Rush Limbaugh represents the absolute worst of what media pundits have to offer. And now that he has lost his seventh advertiser since making his loud and crude and rude remarks about Georgetown student Sandra Fluke, his time may finally be up. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Fluke, who testified on behalf of birth control coverage in front of the House, bravely spoke up for many thousands of women. She explained why birth control is needed for so many reasons, not just for premarital sex (though that is part of it for some). Limbaugh, in his infinite "wisdom," called her a "slut." A slut! Who even uses that word anymore except archaic dinosaurs who have no business engaging in public discourse?
It takes zero courage to do something like that and it may finally be the end of Rush.
Limbaugh came back with a half-apology, saying in a statement on his website Saturday:
My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.
Now, Rush has lost seven advertisers and it seems most people aren't buying his pseudo apology. ProFlowers had a statement on its Facebook page claiming that his comments "went beyond political discourse to a personal attack and do not reflect our values as a company." Good for them.
They are not the only ones, either. Mortgage lender Quicken Loans, Sleep Train and Sleep Number (both mattress retailers), software maker Citrix Systems Inc., Carbonite, and LegalZoom have also all stopped advertising with Limbaugh.
It's no wonder. He showed no real understanding of what he has done. One might ask why all these companies chose to advertise with a pundit whose main shtick has always sounded a lot more like rude and crude bullying than actual intelligence and civil discourse.
A normal, intelligent person can disagree without resorting to Limbaugh's level. He called the incredibly intelligent and collected Fluke a “prostitute” and a “slut” who expected the government to pay her to have sex. Classy, eh? Then when that wasn't enough, he went on:
She’s having so much sex, she can’t afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex ... We want [Fluke] to post the videos online so we can all watch.
No Rush. She wants her friends and herself to be allowed to make decisions about their own body without their place of employment telling them their feelings don't matter. She wants the government to care about women's health as much as they care about men's.
There are so many things wrong with Limbaugh's statements, it's hard to even know where to begin. He is so cruel and vile, it's hard to believe that someone like him can exist in a world where we are learning so much about the effects of bullying and this kind of mean-spirited rhetoric.
The good news is that Rush is clearly on his own. Like the Susan G. Komen debacle in which a big Right-leaning charity thought they could disregard women's health and people would be cool with it, Rush is learning the hard way and is being hit right in the wallet. In the end, that's the way to hurt Rush Limbaugh anyway. Money talks and when advertisers walk, Limbaugh will learn his bullying has no place in this country.
Do you think this is the end of Rush?
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Comments 38
No. If radio drops him (which I highly doubt) he'll just go the way of Glenn Beck and others who have been kicked off radio, which is to do it online.
To be honest although I find his words to be very stupid and wrong, he has every right to say them. Of course I have every right to not listen to him, and the advertisers have every right to pull their ads. So in the end it comes down to money. Will it be enough to force the stations to find someone new?
I hope so because frankly I don't like him and would love to hear someone else in his time spot. LOL!!
Still laughing at the hypocrisy flowing on this website.
I really don't mean to sound ignorant but with so many "battles" being fought I'm getting lost. Was the girl fighting for free birth control from the state or for employers to be required to provide coverage with a standard co-pay (like in the instance with the catholic church). While I'm NOT for the first I am definitely for the second....either way what he said was out of line and if nothing else, classless.
"She wants her friends and herself to be allowed to make decisions about their own body without their place of employment telling them their feelings don't matter."
And what about all of those Catholics (and others of other religions who might work there or believe the same) who should be allowed to pay for what they want without having the GOVERNMENT telling them that their religious beliefs don't matter?
This. Is. Not. About. Birth. Control.
It is about the Constitution. Pity you choose to focus on a three-ring-circus instead of the truth.
I say let the free market work. It is the advertisers' right to decide that his statements do not reflect the image they wish to project. It is also anyone else's right to base their decision to deal with those advertisers on that decision. While I disagree with Rush Limaugh, I am tired of this debate.
*Limbaugh. Sorry.