In case you’ve never listened to his show, I’ll fill you in on the only thing you need to know about Rush Limbaugh: he’s a raving right-wing asshole. Don’t get me wrong, not everybody on the right-wing is an asshole and there are plenty of them on the left, but Limbaugh’s the original angry pundit.
Since this is a story that’s exploding, I’ll have a link to the source of each section at the end of it.
It’s no surprise that he stooped to the level of calling Georgetown law student a slut and a prostitute who is having so much sex that she can’t pay for contraceptives. The logic he used to justify his prostitute claim was that by having insurance cover contraceptives that she would be getting paid to have sex. Unfortunately for Limbaugh that kind of logic is even more absurd than the logic used to support creationism. He also doesn’t seem to understand the most basic things about contraceptives, in this case that such items as hormonal birth control and IUD’s that would and should be covered by insurance cost the same regardless of how much sex your having, if any.
Here’s the horribly “slutty” video that prompted Limbaugh’s tirade:
All this shows is that Limbaugh and the House GOP leadership are sex-negative, misogynistic, irrational, meddling bullies. But that’s hardly news. (Washington Post’s She the People)
Limbaugh’s statements have brought a lot of attention to this issue, including from politicians and sponsors:
- President Obama called Sandra Fluke to commend her and to make sure she’s okay. That’s a really classy move and shows that Obama is a decent human being.
- Limbaugh has been criticized by the White House, Democratic members of Congress, and Georgetown faculty and administration.
- Quicken Loans, LegalZoom, Sleep Train, and Sleep Number (I remember hearing their ad’s on Limbaugh’s show when I was a kid) have all pulled their advertising.
- Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) thinks Limbaugh should appologize.
- Rick Santorum called Limbaugh’s statement “absurd.”
The only one who seems to be (weakly) supporting Limbaugh is Romney who said, “It’s not the language I would have used,” when asked for comment. Showing that not only is he unable to make a principled stand one way or the other, but betraying that he shares the sentiment of Limbaugh’s remarks. (ABC News)
Limbaugh’s paranoid so he called in the bomb squad to investigate an electronic plaque sent by a listener. I don’t know if this is standard paranoia for the man, or if this is related to the current debacle, but if it is new then it’s pretty crazy. Feminists, liberals, and the like tend not to resort to violence. As far as I know, domestic terrorism is pretty well reserved religious nut-jobs and far right-win wackos, neither of which would be outraged by Limbaugh’s comments. (Fox News)
Limbaugh continued to rant on Friday continuing to blast Fluke and adding Obama to his criticism for having the decency to call her. In response and at the suggestion of Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Fluke is considering suing Limbaugh. While I’m not much of a fan of the concept of slander laws, I think she would have a good case for a slander suit. (New York Daily News)