EASTON, Md., March 3, 2012 — Rush Limbaugh, who has never hesitated to put his foot where his mouth is, has done it again…and again. The outrage over Limbaugh’s latest remarks about the college law student Sandra Fluke has ignited outrage across the spectrum and the firestorm threatens to engulf his advertisers as well.
This week’s brouhaha erupted when Limbaugh called the Georgetown University law student, who was not allowed to testify beforeCongressman’s Darrell Issa’s (R-CA) committee on House Oversight Committee, a “slut.” He then added that all women who, like Fluke, want access to contraceptives are no better than prostitutes.
Now advertisers are looking for the exit door with Sleep Train mattress already gone, having yanked its radio advertising with these words on Twitter: “We don't condone negative comments directed toward any group. In response, we are currently pulling our ads from Rush with Rush Limbaugh.”
Rush Limbaugh (Associated Press)
This time there is no shrugging off the excesses of Rush’s extremist rhetoric. Women are outraged. Men are outraged. Even a few, very few, Republicans ventured forth with timid responses about Rush crossing a line, including Majority Leader John Boehner (R—Ohio) who deemed Limbaugh’s remarks as “inappropriate.”
For Boehner that passes for a serious condemnation, but in the real world we save the word “inappropriate” for your daughter burping at the dinner table.
Mitt Romney volunteered tepidly, "It's not the language I would have used." Really, Mitt? That's the best you can do?
An Absurd Entertainer?
Rick Santorum suggested to CNN that Rush’s remarks were “absurd,” but “an entertainer can be absurd.” That’s entertainment? Perhaps for Rush's estimated 20 million listeners it is, but for the rest of us Limbaugh’s words were shocking, especially since he misconstrued what Sandra Fluke, the target of his attack, actually said.
A panel convened by House Democrats allowed her to finally testify where she explained that students at the Jesuit university she attends have to pay out of pocket as much as $1,000 a year for contraceptives because they are not covered by the Georgetown University’s student health plans.
It was her testimony that sparked Rush to accuse her and women who want contraceptives as sluts: “What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke [sic] who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute.” He followed up his remarks the next day by saying: “If we’re going to pay for your contraceptives and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch.” What does such a perverted remark suggest about Limbaugh?
The truth is that 99% of women between 15 and 45 use or have used contraceptives and that 14% of them use them for medical and health reasons other than contraception, something the likes of Limbaugh and Santorum can’t get their heads around. These are the sluts Limbaugh is talking about? Nearly every American woman is thus a slut?
But advertisers, who once fled Glenn Beck (abandoning him to hawk gold and then finally stranding him without a national outlet for his fringe viewpoint once Fox News said bye-bye) are heading for the hills or at least packing their bags. This time Limbaugh’s bile was too much for even them, especially when potential customers bombarded them with their outrage at Rush’s attacks.
Quicken Loans has pulled its ads saying in a Tweet: “Due to continued inflammatory comments– along w/valuable feedback from clients & team members– QL has suspended ads on Rush Limbaugh program.”
Sleep Number has also withdrawn its sponsorship with this Tweet: “Recent comments by Rush Limbaugh do not align w/our values, so we made decision to immediately suspend all advertising on that program.”
Legal Zoom tweeted: “Legalzoom has pulled all advertising from the Rush Limbaugh show.”
Citrix Systems has also pulled plug on Rush: “We have listened to our customers & have decided to cease our advertising on The Rush Limbaugh Show immediately.”
ProFlowers has written it is reconsidering its connection to the Rush Limbaugh Show, saying, “Rest assured, your feedback is heard. We heard about the comments and we will reevaluate our marketing plan.”
Georgetown U. President Defends Fluke
Meanwhile, President Obama called Sandra Fluke to tell her she had his support and that her parents must be proud of her. She also heard from the president of Georgetown University with whom she has been long at odds with on this very issue. However, President John J. DeGioia sent an email to everyone at Georgetown on Friday supporting the third-year law student’s “right to respectful free expression.”
“[Fluke] was respectful, sincere, and spoke with conviction. She provided a model of civil discourse. This expression of conscience was in the tradition of the deepest values we share as a people. One need not agree with her substantive position to support her right to respectful free expression.
“And yet, some of those who disagreed with her position — including Rush Limbaugh and commentators throughout the blogosphere and in various other media channels —responded with behavior that can only be described as misogynistic, vitriolic, and a misrepresentation of the position of our student.”
Perhaps it is because Georgetown is a Jesuit institution and respects healthy debate and disagreement on important issues rather than dictating how to think or speak that the University was so supportive. It would be refreshing if Rush Limbaugh would employ the same modicum of good taste and, if not that, then a respectful tone when addressing people he disagrees with, which seem to be many.
For those of you with short memories, here are some of the previous targets of Rush’s vile attacks:
Michael J. Fox and Parkinson’s disease
“Barack the Magic Negro” parody
Phony soldiers controversy
Incendiary CPAC remarks 2009
His infamous anti-gay rhetoric
But why should we expect anything less from Rush who over the years has referred to women who work for women’s rights as “femiNazis.”
This time, however, Americans are not taking the abuse any longer. They are standing up and fighting back with strong words of their own and squeezing that oldest of American political pressure points, advertisers. It has been their phone calls, tweets on the Twitter account at StopRush, and Facebook connections that has set off the uproar that is causing advertisers to stop just holding their noses, but now to walk out of the room away from the stench of bigotry.
Will Rush Limbaugh listen and learn? Perhaps...when hell freezes over.
See follow up story on Rush's late breaking apology to Sandra Fluke: Rush Limbaugh apologizes for "slut" remark to Sandra Fluke
To contact Catherine Poe, see above. Her work appears in Ad Lib in the Communities at the Washington Times. She can be heard online at Democrats for America's Future. Poe is also a contributor to broadcast, print and online media.
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