It never fails to surface that, whenever a conservative principle inures to a negative result for conservatives, they abandon their principles and whine like colicky babes.

This is the case now with Rush Limbaugh who is upset with one of his radio distributors and is threatening to jump ship. The CEO of Cumulus Media, whose stations carry Limbaugh in some of the nation’s biggest markets including New York, has publicly lamented the decline in revenue from Limbaugh’s program ever since he insulted student Sandra Fluke as a “slut.” The subsequent advertiser exodus was severe and sustained, costing Cumulus millions of dollars in lost ad sales.

According to Politico, Limbaugh is perturbed at Cumulus for correctly attributing the losses to Limbaugh’s fat mouth and boorish manner. The advertiser boycott that resulted is one of the most successful market protests in recent history.

Rather than conduct a clear-eyed self-examination and try to determine the root of the problem, Limbaugh has instead decided to lash out at his partners and, effectively, free market economics. He blithely spends hours on end delivering slobbering paeans to the virtues of capitalism, but when the market expresses its distaste for his rampant vulgar misogyny, he cowers in a defensive posture and hypocritically attacks the financial system he pretends to revere.

Should his threats prove to be more than a calculated tantrum to squeeze out a better contract, Limbaugh could find himself off the air in some major cities. He would likely find other stations to pick up the show, but he would also suffer from the transition. His show could go dark until new stations are found and they can unwind current contracts to make room for him. He would also create some heavyweight competition in what ever Cumulus puts on in his place.

In the end it’s fun to watch hypocrites flounder around when the tides turn against them and they have to make excuses for why the markets they swear by are rejecting them so fiercely.