{"id":6557,"date":"2012-03-03T21:19:33","date_gmt":"2012-03-04T05:19:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=6557"},"modified":"2015-06-15T10:46:20","modified_gmt":"2015-06-15T17:46:20","slug":"rush-limbaughs-apology-just-makes-things-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=6557","title":{"rendered":"Rush Limbaugh&#8217;s &#8216;Apology&#8217; Just Makes Things Worse"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today Rush Limbaugh issued what he must regard as an apology for having insulted a young woman &#8211; actually all women &#8211; who are seeking to obtain health care coverage from private insurance companies.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"http:\/\/rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/cm?t=newscorpsecom-20&#038;o=1&#038;p=8&#038;l=as1&#038;asins=B005MZ6W96&#038;ref=qf_sp_asin_til&#038;fc1=000000&#038;IS2=1&#038;lt1=_blank&#038;m=amazon&#038;lc1=0000FF&#038;bc1=000000&#038;bg1=FFFFFF&#038;f=ifr\" style=\"width:120px;height:240px;\" scrolling=\"no\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" frameborder=\"0\" class=\"alignright\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>For three days Limbaugh has been defending having called Sandra Fluke a <em>&#8220;slut&#8221;<\/em> and a <em>&#8220;prostitute&#8221;<\/em> merely because she spoke out on behalf of women&#8217;s rights to equal treatment under the law. The firestorm of revulsion that Limbaugh created has resulted in several of his advertisers <a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/media\/2012\/03\/02\/436852\/rush-limbaugh-advertisers\/\" target=\"_blank\">removing their support<\/a> for his radio program.<\/p>\n<p>This is the sort of groundswell that developed into a successful campaign to get Glenn Beck booted from Fox News. And Limbaugh knows it. Consequently, after digging in his heels for three days he has capitulated and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2012\/03\/03\/a_statement_from_rush\" target=\"_blank\">posted a statement<\/a> on his web site in an effort to quell the controversy:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke. <\/p>\n<p>I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit? In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone&#8217;s bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level. <\/p>\n<p>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.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>If Limbaugh thinks that that mealy squeal is sufficient to get his neck out of this noose he is denser than the skull bone that houses his pea-brain.<\/p>\n<p>First of all, what Limbaugh&#8217;s PR flacks have composed for him is not an apology at all. He is expressing regret only for having chosen <em>&#8220;the wrong words,&#8221;<\/em> not for the substance of his tirade. In other words, he&#8217;s sorry he called Fluke a slut, but not sorry for having and expressing that as his opinion. And there is nothing in his statement that is anything close to a recantation of that opinion. In fact, he reinforces it.<\/p>\n<p>Limbaugh&#8217;s continuing and deliberate distortion of the underlying issue is evidence that he has no contrition whatsoever. His so-called apology says that <em>&#8220;I do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities.&#8221;<\/em> The activities he is referring to are rampant, unbridled orgies of lust. Or at least that&#8217;s how he sees it in his perverted, lecherous, Viagra-fueled brain. But no one else is suggesting that any private sexual behavior be financed by the state. This is about decent women and couples having access to health care products that are legal and necessary through their private insurance policies, not government handouts.<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s more, these contraceptive products actually have medical uses that transcend pregnancy prevention, including alleviation of menstrual cramps and lowering the risk of ovarian cancers. Although we shouldn&#8217;t expect either idiots or misogynists (or both in Limbaugh&#8217;s case) to understand this. It&#8217;s too bad there is no pill to correct the insensitivity and hostility that has infected Limbaugh&#8217;s corpulent soul. If there were, unlike Limbaugh, I would gladly support making it available under his medical insurance.<\/p>\n<p><em>[<strong>Update:<\/strong> Note the difference between the left and the right. When Keith Olbermann or Ed Schultz or David Shuster made inappropriate comments, MSNBC suspended them from their hosting duties. When Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh do so, there are no such consequences. In fact, today Limbaugh&#8217;s radio syndicator <a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/industries\/a-7th-advertiser-backs-away-from-limbaughs-show-after-he-calls-law-student-slut\/2012\/03\/04\/gIQAm041qR_print.html\" target=\"_blank\">released a statement<\/a> backing Limbaugh, saying<\/em> &#8220;The contraception debate is one that sparks strong emotion and opinions on both sides of the issue. We respect the right of Mr. Limbaugh, as well as the rights of those who disagree with him, to express those opinions.&#8221; <em>Apparently they also respect Mr. Limbaugh&#8217;s right to be a hateful pig.]<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The campaign to hold Limbaugh accountable should continue despite his utterly disingenuous attempt at crisis management. Here are some resources you can visit to keep the fight alive:<\/p>\n<p>ThinkProgress: <a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/stand-with-sandra-fluke-b\/\" target=\"_blank\">Stand with Sandra Fluke<\/a><br \/>\nDaily Kos: <a href=\"http:\/\/campaigns.dailykos.com\/p\/dia\/action\/public\/?action_KEY=81\" target=\"_blank\">Advertisers: pull your support for Limbaugh<\/a><br \/>\nDemocratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dscc.org\/act4?action_KEY=395\" target=\"_blank\">Denounce Rush&#8217;s Vile Misogyny<\/a><br \/>\nDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee: <a href=\"http:\/\/dccc.org\/pages\/denounce-rush\" target=\"_blank\">Denounce Rush Limbaugh&#8217;s Anti-Women Tirade<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Rush Limbaugh&#8217;s Syndicator:<br \/>\nPremiere Radio Network,<br \/>\n1270 Avenue of the Americas, Fl. 19<br \/>\nNew York, NY 10020<br \/>\n(212) 896-5200<\/p>\n<p>Federal Communications Commission<br \/>\n445 12th Street, SW<br \/>\nWashington, DC 20554<br \/>\n(202)-418-1000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today Rush Limbaugh issued what he must regard as an apology for having insulted a young woman &#8211; actually all women &#8211; who are seeking to obtain health care coverage from private insurance companies. For three days Limbaugh has been defending having called Sandra Fluke a &#8220;slut&#8221; and a &#8220;prostitute&#8221; merely because she spoke out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[71,973],"class_list":["post-6557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-rush-limbaugh","tag-sandra-fluke"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4Ijg-1HL","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7054,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=7054","url_meta":{"origin":6557,"position":0},"title":"Rush Limbaugh Affiliates Losing Millions As Advertisers Flee","author":"Mark NC","date":"5\/9\/2012","format":false,"excerpt":"When Rush Limbaugh called law student Sandra Fluke a slut he may not have grasped how expensive his despicable misogyny would be. Yesterday Politico reported that the CEO of Cumulus Media revealed that... ...the advertiser boycott against Rush Limbaugh cost his company millions of dollars in revenue for the first\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6620,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=6620","url_meta":{"origin":6557,"position":1},"title":"Bill O&#8217;Reilly&#8217;s Crackpot Conspiracy Zone: Sandra Fluke Edition","author":"Mark NC","date":"3\/8\/2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Sensing that his O'Reilly Factor was losing the competition for most ludicrous punditry to his old nemesis Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly has just uncovered the conspiracy of the century. It's a convoluted scheme that has confounded all other pundit participants. O'Reilly laid out the basics in his Talking Points Memo\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6640,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=6640","url_meta":{"origin":6557,"position":2},"title":"The Free Market Speaks: 98 Advertisers Ditch Rush Limbaugh &#8211; And More","author":"Mark NC","date":"3\/10\/2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The fallout from Rush Limbaugh's attacks on Sandra Fluke is growing exponentially. Reports to date have shown that advertisers are responding to the public revulsion of a political heavyweight battering a private citizen who was exercising her right to free speech. The latest accounting of bailing advertisers was reported by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6534,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=6534","url_meta":{"origin":6557,"position":3},"title":"Rush Limbaugh Calls Out The Bomb Squad","author":"Mark NC","date":"3\/2\/2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Reporting from the deepest trenches of elitist One-Percent-Land, local news sources have disclosed that the bomb squad was dispatched to rescue Rush Limbaugh from a lighted plaque of Abraham Lincoln. Threats against public figures really ought not to be made light of. There are very real and troubling risks very\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34496,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=34496","url_meta":{"origin":6557,"position":4},"title":"The End of Rush Limbaugh? His Radio Syndicator is on the Brink of Bankruptcy","author":"Mark NC","date":"4\/25\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The presidency of Donald Trump is running an obstacle course of speed bumps and potholes. He has failed to achieve anything of note during his first 100 days in office. And that's according to his own published benchmarks. There is no repeal of ObamaCare, no defeat if ISIS, no tax\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rush Limbaugh","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/limbaugh-19841.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/limbaugh-19841.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/limbaugh-19841.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6708,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=6708","url_meta":{"origin":6557,"position":5},"title":"Not So Breitbart: Branding Sandra Fluke A Retroactive Public Figure","author":"Mark NC","date":"3\/22\/2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The legacy of Andrew Breitbart is safe in the hands of those who have assumed control of his Internet enterprise. It's that legacy of lies, defamation, and ignorance, that endures in articles like the one posted yesterday that asserts that Sandra Fluke was a public figure when Rush Limbaugh broadcast\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Free Press&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Free Press","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6557"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28799,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6557\/revisions\/28799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}