Rush Limbaugh Attacks Connie Schultz

Rush Limbaugh attacked journalist Connie Schultz on his show this week, calling Connie a "ditz." He referred to her as "a stupid person" and called her "blitheringly ignorant." (For the record, "blitheringly" is not actually a word.) He went on to call the women's summit "a joke" and then continued his character insults of the Pulitzer Prize-winning wife of Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown by adding "Maybe she doesn't have an IQ of three figures. Maybe she can't crack 100 on an I.Q. test." (The complete audio of his commentary is available on this link at Media Matters.)

What did Ms. Connie do to deserve this attack? She appeared on C-Span's Washington Journal, and responded to a question about Limbaugh:

C-Span's Steve Scully: "We had a caller mention Rush Limbaugh and others. What do you think of Limbaugh?"

Connie Schultz: "Rush Limbaugh in particular is, there's so much hate there, and it fuels people who want to be angry who just want to hate. Certainly now, in our country there is so little productive outcome from that. We can talk about this as human beings. When I am angry, when I am all worked up, I am not my best self. My vision is affected in terms of how I see things. My opinions are distorted by my rage. I don't think it is ever a good idea to just fuel rage in people."

When Connie was asked a direct question about Limbaugh, she did not engage in name-calling or personal attacks. She expressed her opinion of the controversial conservative by taking her own inventory and examining her personal experiences of "getting worked up" and striving to become "her best self."

The exchange between these two is like a page from the old Highlights for Children cartoons of Goofus and Gallant: When Goofus disagrees with someone, he calls them names and resorts to personal character attacks. When Gallant disagrees with someone, he asks how he can improve himself to make things better.

While most of us can agree nasty name-callers deserve a little stint in the Time-Out chair, I, for one, hope this exchange is treated as a teaching moment for the conservatives. If the folks on the right can find a new crop of leaders who speak with respect, and are willing to engage in an exchange of ideas without all the vitriol, our country will gain the maturity and insight befitting our shared sense of national pride. Then we will be able to work together to build a better future for all.

Comments

[PunKinPai]

Rush immediately proved Ms. Schultz's point. Cool!

[clevelandchick]

Connie Schulz is not going to soft-coat who Rush Limbaugh is, she's just stating the truth. What's very very telling is that Rush could not take her on the substance of her statement, so instead he calls her stupid and attacks her intelligence.

[MANK]

Cesspool talk shows. Only the one getting the multi millions have the access to the second amendment. The others 2nd amendment rights have to pass thru screeners then get disconnected when there is any "backtalk". Check out the big flag waving Republican red states that want to secede from the love us or leave us America. Only the liberal northeast has a 1% leave America vote. The 1% of Republicans who still remain there.

[oncethere]

Limbaugh personalizes debate, takes opposing views as a personal attacks on him. This causes him to lash out at the other. He has not yet reached that point in development where he can differentiate between the two. Maybe, in a few years he will get to that point.

[rwext]

Kelly, Kelly Kelly....... Do you actually know that you are blogging on HUFF????!!!!!!!! Name calling here by the left is virtually the mantra

[teaelle]

I watched Michael J. Fox's special last night. I couldn't help remembering Rush Limbaugh ridiculing Fox for his disease... because he is too intellectually vapid to simply engage a person directly over his political beliefs. Why say "Here's why I think his political position is wrong" when you can just got for the cheap laugh from the other mean kids?
Smart is as smart does. Limbaugh may have a decent IQ but he rarely uses it, prefering instead to shout "you're a doody-head! la-la-la-la I'm not listening!" when anyone has a different opinion.

Grow up, Rush.

[Ytown]

Rush has deteriorated into what he accuses "liberals" of doing...character assassinating those with whom they disagree. It's one thing to have a disagreement about philosophies and policies; it's an entirely different matter to transform those into viscious personal attacks on those people who don't agree with his philosophy.
Liberals need not worry. If Limbaugh and Hannity et. al had any real influence, the Republicans would have the White House and a majority in Congress.

[bellabeach]

Rush is nothing more than a racist...he spouts his hatred daily and I hope he keeps it up, because we will surely put Pres. O back another 4 years!

[lovable]

until people start going after rush bigotry he is safe. everone treats him with kid gloves. they keep calling him and entertainer . he is not funny. he is a bigoted propagansit

[BobLablah]

"blitheringly" is listed as a word in the merriam webster dictionary. It took two seconds to google the word and find the definition. You may hate rush's beliefs but don't get into an intellectual battle with him - he's actually quite smart.

[Beowoof]

If he were smart, he would be able to engage callers in some sort of debate. He can't even handle that without having to push the disposal button.

[GreatNews27]

Rush is a coward. Physically, morally, intellectually. Exposure is what scares him the most. Exposure as a coward. Oh, and did I mention that he's a glutton also?

[MThomasNC]

I watched that c-span episode and thought Ms Schultz handled herself very well on the Limbaugh question. She spoke directly to the heated rhetoric, vitriolic comments coming from that ilk, and she did not agree with it nor would she participate in it. For Rush to go ballistics on her means that the shoe fits very nicely on his foot.

[andyg]

She called him a hate monger.

[strangelet]

And the truth is a problem, why?

[clevelandchick]

That's what he is, that's how he makes his money. He's a hatertainer. Have you not listened to his show? Since when is stating a fact considered an insult?

[JRsNana]

What, Rush can't handle being called what he is?