Rush's Apology Is Too Little and Too Late

Rush Limbaugh issued an apology today for calling Sandra Fluke a prostitute and a slut after she testified before Congress on women's health care. This "apology" occurs after three days of Limbaugh slut shaming Ms. Fluke, insulting her parents and saying that Fluke should make a pornographic movie for his titillation.

On the fourth day, after a public outcry and the loss of at least six national sponsorships due to BoycottRush.org and similar efforts, Mr. Limbaugh now regrets his choice of words. This was too little, way too late. Especially since Mr. Limbaugh has a long history of offensive and vulgar comments.

No business should associate itself with such a pattern of repeated, reckless, personal abuse. If Rush wants to continue to have the opportunity to demean women in the future, that is his right. Good companies have many opportunities to promote their businesses without having to subsidize the denigration of women. Sandra Fluke wasn't the first woman to be smeared by Rush Limbaugh, but she needs to be the last.

 

Follow Krystal Ball on Twitter: www.twitter.com/KrystalBall1

Comments

[Dasbrt]

04:01 PM on 03/06/2012

There was no apology, there was an attempt to make it seem as though he lowered himself to the the tactics of the other side. The idea that this man has any class and allowed himself to slip, is laughable. But this is the way Republicans have attempted to deal with all of their blindsided and suicidal policies towards women. The question of freedom of choice has nothing to do with religious freedom. Freedom of choice means that we allow individuals to make up their own minds, whether it be for religious reasons or personal. But a group of men whether in the halls of Congress or a Governor of a State forcing policy on women that is not something she wishes is what they did in Nazi Germany and Communist countries. The systems we often thumb our noses on. So what makes a law forcing a woman to have a vaginal probe freedom of choice? They may not like the sound of it - but a war on women is what the Republicans have been conducted and they have only had a tiny whiff at what happens when you wake a sleeping giant.

[ricw1217]

05:23 PM on 03/05/2012

thank you for persisting with this issue krystal. he is a despicable human being and needs to be removed from the airwaves, with extreme prejudice. let's keep after him until he's gone. tell us what we can do to help.

[Ramses69]

11:25 PM on 03/05/2012

Would you say the same for ED shultz, Bill Maher, Keith Olberman, Hell almost all of the MSNBC line up. Would you really?

[Inder Chandra]

02:18 PM on 03/04/2012

He only apologised because his sponsors are pulling away. He will repeat this all over again with someone else. He needs to be off the air.

[rbenjamin]

12:15 PM on 03/04/2012

Limbaugh's statement is 192 words in 3 paragraphs. The first 180 words are devoted to explaining why he was misunderstood. The last 12 words of (weak) contrition are blocked by a 180 word excuse.

[Jay Haney]

10:10 AM on 03/04/2012

The very fact that Rush is getting called on it in a big way, Ms. Ball, tells me how much the world has changed on him. This guy has operating from this playbook for 20+ years but he's going to find the Internet Age a lot harder to operate in.

[fpie]

09:25 AM on 03/04/2012

DITTO!

[mlshea1983]

09:21 AM on 03/04/2012

Thank you, Krystal. You rock for 1) Speaking the truth and 2) Having the coolest name in the business. Rush is simply a manifestation of the dark and vicious side of human nature. He is not necessarily an outlier like many would like him to be, but instead a figurehead for a worldview and style of thinking that is emotionally violent and unnatural. He is not the voice of the future and my hope leads me to believe his kind of losing the battle. I am a man, and a proud supporter of necessary voices like you, Krystal.

[Countess]

08:37 AM on 03/04/2012

We know that Limbaugh has not changed his mind about women or birth control so this game of extracting an apology is just that a game. We have buried our heads in the sand for too long ignoring the widespread contempt and hatred of women that drives conservative social policies in America.

[Jay Haney]

10:12 AM on 03/04/2012

I disagree slightly on that last point. The very fact that we even got an apology from that conservative blunderbuss tells me how much the world has changed. The Digital Age promises to be very inhospitable to him, as his messages will reach outside his bubble and activists online will make moves to cut off his supply lines.

[myth1958]

08:20 AM on 03/04/2012

All men should condemn the humiliation of women for politics, warped sense of humor or whatever. If more folks let Limbaugh sponsors know they'll boycott, his price for his callous words will be steep indeed.

[Ponder this]

07:08 AM on 03/04/2012

Would someone please post the contact information for Rush's sponsors?

This was no where near an apology.... It was a "justification" of his remarks, in his own convoluted logic.

Keep up the pressure.....

[Sharyn350z]

03:37 PM on 03/04/2012

I know I wish he'd clarified that he was wrong about how birth control even works or that there are medical necessity reasons for taking it. He only apologized for using the word slu, I guess, it's a pretty vague apology.

[meldapage]

06:24 AM on 03/04/2012

His apology is meaningless. The only thing that hurts him is loss of money. Advertisers who keep supporting him are basically telling women that they agree with Rush and want him to continue.

[brown827]

05:25 AM on 03/04/2012

Rush Limbaugh should be off the airways. Case close.

[Jay Haney]

10:13 AM on 03/04/2012

Then let's keep working to make it happen. Rush will shoot off his mouth the wrong way yet again--he just can't help it--and when he does, we do the same push on the advertisers that we did this round.

[harken23]

04:21 AM on 03/04/2012

Keep in mind that he works for Clear Channel (a subsidiary of Bain Capitol, which is another discussion). Clear Channel was the conglomerate that sent out a list of songs that their stations were forbidden to play after 9/11, including songs like John Lennon's "Imagine". I guess they wanted to avoid anyone getting the idea that war and death were bad things... Point being, they were real quick to censor any kind of "lefty", "peacenik" response, but have had Boss Limbaugh on for a long, long time.

[Sister Lauren]

02:59 AM on 03/04/2012

Women are not the only people he smears. He should be fired.

[ESerafina42]

09:43 AM on 03/04/2012

True, but even the women also have fathers, husbands, brothers and sons.

[Centaur]

12:59 AM on 03/04/2012

Absolutely! ,Actually, It was a "half-hearted" apology at best.