he regretted having "acted too much like the leftists who despise me.... I descended to their level when I used those two words.... That was my error." He insisted again that his apology "was for simply using inappropriate words." And he complained of a double standard -- that there is "never an apology" from the "leftists that call me and other conservatives the most rude and explicit names."
It won't do, Rush.
I'm no Limbaugh-hater. Far from it. I'm a conservative who shares most of El Rushbo's political views and appreciates his sense of humor. I have defended him when he's been the target of scurrilous attacks from the left. And I fully agree -- and have written -- about the double standard on liberal hate speech.
This is different. Limbaugh's verbal assault on Fluke was no off-the-cuff blooper. It was boorish and deliberate. And the way to apologize is not by harping on left-wing misogyny. It's by apologizing -- full stop.
Limbaugh -- and the rest of us -- could take a lesson from the liberal radio host Ed Schultz, who in the heat of an on-air moment referred to Laura Ingraham as a "right-wing slut" last May. Just one day later, Schultz apologized.
"On my radio show yesterday, I used vile and inappropriate language when talking about talk show host Laura Ingraham," he began. "I am deeply sorry, and I apologize. It was wrong, uncalled for, and I recognize the severity of what I said." He didn't restate the argument he had been making. On the contrary, he said, "it doesn't matter what the circumstances were. It doesn't matter that it was on radio and I was ad-libbing…. What matters is what I said was terribly vile and not of the standards that I or any other person should adhere to."
Schultz's words that day were ashamed, humble, and seemingly heartfelt -- nothing like Limbaugh's grudging words of regret.
On the left they're gleefully milking this incident for all it's worth, eager to take down the man National Review once dubbed "the leader of the opposition." I would hate to see Limbaugh, who has often been falsely smeared, give his enemies a victory they don't deserve. But this time he is guilty as charged. His lapse in judgment and taste was egregious. And his sullen "apology" is only making things worse.
Oh, please what a piece of crap article.
Total and absolute BS, coming from someone who claims they like Limbaugh - suuuurrreee (eye roll)
What a jerk! Where is his attack on Bill Maher? What an absolute jerk! He is completely discredited with his selective stance!
disagree with the article. Rush did enough. The dems brought in a ringer.
Dear Jeff,
You may now remove your right foot from your mouth and just as gleefully begin chewing on the left.
Sincerely,
Mesta
BALONEY
Schulz was making an attack on Laura for no reason other than her poltical statement. It was direct and personal and out of the blue.
Rush was using sarcasm in the theater of the absurd to make a rebuttal of logic against abusrd logic .. the language he used was vulgar, for which he has apologized 3 times.
NO GROVELING REQUIRED
BESIDES, THIS IS NOT ABOUT OFFENDING SANDRA FLUCK
it is contrived DNC outrage for the purpose of attacking Rush Limbaugh for his conservative political views and influence.. There is NO APOLOGY statement that would entice the democrats to drop this. NONE.
Yes, Rush did a bit one here, but so what?
The garbage left just keeps piling on to Conservative women, all day long. Every 4-letter name in the book. And what happens? Nothing basically. Maybe Rush too, is fed up with the filthy double standard, supported by the so-called MSM, and gutter slime like Bill Marr who would do well to find another country to live in.
In a way, it is nice to see the insane and anti-American left get a little thrown back at it in the same perspective that they hand it out almost on a daily basis. Time to fight fire with fire if we are to win in November.
Yes, Rush did a bit one here, but so what?
The garbage left just keeps piling on to Conservative women, all day long. Every 4-letter name in the book. And what happens? Nothing basically. Maybe Rush too, is fed up with the filthy double standard, supported by the so-called MSM, and gutter slime like Bill Marr who would do well to find another country to live in.
In a way, it is nice to see the insane and anti-American left get a little thrown back at it in the same perspective that they hand it out almost on a daily basis. Time to fight fire with fire if we are to win in November.
Looks like Jeff will have to go sit in the corner today.
Who are YOU to speak for Rush's fans? You are a presumptuous fool!
I find it hard to imagine that this will hurt Rush's huge $$$ business significantly but the libs are plotting on MSNBC to try to make Republicans running for election own Rush, to drive away women voters to Dems.
The election is still 6 months away so it remains to be seen if Dems can somehow make this become an issue to women voters in 6 months. It looks like Republicans in congress are dropping the whole issue, something they are famous for,
Shultz was calling Ingram a slut as in, “you’re a slut”.
Limbaugh was calling Fluke a “slut” as in, “you’ve just described the lifestyle of a slut”.
Big difference. In Rush’s case, it was actually related to the topic being discussed. And anyone that is not married and needs $3,000 in contraceptives in three years could reasonably be called a slut.
Rush apologized for using the word. He didn’t apologize for the message. Shultz had to apologize period, because ALL he was doing was calling a person who he disagreed with a bad name.
Apples and oranges.
Sullen?
Did this guy even listen to what Rush said?
Dear Georgetown women.....why not make the price of admission to the promised land 1 condom?
Problem solved.
“...the liberal radio host Ed Schultz, who in the heat of an on-air moment referred to Laura Ingraham as a “right-wing slut”
Bad as THIS is... it is hardly the worst thing I have heard or read coming from Liberals.
It’s about some time for some fair evaluation, here.
Sandra Fluck is on the map because of Rush Limbaugh.....She should give him 1o% for the rest of her life
I believe that our founding fathers would call Mr. Jacoby a “tory”.
Go away jeff.
“The author of “Rush Limbaugh Is a Big, Fat Idiot” is now a US senator from Minnesota.”
And THAT dear friends, is a blotch on Minnesota; not on Rush. Is Minnesota THAT bereft of honorable, competent intelligence that they were left with only a profane “comedian” to vote for. THAT turdbrain isn’t even funny!
Jacoby acknowledged having "made a mistake" in not including a disclaimer that the material in the column had been recycled, but called the critical reaction of the Globe ombudsman, Jack Thomas, "disgraceful and nonsensical." He told Fox News' Bill O'Reilly that he had received an offer from another media outlet. The suspension came two years after the forced resignations of Boston Globe columnists Mike Barnicle and Patricia Smith, who were caught fabricating stories and quotes.
Rush apologized for using the word. He didn’t apologize for the message. Shultz had to apologize period, because ALL he was doing was calling a person who he disagreed with a bad name.
Apples and oranges.
I more or less agree with the article. You seem to have missed the fact that Fluke never claimed she was having all that sex. She said she "knew women who were paying $3,000 for birth control". Rush's first mistake was in referring to Fluke as the one "having all that sex".
His second mistake was in being so tasteless. He basically descended to locker-room style humor that was inappropriate. "Red" Ed Schultz' apology referred to the vile manner of his own words.
Rush's third mistake is that he basically handed this entire issue to the left. Their machine went into gear, and every cog played its part. Now a story that should be about what a fraud Fluke is, and people being forced to do something against their religious scruples (and therefore unconstitutional) has become "the right's war against women and contraception". This was an epic fail on Rush's part.
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.