Rush Limbaugh is being abandoned by advertisers, but he's still attacking a 30-year-old woman for testimony she gave regarding contraception services. Rev. Al Sharpton talks with Ed Schultz about whether this is the beginning of the end for El Rushbo.
By James Holm, Senior Producer
On Saturday March 3, 2012, Rush Limbaugh said, "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."
The Rush Limbaugh Show's nationally syndicated program premiered on August 1, 1988, just 17 days before Republicans nominated Vice President George H.W. Bush & Sen. Dan Quayle to be on the presidential ticket. Limbaugh spent years developing his show to be a vehicle for conservative thought. Early on Limbaugh used "bits" to parody the homeless, gay people, environmentalists and the women’s movement.
The theme song to Rush’s "homeless update" was Clarence "Frogman" Henry’s Ain't Got No Home. Limbaugh played the 1956 rhythm & blues classic as he would read stories of poor people gaming the welfare system. The racist laced parody became so popular that Henry shared the stage with Limbaugh at a 1991 “Rush to Excellence” event.
Early on Limbaugh popularized the term “Feminazi” to describe women whose goal is to allow as many abortions as possible. Rush would perform “caller abortions” to cut off anyone who disagreed with him. Limbaugh would pot the caller down and play the sound of a vacuum and a scream.
Limbaugh also used a “Gay Update” in which he would play Klaus Nomi's cover of Lesley Gore's 1964 hit You Don't Own Me to bash homosexuals and trivialize the AIDS crisis. Nomi died in 1983 at the age of 39 as a result of complications from AIDS.
Limbaugh railed against environmentalists for decades. Rush's "Animal Rights Update" used the song Born Free followed by gunfire and animal sounds. Limbaugh also popularized the term “environmentalist whacko” to describe anyone who believed in climate change.
In the late 1980’s the radio industry was filled with white male executives and program directors. Within two years of the launch of the Rush Limbaugh program the conservative talker had reached 600 radio stations. The attack on people of color, homosexuals and women was pumped into almost every radio market in America.
Radio programmers had never seen anything like it, so they started to seek out other talent to fill other hours of the day. Limbaugh has given rise to well-known talents like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham. At the same time, hundreds of local talkers followed the Rush playbook to lesser success.
By radio standards, currently Limbaugh has 15 million plus listeners. Keep in mind, that’s 15 million a week, 3 million a day, or less than 1% of all Americans. The reason Limbaugh is perceived to be the most powerful force in the Republican Party is because of the conservative talk radio main audience, elected Republicans.
Political talk radio listeners are vocal and active. They show up at town halls, call their congressional members, blog and vote. Politicians only listen to people who threaten their jobs. This is where Rush and his talk radio clones come in.
Over the last decade, the Republican Party has fought increases in the minimum wage, unemployment benefits, food stamps and housing assistance. Republicans have fought equal pay for women, breast cancer screening, preventive care and most recently contraception.
Republicans have stood in the way of giving homosexuals the right to marry, adopt and serve in the military.
Republicans have denied climate change and fought efforts to lower emissions. Republicans have vilified solar, wind and any other alternative method for energy. At the same time, Republicans have protected oil company’s tax breaks and drilling standards.
The economic meltdown in America cannot be blamed on any talk radio host, but it can be blamed on a spineless group of elected officials who are afraid of the man behind the golden microphone.
The record number of Americans who need food stamps or are homeless need not blame Rush Limbaugh or the “Frogman.” But the Republican’s depraved indifference to their plight is far more pervasive than it was before Limbaugh was foisted on the American public.
In 2012 women are more educated than men, but 2010 was the first year where the number of women in Congress did not increase.
That leads to an all-male panel at a congressional panel on contraception. It also leads to cuts in healthcare, early childhood development and public education.
American women have never had more opportunity to succeed, but a super majority of male elected officials’ are clinging to power by putting as many hurdles as they can in the way. Wanting equal rights and equal pay doesn’t make anyone a “Feminazi”. Treating an entire gender of people as inferior is, in a word, Un-American.
Leave a Comment:
Please, no more rush absurdities.
That's like saying no more Rush.
What's absurd is that he was ever allowed on the air.
This is an Apology:
http://ed.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/05/10584510-flashback-ed-apologizes-to-laura-ingraham-takes-one-week-suspension?threadId=3362439&commentId=63098068#c63098068
Rush could take lessons
There is a certain amount of shame for all of us in Limbaugh's comments and it says volumes about our society and we should not tolerate it any further from anyone. We have gone through a series of aggressions against women from all of these so called political analyst and commentators and as indicated before all of this has to be stopped regardless of political affiliation.
Any show host that bullies people with racial slurs, elitist statements, gender bias or the like should be treated in a similar manner as seen with Limbaugh. It's time that we as the American public stop excusing the excuses, lies and slants of this style of media.
This is all hate speech and a means used by people who make thier money off of teaching us all how to bully each other into submitting to their opinions. The list is a long one and encompasses both political parties. It is time that everyone stops supporting people like Limbaugh, Coulter, Ingram, Hannity, Mathews (for Hilary Clinton comments), Maher and yes you have to include Ed.
Have we forgotten what the outcome of what we rose up and said over Gabrielle Giffords. Can we continue to accept hate speech and teaching our children that these people and their treatment of others doesn't have a cost? Calling people stupid for having an opinion, or shutting people up because they disagree with you by using racial, gender, ethnic, religious or sexual orientation slurs to dismiss them is bullying.
We really have to take some responsibility for supporting any one of these people just because we believe that they support our own political leanings. I condemn the comments made by Limbaugh but also accept that maybe laughing at jokes made about Palin, Palin's daughter (who happens to be a private citizen), Hillary, Bachman, Wasserman Schultz, Rice, Chelsea Clinton, Laura Bush, Anne Coulter (adam's apple)...... All of these things are wrong and we need to take a stand in all cases for the sake of our children.
We all own a piece of the shame associated with this for allowing it to go this far. We all need to stop cheering for a team and start listening to everyone's opinion and respectfully debating it without demeaning them or bullying with childish name calling.
Right on Bill. We need to keep our discourse civil if we are to keep our civilization.
What Rush says is evil because it defames the image of God in all those people he attacks and reduces them to the level of an object. Violence against an object is seen as okay and therefore what he says is a poor example to set for others. Even though he many not have been the immediate instigator of the recent school shooting that killed three people, the kind of hate he spews daily leads to a culture of hate.
The fact that Rush appeals to many in the Christian right says a lot about what has happened to the Christian religion which is supposed to be about love. A true Christian is conformed in the image of Christ, who is Love. Rush and his kind are conformed in the image of Satan, who is consumed by hate.
Free country, you don't like rush, don't listen to his show.
Simple. And good ole' Al no so sharp-ton needs to get back in the church and out of politics. Go eat some blue barry pie or some peas, then take the band-aid off.
Oh my, your racism is showing. But, as always thanks for sharing.
Funny. Why no "If you don't like Al, don't listen to his show?"
Hypocrite?
tra is the fastest traveling kockroach on the vine. He is here, he is there, he is everywhere. Spreading it here, spreading it there, spreading it every where he goes.
He Is Nowhere = Off In Never-Never Land !!!!
trafdlo,
With all due respect, you are wrong.
The average person would not have objected if Adolph Hitler had a radio show during the 1930s.
We now recognize that pattern of behavior as "defamation", which is a crime.
Public figures cannot lie with intent to cause harm without exposing themselves to civil and criminal penalties.
Saying that it is OK for the drugster to lie about people that disagree with him is like telling me that I should switch banks because it is wrong to arrest bank robbers.
Fluke made herself a public figure. Like Ed, Bill, and Rush, she needs to understand she has made herself an image to be ridiculed. I personally believe Rush was right, but that is my opinion, many of you here disagree. That is what makes this country great.
CA: is Rush a drugster? No, he had a problem with prescription drugs that he publicly admitted, got treatment, and spent close to a month off the air. And yet you still call him a "drugster." It's OK, he is a public figure and therefore allowed to be misrepresented by others. Sandra Fluke has made herself a target by taking the public spotlight.
Most here obviously didn't hear, or want to hear, that Fluke is asking for public funding for her contraception medication. The other medical uses are only a side issue, as were her examples. Rush may have been over zealous, but Fluke was asking for us to pay so she could have sex (that's why it's called contraception).
Why is it racism when anyone says something about Rev. Sharpton? I understand that certain things should not be said at all and everyone needs to stop with the name calling so since Rev. Sharpton was brought up can I weigh in with the following items:
1. Rev. Sharpton is on record and did double down with anti-Semitic comments
2. Why is the current issue of "Poll Tax" with Rev. Sharpton (which I agree this is a poll tax and should be discussed and handled) not that undocumented people and fellons should not vote. So why should we not be talking about getting photo ID for those 4 million voters for free. Sounds to me that Rev. Sharpton is using the 4 million people affected for political gain (money) and not trying to solve the issue. I am sure that each and everyone of us would certainly like a portion of our political donations to fund these US citizens getting photo ID so they can vote?
3. Should the Rev. Sharpton be telling me that I should pay more taxes when he infact didn't pay his. By the way, if you owe more than a million dollars in taxes then in fact you are part of the 1% that I have issue with.
I support a great deal of what the Rev. Sharpton is doing and would continue to do so without all the hate for people who differ from his political affiliation and the twisting of facts and half truths.
Racism is any of the following involving race (among other things).
@Capt America USMC,
Talk show hosts are not entitled to commit crimes like verbal assault, slander, libel, and defamation to terrorize someone into silence. Rush broke the law by using more than one physician to obtain narcotics (felony drug abuse). This is a clear pattern of criminal behavior.
@Bill's Understanding,
I don't believe you. Cite a credible source to support your claims (major newspaper or government web site).
@Crackhead Awards
Not difficult and fair enough.
Seatle Time Originally published Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 12:00 AM
New York Times
Guilty Plea By Sharpton In Tax Case
By KEVIN SACK,
Published: January 6, 1993
New tax tab for Rev. Al
By ISABEL VINCENT and MELISSA KLEIN
Last Updated: 8:07 AM, February 6, 2011
NY Post
Rev. Al deep in the red
By ISABEL VINCENT and MELISSA KLEIN
Last Updated: 1:00 PM, December 12, 2011
Just do search for Tawana Brawley or Diamond merchants
Now let's really have an open debate why our political contributions given to both GOP and democrats (lord I have given enough to the DEMs over the years) can be used to get every ELIGIBLE voting citizen a photo ID? I was always taught that you should raise an issue without a potential solution and not addressing the issue is not a solution. The issue is that we should not have foreign nationals or people who have been excluded by federal law voting in our federal (not local) elections.
Funny how the joker ignores that Mittens is guilty of tax fraud too, you do know that hiding wealth in tax free off shore bank accounts is defrauding the government. Funny how when someone on the left forgets some income on his taxes the right scream bloody murder while the republican who thumbs his nose at the government and willfully hides wealth where government can't record it for taxes is getting the GOP nod to run for president.
@whomitmay
No I really didn't know he was and will research further. It's not left or right it what these gentlemen are asking or spinning thier way through things. I don't think or have not heard that tax increases are being asked for by any of the GOP candidates.
I'm not a GOP supporter but believe that these talk show hosts are all liars be they Fox, MSNBC or CNN. Give you an example. Limbaugh has advertisers pulling away with the largest being AOL (which I think is just and should happen) but then I also know that Limbaugh has been saying things like this all along so why didn't they pull out sooner? Oh, The Huffington Post was purchased by who, AOL the largest advertiser on the Limbaugh show that has pulled out. So if the Huffington Post is owned by AOL and AOL is the largest advertiser on Limbaugh's show then indirectly, The HuffingtonPost was paying for the Rush Limbaugh show.
Just like I have been saying, these guys really don't share our values or support our polital vision. This is a business of hate and all of these hosts deal in hate speach to excite us against each other so that they can make money.
It is time to complete remove this individual from our political discussion(s).
Women have VERRRRRY long memories...come November, Rush and the lack of appropriate response from the GOP leaders will be remembered.
Exactly!!!!
@trafdio....how about some respect for women? Its not about who pays for oral contraception...it is about his disregard for women in general.
Hi Margaret......you are barking up the wrong tree with tra, no respect for any of us here. His moto is to be here and there and everywhere spreading fertilizer.
Hello Margaret
TM he does have that re-reg smell to its tone just like some other now banded trolls. not saying its a re-reg just the smell if not a re-reg it sure wares the same after shave
It's time for Sandra Fluke to hit the drugster with an assault/defamation law suit seeking compensation for damages.
Limbaugh's freedom ends at the tip of someone else's nose.
The drugster has the freedom to say anything he wants, but he also has the obligation to pay for any resulting damage.
Ok now she is a famous SLUT that will not accept an apology. Yea I said it and just like others that want to suck that Govenment nipple bend over for Obama.
You Are Speaking Of The gop-re-baggers Again Hey !!!!!! Its FUNNY - Especially When YOU Dont Even Know What YOU Are Talking About !!!! GOMER !!!!!
that is ABSURD, ABSURDITY FORM ONE of the lushes defenders. No respect from the divisive right wingers. So desperate, they come to this sight to prove what cowards they are......spreading their fertilizer of insults..... Dinosaur.
If the lush ever said anything worth listing to that was sane and not instigating the insane, it will be a cold day in hell.
TRAFDLO you ignorant racist..people here don't listen to that pig,BUT,we are sick of his rethoric,his scary stupid talk,his racist comments, his bigotry and his disrespect for woman.....TRAFDLO go back to your cave and go and eat some dirty!!!!!!!...In a way this will work very good for Dem....This clown and the rest of the GOP circus of crazy will find out when Nov comes....this is the time to get rid of this cesspool ( RUSH L)is really beggining to smell!!!!!!!
The Republicans are not afraid of Rush. They don't respond to his remarks because they support what he says. He's been doing it for years he is a political pig plain and simple. The only way to get rid of a pig is saluter it, and we can do that through a boycott to remove him and his filthy mouth from reaching millions of people. America does not want bead or tolerate that conduct.
Bingo!!!!
Hey Rush, your in the last chance ballroom. Clear Channel's lack of sponsor dollars will dance you right out the back door.
Rush just got through saying he'll just get some more sponsors. If he does, we'll boycott those too. Not to mention call them and complain. It should be our mission to see to it that S.O.B. never has another day's rest until he's off the air!
Pro Flowers has pull their ads!!!
see where a whole radio station pull his show off the air.
in Hawaii, guess they are sick in tired of listing to all the crap and Bravo Sierra!
treating one of their native sons like that.
Rush will continue to pretend that he is a comedian until he wants to be a political commentator well my "friend" you can not be both a critic and true comedian, and you can't be a comedian when you're out simply to hurt and insult people. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert answer absurdity with absurdity, Limbaugh answers absurdity with stupidity. Coincidently he meets legitimate commentary with insults, he's not funny and he never has been funny....if he was that would be different but he's not...like Jimmy Fallon.......
None the less there will always be those infected with this disease that forces them to try and go bat for anyone who shares their political opinion no matter what who will try to play some feel sorry for me...they're picking on me for being conservative card.....no matter he will have the support of the Republican leadership because they believe the same things he does. The leadership of the party of "family values" agrees with 99.9% of everything Rush says and the way he says it.
Cynical~ They all may not agree with what he says, but they are also afraid of him. If anybody crosses him he will tear into them on his show and if he wants to keep them from getting re-elected he can do it. Or at least they think he can. They think he can sway voters that much.
Hey! Trafdlo: your no brighter of a slug than the man your trying to protect. People like you and the slug man are the ones who makes filth through out this country. I would hope the all his sponsers keep going one by one. He gets back on the air and says his sponsers will be replaced by more, well let it happen, for sure we can all count on this happening again and again until he will be gone for good.. He promised all of us at one time if Obama got the health care passed he would move to some island, well slugman start packing your duds and let that big door hit you in the ass as you leave. Your a filthy mouthed excuse for a human being..
This speaks volumes for the Republican party and what they stand for. They have stuped to new lows in this election. Rush Limbaugh has been a hate monger for years and it's time "what goes around comes around" and watch out Rush you are about to get head slapped!!! I have never listened to his radio show and quit watching Fox News because they are also racist bigots.
Don't insurance companies pay for vasectomys & circumcisions. I don't like my money spent for these things. Oh to be a special male!
I've watched this circus act from the sidelines for too many years without comment. It's not the stupid, ignorant comments that Rush is famous for that concern me. I don't listen to his show. What scares me is his audience who do actually listen to his show and agree with him. Rush's salary is $33 million a year for this rhetoric. His nastiness doesn't help make society a better place for anyone including those that agree with him...obviously this is Rush's intent to make the big bucks. Regardless of his intent, it's wrong and an abuse of power. He has gone too far to a point where everyone needs to send a message and say no to Rush, his advertisers and supporters as well as Clear Channel Communications. There has to be some accountability for his nastiness and the money he makes because of it.
Amen!
Rush is abusing his right to free speech. He does not have the legal right to tell lies about someone with the purpose to defame and hurt. If we allow this abuse of our 1st Amendment rights, we will lose them.
Everyone, even those on this blog, needs to refrain from personal attacks. Hate the sin and not the sinner. Attack and discredit the policy but do not attack the person who holds the policy.
Anyone who thinks what he says is funny has a warped sense of humor.
Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Bill Maher, Matt Taibbi, and Ed Schultz all have said vile words against women on the radio, TV, and print but not one person on the left has ever asked to boycott and or have any of them fired
The hypocrisy and selective moral out rage of the left is so evident
But i guess because those vile comments made by those liberal pigs are fine because they was directed towards republican and conservative women
Really you come onto Eds blog to accuse the MSNBC staff of doing what Limpballs did while ignoring that everyone of those people were punished where as Limpballs repeated it in 3 shows with no reprimands from his loyal network. Just shows how low republicans and conservative women are, the really odd thing is the left were calling them for what their behavior showed they made nothing up or made a direct personal attack. Typical tea bagging republican selective outrage.
Rush lied. He made up a lie than solved the lie. He does this every day. He is destructive to america because solving a problem by Rush never existed. We americans are not going to put up with these wingnuts any longer.
The issue that was falsely represented as violating religious rights was, in fact, an EEOC issue which applied to all businesses that hire individuals and are of a certain size. By now this issue has been lost. The issue of contraception and how this is involved has been carried to a level that also violates labor laws. My religion and my personal beliefs are not the business of my employer and cannot be part of the employment contract. Moving beyond that, the right of Federal employees of any kind to determine the medical care I should receive when this determination violates the Constitution that guarantees my privacy, is absurd. And the test of ignorance of these individuals thus far, is obvious. Contraception is a use and not a prescription. It is as much as use of a hormone as Estrogen Replacement Therapy and menopause. The heart, the eyes, vaginal care, bones, and even migraine and depression are part of the picture of why doctors prescribe these medications. Where is input from the medical profession here? Should they be consulting with a male millionaire running for Congress or one of them already in Congress? Should this be an issue for a Pope in Italy? Should this be an issue for an employer? Is this the theatre of the absurd???????????????????????????????
The issue that was falsely represented as violating religious rights was, in fact, an EEOC issue which applied to all businesses that hire individuals and are of a certain size. By now this issue has been lost. The issue of contraception and how this is involved has been carried to a level that also violates labor laws. My religion and my personal beliefs are not the business of my employer and cannot be part of the employment contract. Moving beyond that, the right of Federal employees of any kind to determine the medical care I should receive when this determination violates the Constitution that guarantees my privacy, is absurd. And the test of ignorance of these individuals thus far, is obvious. Contraception is a use and not a prescription. It is as much as use of a hormone as Estrogen Replacement Therapy and menopause. The heart, the eyes, vaginal care, bones, and even migraine and depression are part of the picture of why doctors prescribe these medications. Where is input from the medical profession here? Should they be consulting with a male millionaire running for Congress or one of them already in Congress? Should this be an issue for a Pope in Italy? Should this be an issue for an employer? Is this the theatre of the absurd???????????????????????????????
I have the right given to me under the constitution to own a gun, but does that give me the right to have the government, business or any organization give me that gun for free? No it doesn't, so how can you justify any one saying its their right to get anything for free.
No one is denying any one the right to obtain contraception they are questioning can the government force a business or organization to give something for free even if it goes against their beliefs