Rush issues apology (of sorts)

[Courtesy Flush]

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/03/03/a_statement_from_rush

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.

I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit?In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.

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.

[Beaverhausen]

1. bullfuckingshit

Nope, not good enough. Not even close.

[Happyhippychick]

2. I have prepared a response on behalf of all women

Fuck you

[etherealtruth]

60. You can speak for me

[madokie]

3. Screw you rush, you're still a pig, oink oink oink

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

4. Fuck you Jabba. I can only hope you lose more sponsors, you drug addled puke. nt

[Cerridwen]

5. I'm trying hard to remember if this is a first.

Anyone?

Did he have to walk-back the Chelsea/dog insult? The 'Barack the magic negro' one? J. Michael Fox? Any of those?

Granted, it's not a true apology, but it's a small walk-back.

[calimary]

6. NOT ENOUGH. You think a few half-hearted paragraphs will make it all go away, 'eh?

We're just getting warmed up, honey. You have NO idea what you've stirred up and stepped in. HUMOROUS????? WTF???? What the hell kind of joke book are you using? Ilse Koch's???????

Dear God, I got so indignant that I forgot the main reason I'm posting anything at all today! It's the thread I found, from DUer Fumesucker, relaying some of the best and most bad-ass concrete, practical, and EASILY-doable ideas and suggestions I've ever seen in a single post. From the viewpoint of a former radio insider.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002374653

And as a former radio insider myself, I can attest personally that this stuff is SPOT-ON, and it WORKS.

Obviously something already is working here, judging from this OP, though. The target is now softening nicely. He has now given evidence that he's become vulnerable. Perhaps even the chickenshit ProFlowers had a hand in it - they did say in some of their responses reported here and elsewhere that they intended to have a face-to-face with him about this. Maybe it's already happened. OR, his secretary or his online calendar has signaled that such a meeting has already been scheduled for such-and-such an hour on Monday after he's received a few key phone calls, maybe? Perhaps from his agent(s), a close friend or two, maybe his latest wife (hearing it from her girlfriends through their clenched teeth). It sounds, looks, and smells, as though he's started to feel the heat. He knows he's stirred up something bad - potentially VERY bad.

And something else just occurred to me. SO much heat has been generated by this mess, and so head-spinningly quickly, that other somebodies are telling him he better make nice: other republi-CONS. I'd bet on it! You have scolding editorials popping up online. I just saw one, from here, from the Washington Post, rather milquetoast but still of a critical nature. They've got people on staff who are paid to watch trends and take note of the mood of the people. Who are also the electorate this year. Things are trending WAY away from them, especially among the female demographics. We've all heard testimony, and read it here and elsewhere, about even staunch female knuckle-draggers being totally outraged by this. This issue cuts across every demo and age and political stripe, everywhere, and even across genders. My brilliant-and-broadminded husband is as revolted by this as I am.

You can be certain that flush has gotten more than a few phone calls, tons of emails and texts, and maybe even a visit or two, from people on his side telling him he's gone too far and he better say something that's not another insult. This is not what they need and he's just enflamed the worst parts of it in this election year, especially against an increasingly popular, sympathetic, and also brilliant-and-broadminded incumbent. This is just exactly not what they need. It's threatening their support among their own women. Even if the current Mrs. limbaugh is in lockstep with her husband on this, you better believe she has girlfriends who are fuming! And you better believe they're lettin' her know.

Heck, considering how marriages and human nature are, it wouldn't surprise me if they weren't having a big fight about this today. OR - maybe - um - last night? He's fat and unhealthy and under more than the usual stress, she's getting an earful from everybody at the club or the yoga class or the nail palace. And what if she's listening to them? What if she realizes this is too much for her to find acceptable, herself? Or what if she's always kinda felt that way but isn't a militant and didn't care all that much because they married for other reasons? The list of shitstorm-in-all-its-various-forms is utterly endless!

"I don't care what they say about me, just spell my name correctly." We've all heard that infamous ol' cliche about "no such thing as bad publicity." In this case, it seems, just any ol' kind of publicity isn't ALWAYS good.

[graywarrior]

7. Hmmmm, I bet he smells a lawsuit

[me b zola]

59. I bet his lawyers are shaking and gave the word to him

He has been spewing hate for years, and women are a constant target of his hatred. Yeah, he fears the legal reprocussions and nothing more.

[1ProudAtheist]

8. Yeah Fatazz

"Slut" is such a humorous term when it is used to describe a woman. You pig-face piece of sheet, you make me want to throw up.

[Fumesucker]

9. "Creating a national stir" is what Rush *does*, people...

Now he's equated sneakers with women's reproductive health..

We all know what sneakers smell like when they'r not brand new.

[calimary]

34. LOVE IT!!!

You are HOT today, fumesucker!


I salute you!

[Initech]

10. And who started that panel? A republican.

I have one thing to say to Rush:

[Frances]

11. There is no mention of Limbaugh asking

Flute to video herself having sex and then posting the video on line for him and his followers to watch.

There is no mention of Flute's roommate who had an ovarian cyst that could have been treated with birth control pills. The pills would not have been used for recreational sex. Indeed the roommate's condition worsened because she did not get the pills.

[Sparkly]

23. Right - but lots of mention of the same LIES and distortions about what she said!!!

This makes me even angrier!

[Old and In the Way]

12. It's been the accepted norm for 50+ years numbnuts.

It's your side trying to politicize the issue of contraception. And you are doing it as another way to kill healthcare reform by misinforming the low information voters that vote against their best interests. Your "apology" is not accepted.

[ProSense]

13. I would

"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."

...not use apology in the title.

He not only called her a "slut," but also spent the next several days suggesting that she had sex partners lining up to see her, demanding that she release video and making other perverse claims.

What he issued was a rationalization for his vile and pathetic attacks.

[calimary]

38. "Humorous." HAH. We're liable to laugh your toxic, traitorous ass straight off the air, honey.

The last laugh will NOT be yours.

[Puzzler]

14. Good Lord... Rush must be in some deep doo-doo for even this feeble apology

[Fuzz]

32. +1

[babylonsister]

35. Yep. And I think it's called sponsors. nt

[calimary]

44. Probably also RNC operatives, hoping in vain to save their "ownership" of the House of Reps.

Also, sponsors, for certain. AND the CEO of ClearChannel - who certainly has every private number to get a hold of this bastard at any time. And his agents - whose phones have been ringing nonstop. I'll bet a few high-priority program directors have weighed in. I'd bet that Robin Bertolucci at KFI has a good number for him, considering what a longtime powerhouse she is in L.A. radio. Hell, maybe she's even complained, in her own right? You know this hasn't been a quiet weekend at chez limbaugh so far.

[Arkansas Granny]

15. That's not even sort of an apology.

He launched a very personal attack against Ms. Fluke. Also, personal sexual recreational activites were not being discussed before members of Congress. Rush is the one who brought that into the discussion for his own twisted purposes. He is only trying to obscure the real issues and change the terms of the debate in an attempt to justify his horrible behavior.

[noiretextatique]

54. right...he is still lying about her testimony

bastard.

[Firebrand Gary]

16. Three days of that same language, apology NOT accepted. n/t

[Sparkly]

17. "WORD CHOICES???!!!!???" What a cop-out!!

Does he have any idea what SHE SAID???

"Discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress?" She did NOT do that!

"American citizens should pay for these social activities?" She did NOT say that.

"what is going on in anyone's bedroom ... a topic that should reach a Presidential level?" She did NOT discuss what's going on in anyone's bedroom -- YOU DID, you JERK!!!

UGH!!!

[jsmirman]

42. missed your post on first glance

sorry for the dupe of subject lines!

Yes - that term "word choices" is exactly what, for me, utterly defies credulity.

[Sparkly]

46. No problem!!

It just jumps out -- "word choices" my ass!!

[Spazito]

18. I can only hope the withdrawal of advertisers from his show is...

what generated this pathetic excuse of a non-apology apology. If so, all the more reason to keep the pressure on, even better would be to increase the pressure.

[bluestateguy]

19. I reject this. And Fluke should too.

Apologies are for children.

[maddezmom]

20. not even close to what any normal person would call and apology

FU Rush you blow hard.

[NRaleighLiberal]

21. blah blah blah. There is nothing of substance there. You are simply a piece of shit, Oxyrush.

[renate]

22. "...I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom.."

He called her a SLUT and he said HE WAS ENTITLED TO WATCH A VIDEO OF WHAT WAS GOING ON IN HER BEDROOM.

What is he talking about, claiming he did not mean a personal attack on her and that it was not our business to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom?

This apology is a BIG FAT LIE.

[Sparkly]

30. Yup, he was the one who made it a discussion about sex.

[NightOwwl]

24. Rush apologizing?

The dude is running scared. Keep up the good work, everyone!

[pa28]

25. He just rephrased his false attack on the content of Fluke's testimony.

It seems to me Limbaugh's opinions have not changed, he's only promising to find a less insulting choice of words next time. Maybe he'll go back to calling her "round heeled".

Total B.S. apology. I hope his sponsors continue to run away as fast as they can.

[Sparkly]

28. Exactly!!!

Same attacks, same distortions, same lies about her and what she said.

Grrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!

[eShirl]

43. yep; trying to frame it as an apology that might fool his sponsors

because it's not fooling anyone else

[Island Blue]

26. Bullshit.

If he had made a passing comment one day, I might could understand, but he talked about it on at least 3 occasions on 3 different days (as reported by Rachel Maddow and probably others). He appeared to me to be choosing his words very carefuly.

[warrior1]

27. fuck you rush

quit. That's the only solution..

[pangaia]

29. Keep afer this sick pig.

Go after his advertisers.
Go after every radio station that carries the likes of him, Hannity, Bill'O, and, in my neck of the woods.. which is WHAM 1180 in Rochester, NY, go after Bob Lonsberry. A mean mouthed. snide, sick little snapping turtle.

If you don't know about Lonsberry..

This from Wikipedia.. and I can back it up..
" (On the WHAM show, Lonsberry frequently mentions his affinity for women's breasts.)'

"...In February 2009, Lonsberry began using the term FUBO... and started endorsing and giving away associated merchandise... on his Rochester radio show. This term, an acronym for the phrase "F-ck You, Barack Obama", is used to express disgust with the actions and policies of the US President. This term is spoken on a daily basis on Rochester's 50,000 watt News Radio WHAM 1180..."

"Lonsberry was an LDS (Mormon) missionary on the Navajo and Hopi reservations in the American Southwest."

"While working as a talk show host for WHAM-Rochester in late 2003, an orangutang had temporarily escaped its cage in Rochester's Seneca Park Zoo. Lonsberry made the comment while monkey sounds played, "a monkey's loose up at the zoo again--and he's running for county executive." He was insinuating that both candidates were unfit for the position. The two candidates were Maggie A. Brooks a white woman who was then county clerk and William A. Johnson, Jr. a black man who was then mayor. Lonsberry never mentioned the three-term mayor by name. WHAM radio said in a statement that "although Mr. Lonsberry expressed a willingness to change, it became obvious to us that he is not embracing diversity."

He was fired, but then later re-hired because the station was LOSING RATINGS!! That tells you all you need to know about WHAM 1180.

[otohara]

31. So Why Not Blame GOP?

They started all "this" talk Rush with Issa's all-aging male panel and refusal to let her speak.

This is no apology

Fuck him.

[jaysunb]

33. This won't help, Rush.....

The people deciding your fate are smarter than your followers, and they know you are distorting the entire matter for your own purposes.

The end is near....

[Oilwellian]

36. Rush, you can't even tell the truth in your so-called apology

Tax payers are NOT being asked to foot the bill for birth control. Hell, they're already footing the goddamned bill by having to pay out of pocket for it. The entire issue is about insurance companies being mandated to cover birth control.

And most women who take birth control ARE TAKING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY during their reproductive years you stupid fuck.

And when you say "I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom?" Then why the FUCK did you suggest to Ms. Fluke that she video herself having sex and post it on You Tube so you can watch you stupid lying fucker??

One more thing...what in the HELL do you know about running and staying in shape? From birth control to sneakers? I know drama queens who are less reactionary.

There, I feel better now.

[arcane1]

37. "I apologize to my remaining sponsors"

[all american girl]

39. Not good enough

He is still lying about what Sandra Fluke said. He is still lying about it being taxpayer money. He thinks that he used the wrong words. I don't think so. I didn't see him take "personal responsibiity" when he was bust for his drugs...F U Limpyballs

[appleannie1]

40. That is NOT an apology, it is another insult. The stupid pig still does not know what her

testimony was about and he and O Liely are the only ones with sex on the brain.

[jsmirman]

41. Word choices???

How is "you should film yourself having sex so I can hammer my two inch pecker" a word choice???

That is a THOUGHT choice. And one you fully intended.

What a guy.

[cherish44]

45. I kind of figured it was only a matter of time before Rush f-ed up on a grand scale

I personally thought he would drop an N-bomb about Obama. But a sexist comment was a close second on my list...

[abolugi]

47. He must be feeling the heat..

But he's still a number one asshole!!!

[titaniumsalute]

48. Yeah it's funny when you call 20 something year old females sluts on the air

hee hee. Asshole.

[jillan]

49. Sneakers? Like the ones women wear to run away from you? Where is the apology for calling

a citizen a slut? And what does that have to do with sneakers.

PS Rusbo - you are not humorous.

[stevedeshazer]

50. That's no apology, it's a self-affirmation.

"I chose the wrong words."

Uh, yeah. You chose them very carefully, too, Mr. Oxycontin Rush.

Interesting that you'll only speak up when someone threatens to take some almighty dollars out of your fat-ass pockets.

"I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke."

Really?? What other possible meaning could your words have? I'd hate to know what you say when you actually ARE personally attacking someone.

Hey, jerk, I hope you don't break your arm while slapping yourself on the back in self-congratulations.

[nolabear]

51. It's the classic apology of the abuser.

"I was joking! I didn't mean it! You don't understand me!

Bullshit. His history speaks for itself. We don't deserve to be treated the way he treats women and we can no longer sand for it. There need to be consequences. He needs to go.

[Sparkly]

53. Good point.

Along with, "It's your fault for saying that citizens should be paying for your sexual recreation."

[Arkansas Granny]

55. You have got that absolutely right. The only time they apologize is when they

are backed into a corner and even then they don't admit wrongdoing. It's always somebody else who's at fault. They lay the blame on the one they have wronged who misunderstood or exaggerated what was said or done. They never take responsibility for their own actions even when they demand that responsibility from others.

[BumRushDaShow]

52. Too late. n/t

[surrealAmerican]

56. Nice try, but ...

... you were the only one talking about "paying for personal sexual recreational activities". The discussion before Congress was about health insurance and contraceptives.

[OhioChick]

57. Not good enough n/t

[felix_numinous]

58. He shows no remorse

and lies about what he said. This is why he has to be taken off the air, he has no empathy, no conscience and no ethics. He is a classic sociopath and this behavior is what has done immeasurable damage to this country. He was forced to apologize by his sponsors (handlers) and was most likely made to say those words.
We know this type of person, who is happy as a pig in shit when they create conflict ('a stir'). He lives for attention, so this apology is fake on more than one level.
There is nothing to discuss with a destructive sociopath, they need to just be taken out of influential and powerful positions.

[kestrel91316]

61. Oh now he's toast in the lawsuit she has every right to file.

He has admitted doing her wrong.