For the past few days, the untouchable, invincible Rush Limbaugh took to the airwaves and criticized a private citizen for doing her duty as an American. Limbaugh chose to walk the only path he knows and called this private citizen some of the most despicable and deplorable names his puny little mind could think of, then sat back and watched as a national outcry began. Even President Obama placed a telephone call to the victim of Rush’s venom, offering her some words of encouragement.
But that was all fine with Rush Limbaugh. This is what he does – go on the air, and say some of the most reprehensible things ever heard on the national airwaves. He has used his program to attack blacks, Muslims, Women, Latinos and yes, Democrats. So when President Obama got involved and made his phone call to Susan Fluke, Rush Limbaugh knew that his plan to get as much publicity as possible, was coming together just as he planned.
But this time something was different. The Blogosphere and the Twitter machine came alive and calls for the end of Limbaugh’s radio career rang long and loud. And tweets and messages to sponsors and advertisers on Limbaugh’s show were too numerous to count. Then the advertisers began pulling their ads from Rush’s show and this, this was when Mr. Limbaugh did a double take.
One sponsor, two sponsor, three sponsor, four… Limbaugh imagined the worst and saw his $400 million contract evaporating before his very eyes. He couldn’t allow it, he wouldn’t. He decided to do what he never thought he’d do in all his 20 years as a radio entertainer – he decided to go against the pomposity his show is known for – he apologized… to a woman!
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.
…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.
On the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday editions of his talk show, Mr. Limbaugh loudly criticized Ms. Fluke as sexually promiscuous and politically motivated — “an anti-Catholic plant,” he said at one point.
On Wednesday, he called her a “slut,” and a “prostitute. On Thursday, he said she was “having so much sex, it’s amazing she can still walk.” And on Friday, the Republican spokesman continued his personal attack, saying Miss Fluke was “having sex so frequently that she can’t afford all the birth-control pills that she needs.”
