PHOENIX, March 5, 2012―A double standard exists in the Liberal realm of pseudo-impartiality, and it is on full display with the recent controversy over Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh’s comments aimed at Sandra Fluke.
As a result of Limbaugh’s comments, in which he referred to Ms Fluke as a “slut,” several of his advertisers, including Quicken Loans, and most recently ProFlowers, dropped their advertising on the Rush Limbaugh radio show.
Carbonite is an online computer backup service company that Rush Limbaugh has highly touted, reading their ads live on the air.
Outcry over Limbaugh’s comments led him to apologize to Sandra Fluke for calling her a “slut;” however Carbonite still withdrew its advertising from Limbaugh’s show.
Carbonite’s CEO, David Friend took the decision to the public forum by releasing the following statement on the company’s official Facebook page.
“No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady. Mr. Limbaugh, with his highly personal attacks on Miss Fluke, overstepped any reasonable bounds of decency. Even though Mr. Limbaugh has now issued an apology, we have nonetheless decided to withdraw our advertising from his show. We hope that our action, along with the other advertisers who have already withdrawn their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public discourse.”
This statement is surprising, mainly due to its first twosentences. Carbonite’s CEO was clearly disgusted by the ‘slut’ remarks, but a double standard undeniably applies.
Liberal MSNBC host, Ed Schultz, called Conservative radio talk show host, Laura Inghram a “right-wing slut,” on his radio show in May 2011. Carbonite advertises on the Ed Schultz show.
“…But you know what they’re talking about? Like this right wing slut. What’s her name Laura Ingraham? Yeah, she’s a talk slut,” Schultz said on his broadcast on May 23, 2011.
How could David Friend “possibly abide the insult and abuse” that Ed Schultz flung towards Laura Ingraham?
Carbonite continues advertising on a show that is undeniably left-wing, over a comment almost identical to one made on a Conservative show.
Does David Friend fail to see the double standard here, or is it simply because Laura Ingraham is a Conservative that it is ok? Is it permissible to crudely attack Conservative women, but not Liberal?
Do not Friend’s own daughters come to mind here? He had a serious problem with Limbaugh’s comments, so why was he able to get past Schultz hurling the same insult at Laura Ingraham?
We might argue that Fluke is a young co-ed, and therefor off-limits for this type of media attack, while Ingraham is a media personality. But that isn’t quite the whole story. The Blaze has reported that :
“However, contrary to the narrative of innocent victimhood that portrays Fluke as a wide-eyed 23-year-old girl caught without contraception on a college campus full of predatory men, Fluke herself is really a 30-year-old women‘s rights activist who not only didn’t get caught without contraception at Georgetown, but specifically knew the university didn’t cover it and chose to attend for precisely that reason.”
Instead of upholding standards, Friend’s continued support of Ed Schultz’s show proves the point that the Liberal left has a different standard than Conservatives. The consequences are less severe when Liberals make outrageously inappropriate comments about Conservatives.
Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney have been sharply criticized for not vigorously condemning Limbaugh’s remarks. This is viewed by some as tacit approval of Limbaugh’s sentiments. It would be fair, then, to view failure to withdraw advertising from Schultz’s show as tacit approval of his comments about Laura Ingraham.
Schultz did apologize to Ms Ingraham as did Limbaugh to Ms Fluke, yet Carbonite and David Friend only dropped Limbaugh. Recall his statement:
“No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady.”
It may be interesting to note the Mr. Friend is a financial supporter of both President Obama and the left-wing group, moveon.org.
What may also be of interest, if you look at it from a business perspective, is that Rush Limbaugh has 20 million listeners and Ed Schultz, two million.
Not so sure David Friend will have an easy time explaining that decision to the shareholders of Carbonite at their next meeting.
Email Henry D’Andrea at tips@politicons.net and follow him on Twitter (@TheHenry)
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