Michael Kinsley: The Case Against the Case Against Rush Limbaugh

[BootinUp]

My Comment: Michael Kinsley, always the intellectual. In this case I must disagree with him. This country truly could use a little less divisiveness in political discourse and slapping down Rush Limbo is a move in the right direction in my humble opinion.

March 6 (Bloomberg) -- The people who want to drive Rush Limbaugh off the air are not assuaged or persuaded by his apology over the weekend. They say he was not sincere: He only apologized, for calling a Georgetown University law student a "slut" and a "prostitute," because of pressure from advertisers.

Well, of course he wasn't sincere. And of course he was only apologizing to pacify advertisers -- who were getting pressured to pressure Limbaugh by these very critics. Oh, there might have been a political calculation, too, that he'd gone too far for the good of his ratings or his celebrityhood. But any apology induced in these circumstances is almost by definition insincere. You can't demand a public recantation and then expect sincerity along with the humble pie. If they wanted a sincere apology, Limbaugh's critics would have had to defend his right to make these offensive remarks, and then attempt to change his mind using nothing but sweet reason. Go ahead and try.

These umbrage episodes that have become the principal narrative line of our politics are orgies of insincerity. Pols declare that they are distraught, offended, outraged by some stray remark by a political opponent, or judicial nominee, or radio talk-show host. They demand apology, firing, crucifixion. The target resists for a few days, then caves in and steps down or apologizes. Occasionally they survive, as Limbaugh probably will, but wounded and more careful from now on.

More careful means less interesting. Limbaugh is under no obligation to stop saying offensive things just to keep me entertained. Still, it's a pity.

More

[Happyhippychick]

1. Michael, this is what democracy and the free market looks like. Move to Russia if you don't like it

(to quote Homer Simpson, which I am wont to do on occasion)

[shcrane71]

14. Ohhhh... you said it!!!! One of the first insults I got from a Rush Dittohead, oh so many years ago

I think Homer Simpson was influenced by Limbaugh.

[mmonk]

2. There is no case for hate.

[FourScore]

3. Michael, you're smarter than this. n/t

[Hamlette]

4. completely clueless

he ends by saying "If you don't care for something Rush Limbaugh has said, say why and say it better."

I do, and if someone paid me $50 million a year, I could say it to 15 million other people and it might have an impact. But no one is going to pay $50 million for the truth.

One seriously f-ed up country. Seems our experiment in democracy is failing.

[sufrommich]

5. Dear Michael, your wife and daughters are sluts who

started having sex with multiple partners when they were 12, now they're prostitutes. Lol, just kidding.

[EOTE]

8. I agree with your sentiment, but you should used a better choice of words. NT

[bongbong]

9. Time for a new word campaign

In the spirit of turning the word "santorum" into what it really means, somebody with more influence than I can perhaps start changing "limbaugh" to mean "being like a universe filled with a googleplex of Hitlers, but worse".

Then "limbaugh" can be used instead of "slut" or whatever other word is objectionable.

[Blue Meany]

10. I suggest that "limbaugh" is a synonym for "pedohpile," since

he does seem to like to visit towns in the Carribean known for their child prostitutes.

[bongbong]

11. The whole GOP

The whole GOP (greedy old pedophiles) is a synonym.

Just check out the long, long lists of convicted pedophiles who were elected/appointed repigs. One list is at http://armchairsubversive.blogspot.com/

[el_bryanto]

6. I don't know - when it comes to silencing a voice for saying disagreeable things

I tend to worry about the unintended consequences.

Bryant

[frylock]

12. nobody is silencing poor little rush limbaugh..

he's perfectly free to stand on a street corner and offer his opinion to anyone that cares to listen.

[el_bryanto]

15. I don't feel sorry for Limbaugh - for one thing he isn't going off the air

Unless Republican Leaders determine that he's a liability and ask him to go (which seems unlikely, as it's a risky strategy with Romney as their candidate). But the efforts of this website and other campaigns will taper off in a week or two, and most of his sponsors will be back.

Bryant

[Shankapotomus]

7. One can be sincere in such circumstances

if one decides to suspend oneself and implement other actions of self censorship including resigning.

[DCKit]

13. I too find OxyRush "entertaining", in a third grade, fart-joke, punching people in the nuts way...

But then, most third graders don't have radio shows, and they'd get spanked for using the same terminology Rush does (and rightfully so).

So Dude, why not just balance your viewing? Some polite, factual and incise political shows, and Bevis And Butthead the rest of the time?

Just don't watch any South Park, that's educational.