The progressive movement is really squeezing every last drop out mock outrage out of this increasingly-stale controversy:
Rush Limbaugh’s opponents are starting a radio campaign against him Thursday, seizing upon the radio star’s attack of a Georgetown law student as a “slut” to make a long-term effort aimed at weakening his business. …
Media Matters is spending at least $100,000 for two advertisements that will run in eight cities.
The ads use Limbaugh’s own words about student Sandra Fluke, who told congressional Democrats that contraception should be paid for in health plans. Limbaugh, on his radio programs, suggested Fluke wanted to be paid to have sex, which made her a “slut” and a “prostitute.” In return for the money, he said Fluke should post videos of herself having sex. Under sharp criticism, Limbaugh later apologized.
In one of the anti-Limbaugh ads, listeners are urged to call the local station that carries Limbaugh to say “we don’t talk to women like that” in our city.
Media Matters is placing the radio ads in cities with strong progressive activist networks and place where it believes Rush Limbaugh is particularly vulnerable. The group says it’s modeling this after its “Stop Beck” campaign, but that’s a little misleading. While Media Matters did target Glenn Beck’s advertisers, the main reason he was dropped from Fox News was because of his plummeting ratings. That had more to do with conservatives tuning out than anything Media Matters orchestrated.
And Media Matters also risks overreaching with the anti-Rush campaign. Not all liberals are comfortable with the idea of trying to push Limbaugh off the air. In the New York Times today, Bill Maher writes:
The answer to whenever another human being annoys you is not “make them go away forever.” We need to learn to coexist, and it’s actually pretty easy to do. For example, I find Rush Limbaugh obnoxious, but I’ve been able to coexist comfortably with him for 20 years by using this simple method: I never listen to his program. The only time I hear him is when I’m at a stoplight next to a pickup truck.
When the lady at Costco gives you a free sample of its new ham pudding and you don’t like it, you spit it into a napkin and keep shopping. You don’t declare a holy war on ham.
I don’t want to live in a country where no one ever says anything that offends anyone. That’s why we have Canada.
Maher makes good points, though he also places far more emphasis on the fake outrage from conservatives than he does on the fake outrage coming from liberals. Sure, conservatives overreact to comments and demand apologies from their political opponents all the time, welcome to politics. But the major campaign to shut down a talk show host for disagreeable language is being orchestrated and funded by the left. Maher should at least have the guts to call out Media Matters by name.
As an aside, would it even matter anymore if Media Matters somehow managed to get Rush kicked off the air (an extremely unlikely possibility at this point)? Sure, it would be a symbolic victory for the left and set a disastrous precedent for entertainers. But Rush has a massive, devoted audience and could probably maintain similar ratings on an online-only platform. The biggest loser in that scenario would be radio, which needs hosts like Rush far more than he needs the medium.
I agree w/Maher. It's the reason I don't watch him but have no need to see him lose his gig. n nRush has a bigger audience, so he's a bigger target. And I don't think he'll lose his gig either. n nRush may not hurt conservatism but he sure doesn't help it. He's like a fully stripped down version of Luther and/or Calvin. Both Luther and Calvin were far better educated than Rush but each was speaking only to his own followers and each valued hot polemic n nC.S. Lewis said that the Reformation needed saints to sort through accretion to get to the truth, but that unfortunately it had none. n nThe same is true in the here and now.
You are obviously missing the point. nThe Left, despite the apologies provided by Limbaugh, despite the rebuke Limbaugh has received from conservatives, remains focused on taking it further; kicking the guy off the air. nThat is typical of the Left. nThey had the power ('cuz they hold the senior positions) to FIRE Juan Williams. NPR determined that he said something which did not comport with their ideology. A longtime contributor and proven professional——they had no tolerance for what they perceived as an attack on their world view. However, in the 90's when Nina Totenberg said a particularly vicious thing about a conservative—–there was only, {{{{{{{{SILENCE}}}}}}}}}}}. nAfter all—she was only speaking the minds of the heirachy at NPR. n
Did David Letterman get kicked off television for having said several vile things about Sarah Palin? nNot on your life. nDId Ed Schultz EVER receive calls for his firing for the countless nasty, vile, vitriolic things he said about several other people? Yeah….right. nBill Maher. He's made many, many nasty and vile comments about, Sarah Palin, Christine O'Donnell, Michelle Bachmann. Not a peep except that huge, "Thank You" from Obama for the $1 million donation.
Here's Rush's problem, I think: n nTalent on loan from God: Chelsea Clinton is ugly. n nTalent on loan from God: Feminists are ugly women who want a piece of life’s action that attractive women acquire more easily. They're like Nazis. n nTalent on loan from God: Sandra Fluke’s testimony is the testimony of a slut, a prostitute. The least she could do is provide the good taxpayer w/a sex vid. n nTalent on loan from God: When I was a kid, some friends and I protested the Rosa Parks bus incident and went and sat at the back of the bus too. Caller says: C’mon, Rush. Rush can’t muster a convincing “that’s the truth.” n nI think this latest controversy has hurt him in this way: he’ll have to tread more carefully if he doesn’t want to see a renewed sponsor exodus. It’s hemmed him in some.
why do you quote Rush's (admittedly intemperate) words? who cares what he said? freedom of speech protects offensive speech– that's what it's FOR. n nif it has indeed "hemmed him in some," that's a bad thing. do you get that? n nthe fake outrage this "Fluke is a slut" comment has received is unbelievable. Keith Olbermann on a bad day was more vile and misogynistic than Rush could ever be. and they're proudly carrying on that tradition at MSNBC, where ad hominems directed at conservative women are everyday occurrences. same with the liberal radio hosts like the disgusting Mike Molloy. same with "journalists" like Andrew Sullivan, whose obsession with Sarah Palin's naughty bits was just plain creepy. same with the "conservatives I'd like to hate-f***" article run on salon or one of those trendy ezines. n nthat's all ok…but Rush is out of bounds? give me a break. n n
From a libertarian market based perspective, I say more power to Media Matters or any other interest group which wants to muscle out of the market place commentators they don't like, Same power to right wing groups who want to go against people on the left dependent on market success. Go after advertisers. Go after the audience. Make your pitch., Let the wheat keep growing. Let the chaff fall by the way side. All's fair game in the market as long as the law isn't broken. More power to Limbaugh, to Maher, to Fox, to MSNBC, to all public interest groups. Let the market rule.
" The biggest loser in that scenario would be radio, which needs hosts like Rush far more than he needs the medium." n nNo. The biggest "loser" would be the American people whose faith in freedom of speech would be degraded. This is how the Left works: through intimidation. It happens in the media and in the schools (at every level). It's just another ploy to get their, and only their way.
Wow! Bill Maher's prejudices really show through. n nDid you notice "The only time I hear him is when I’m at a stoplight next to a pickup truck." n nFor Maher it seems that America is made up of two groups; the well educated elite who are due all respect and the red necks that drive pickup trucks and know nothing. n nIt is surprising that those that talk most of supporting the "common man", have difficulty in understanding or empathizing with the "common man"
Rush is in no danger from a boycott, this too will pass. Why even deal with Maher, a two bit and not very funny comedian whose supposed humor largely consists of ridiculing others and pandering to an audience made up of morons much like him.