Rush Limbaugh Apologizes For His "Slut" Remarks.

Kate wrote: Actually, the number is now over 20 advertisers that have dropped support of his show.

He's doing fine...

Ads aired Monday 03-05-2012

A Place for Mom

AccuQuote

ADT Security

AkinMears, G.P.

American Credit Card Solutions

Ameristar Tax Centers

Bare Escentuals Mineral Makeup

Bonobos

Becoming China's Bitch by Peter Kiernan

Capital One

Carbonite

Child Booster Seat PSA, Ad Council and DOT

Concentra

Constant Contact

CRN

Eos Sleep

Freedom Debt Relief

Geico

Heritage for the Blind

HydraCare

InventHelp

JC Penny's

Matrix Direct

Medipattern Corporation

Merit Financial

Netflix

New York Lottery Powerball

O'Reilly Auto Parts

Peerless Boilers

Reputation Rhino

RightSize Smoothies

Sears

Sensa

Service Magic

St. Vincent's Medical Center (Bridgeport, CT)

The Small Business Authority/Corporate Tax Network

TurboTax

US Tax Shield

Wave Home Solutions

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201203050019#March%205

Some will go... more will come... these things have short news cycles.

CritiKalbILL wrote: Did he really call 50% of the population sluts and whores or just one?

He claimed that by taking contraception, she was a slut. Extending Rush's logic, every woman who uses contraception is a slut and a whore.

Every person I have talked to about this issue has made this deduction and all my female friends are upset at Limbaugh. They don't like being called whores.

Kate wrote:

CritiKalbILL wrote: Did he really call 50% of the population sluts and whores or just one?

He claimed that by taking contraception, she was a slut. Extending Rush's logic, every woman who uses contraception is a slut and a whore.

Every person I have talked to about this issue has made this deduction and all my female friends are upset at Limbaugh. They don't like being called whores.

No... not every woman is a slut or whore, not every slut and whore who works at a religious institution requires reproductive services in their insurance plans. And not every woman works for a religious institution. And not every slut and whore requires contraception at all. And not every woman uses contraception. There are too many variable to extend Rush's "logic" to 50 percent of the population. And how do men figure into this? Aren't they part of the population?

Rush was horribly wrong. But your "outrage" and your attempt to extend this insult to everyone (my partner is a feminist, one of the contemporary early ones, right out of the 60's) and she's not insulted at all. She's intelligent enough to realize that Rush is an idiot, and she doesn't give idiots so much power, as you seem to want to do. Or are you just trying to exploit the situation? I bet the second option is the right one.

LadyJazzer wrote: Yes... The number of advertisers that have bailed out is now up to 17... And the number of stations carrying his show continues to decline...

Ooops...

I'm sure losing those TWO power house stations in Pittsfield, Mass and Hilo, Hawaii are just killing his numbers.

I doubt stations in markets that size even pay for his show. When you have hundreds of affiliates, losing two small markets is in the noise and happens all the time for other reasons such as stations flipping formats.

I'm actually surprised he hasn't lost more stations, yet. But I doubt small markets will make much difference. If he starts losing NY, Chicago, LA, etc. then it will hit his bottom line big time.

Strange how this is bring focused on two words when he ranted for 3 days about her in a deviant sexual way. To me, it's not the two words he said, it's his attitude and opinion that is the problem. Ranting about getting something for his money isn't even correct as the situation didn't cost him a dime. Comparing his 3 day rant to single statements which were admitted to as wrong and truly apologized for is a deflection. All of the statements were wrong, it's just that Rush didn't make a statement, he opened his mouth for three days and then offered a I'm sorry if you were offended by my wrong choice of words, not a my point was wrong apology. He deserves to suffer until he truly understands that his position on this is wrong.

Soulshiner wrote: Strange how this is bring focused on two words when he ranted for 3 days about her in a deviant sexual way. To me, it's not the two words he said, it's his attitude and opinion that is the problem. Ranting about getting something for his money isn't even correct as the situation didn't cost him a dime. Comparing his 3 day rant to single statements which were admitted to as wrong and truly apologized for is a deflection. All of the statements were wrong, it's just that Rush didn't make a statement, he opened his mouth for three days and then offered a I'm sorry if you were offended by my wrong choice of words, not a my point was wrong apology. He deserves to suffer until he truly understands that his position on this is wrong.

:notworthy:

Well said.

Soulshiner wrote: Strange how this is bring focused on two words when he ranted for 3 days about her in a deviant sexual way. To me, it's not the two words he said, it's his attitude and opinion that is the problem. Ranting about getting something for his money isn't even correct as the situation didn't cost him a dime. Comparing his 3 day rant to single statements which were admitted to as wrong and truly apologized for is a deflection. All of the statements were wrong, it's just that Rush didn't make a statement, he opened his mouth for three days and then offered a I'm sorry if you were offended by my wrong choice of words, not a my point was wrong apology. He deserves to suffer until he truly understands that his position on this is wrong.

You should boycott him! Oh wait, you don't listen anyway. Would you support the goverment taking him off the air, like Putin does to broadcasters he doesn't like?

Not what he said at all, but that is the inflated outrage created from what it was he did say. What he said was wrong and he publicly apologized for saying it to the person to whom the apology was owed. I am reminded of an old proverb regarding apologies. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't accept it.

The left is simply hoping to use this incident to silence one of their harshest critics - they are very good at this tactic. Rush made the mistake of stooping to the tactics of his opposition and I expect that it will be a very expensive mistake for him in the short term - as it should be. It won't harm his ratings - which is what determines how much an advertising spot during his program is worth. His loyal listeners will not desert him for his indiscretion, his style will not change as a result of it either.

Advertisers are looking for customers for their product. Carbonite doesn't care if their customer is a bigot as long as they use their service and pay their bill on time, neither does Sears or any of the other advertisers. Right now it may not be beneficial to advertise on his program because anger at Rush will be taken out on his advertisers seeking customers, but that will change once the furor over this incident has calmed down. For every advertiser that leaves there will be another one taking advantage of the opportunity that their leaving presents; and for every station which cancels his program there will be another one in that same market looking to pick him up - probably for less than the other station was paying as a result of the recent fiasco - because his ratings will raise the ratings of their station and allow them to charge more for the advertising during that time slot.

Bottom line is that any effects are merely temporary - just as the effects of previous indiscretions by Rush and any other entertainer are always temporary. Lindsey Lohan isn't out of acting for her indiscretions, nor is Mel Gibson, Bobby Brown is still making a good living in music despite his history of spousal abuse and drug use. Bill Clinton is still loved by those that loved him and despised by those that despised him.

The issue of forcing everyone else to pay for contraception for the elective decisions of others regarding their sexual activity isn't changed one whit by what Rush said, or didn't say. It still remains something that the general government isn't allowed to do when it interferes with the free exercise of one's religious faith. I might agree that an insurance company doing business across state lines can be compelled to offer such coverage as an option for which the insured themselves must pay extra to obtain, but that is where the line is drawn from my perspective. Contraceptive drugs for contraceptive purposes are available from more than one retailer for under $10/month. If a college student can't afford $10/month to satisfy both their desire to avoid pregnancy and engage in sexual relations which could result in pregnancy then, as a reasoned, rational, college aged adult they should either decide to forgo participation in sexual behavior which could result in pregnancy or knowingly accept that their behavior could result in their becoming pregnant. To require me to subsidize the cost of allowing them to act as they please without exposing them to any risk is not an option. Sex is a voluntary action with known associated risks. Either don't engage in the activity or assume the costs of minimizing the risk yourself.

Now, if you want to require an insurance company treat drugs that could be used for contraceptive purposes as a covered prescription when it is used not as contraception but to treat an existing medical condition - I'm with you there. Women suffer from heavy menstruation, hormonal imbalances which affect their moods, growths on their ovaries and a variety of other medical conditions for which hormonal treatment is a recognized prescription for treating that condition and I believe that in such instances "The Pill" should be covered in the same manner as any other prescriptive medicine used to treat an existing medical condition is. If a women and her doctor decide to deceive the insurance company and provide false reasons for the prescription, there are laws to address such deception already on the books that can be enforced. Contraception is a want, not a need, nor a right.

Okay, I have not read through the many pages on this topic. I have been really busy in the last few days. But I just had to say something about this.... Most of you and and many of my friends know that I am pretty hard about how women are talked about. I have been called a feminazi and I have been told I am the Jessie Jackson of feminism. LOL.

However, I heard his remarks and without hearing anything else about what people are saying about this, you are all taking this too seriously. And remember who this is coming from, me. He was talking in the context of a public figure college student that talked to congress about birth control and it is just like him to say somethign like this. If he had said it to a single mother? Yeah. But this is really a stupid thing to get all worked up about. He got want he wanted..... lots of attention. Just keep in mind this is coming from someone that believes that women are treated unfairly and are called names and the slut thing is not something I approve of but I do think this is getting over blown. He was making a point, not going out in the streets calling women sluts. Don't get me wrong, I don't like what he says about women in other situations but this is the the situation to get mad about. I have heard much worse. Pick your battles, this one is not it.

And sorry you dems talking about taking him off the air. That is not democracy. That upsets me more than his remarks. It is a free country and we have a free press.

A loss of advertisers will take him off the air. As citizens, we are free to express our opinions to those who freely choose to advertise and support his show.

Rush is free to try to fill the vacuum of advertisers in any manner he chooses. I am free to choose to not patronize those advertisers. Democracy is not in play here - nobody is using anything other than free trade to get him off the air.