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People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Rush Limbaugh’s McCarthy moment at last

Posted on Saturday, March 03, 2012 at 08:08 PM

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Rush Limbaugh has four wives, the latest a thirtysomething year old who I’m sure loves him dearly for his extraordinary physique, and not his oceanfront Palm Beach mansion.

He’s also an admitted pill addict who nonetheless insists on lecturing to the rest of the world about matters of morals and human behavior.

Rush and Newt Gingrich share the same blind spot, the inability to connect the dots between their own scandalous private lives and the moralizing they carry on with in public.

This time Limbaugh has gone too far. His assault on a young woman, Sandra Fluke, defending contraceptive rights, when he called her a slut and a prostitute, was so personal that even the most hardcore Rush fans blanched.
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The immediate impact was companies pulling their advertising from his top-rated radio show, and a nationwide move to boycott his program.

Amazingly, it has had the desired effect.

Limbaugh was clearly facing disaster over his comments, and has now rowed back from them in the most humiliating fashion possible for him.

Maureen Dowd, in her column in Sunday’s “New York Times,” asked a key question – does Rush Limbaugh have any shame?

The surprising answer to me and many others, is that he does – especially when his rich livelihood is threatened.

Limbaugh has refused to apologize for so many evil comments in the past that it comes as a seismic shock that he was forced to do so on this occasion.

It is his Joe McCarthy moment, the instance where a U.S. Army officer asked McCarthy at a hearing if he had any shame in blindly accusing so many innocent people of sedition and Communist sympathies.

Limbaugh has now reached that seminal moment himself, and the amazing fact is that Fluke, a 30-year-old Georgetown University law student, utterly unknown until a few days ago, is the person who brought him to his knees.

It was obvious when President Obama called Fluke to sympathize with her that public opinion had begun to flow hugely against Limbaugh.

In the best spirit of American politics, Obama decided to kick Limbaugh while he was down, and succeeded in extending the crisis by his call to Fluke.

It was a masterful stroke, and the exact opposite of that pander bear, Mitt Romney, who when asked about Limbaugh’s comments said he merely felt that Rush used a poor choice of words.

A poor choice indeed, and one that will haunt Limbaugh for the foreseeable future.

Finally the dragon has been bearded in his den, and Limbaugh may not recover from this blow.

If that is the end result, and a more civil discourse begins in American politics, this will be a great development.

Limbaugh has been humbled, but whether he is defeated remains to be seen.

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68 Comments

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flygirlnurse | Mar 20, 2012, 10:52 AM EDT

Wow, what a bunch of hypocritical hogwash! Where was all of the outrage over Maher? Letterman? Michael Moore? all you have shown me is that you approve of ANYTHING the liberals do but God forbid the conservative that does anything shameful. Bill Maher is outright disgusting, and Obama is intent on making America a communist country, and you thinkk that's ok? You people are totally living in LaLa Land.

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ceceann | Mar 19, 2012, 11:49 PM EDT

Are you nuts? Where was the shame when Lettterman said Sarah's 15 year old daughter was knocked up by A Rod? Where was the shame when Bill Maher said we should send Elizabeth Hassellbeck in Lara Logan's place to be sexually assaulted? Where was the shame when he called Sarah vile unprintable names? What hippocrits you and your fans are! It is only shameful in your estimation when a conservative does it. You have lost all credibility. I do not approve of these 2 or Limbaugh so, I do not listen to them. When their ratings go down, perhaps decent language will prevail by both camps. By Obama accepting Maher's million dollar donation, he is endorsing this type of so called entertainment.

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McNamara31 | Mar 13, 2012, 10:26 AM EDT

As of last night it's up to 150 sponsors dropping this vile man.

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seanomelb | Mar 11, 2012, 07:16 PM EDT

Does Limbaugh wife use contraceptives??

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joanxis | Mar 11, 2012, 08:58 AM EDT

the

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joanxis | Mar 11, 2012, 08:58 AM EDT

torbreezy - I can't beleive you are serious. John thee Baptist?

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seanomelb | Mar 09, 2012, 05:52 PM EST

torbreezy!! Limbaugh has more in common with pre- war German propagandist.

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eiriamach | Mar 08, 2012, 02:59 PM EST

kilgara, no chief executive can nullify federal law. Your notion that Obama, or any US president, can unilaterally repeal settled US law shows a lamentable lack of acquaintance with the Constitution and its checks and balances on the exercise of power by the branches of government.

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kilgara | Mar 07, 2012, 05:17 PM EST

Hey Eiramach, Your quote"It is ludicrous that Obama would adopt any pro-abortion federal policy". This man is one of the few Senators who voted to extend allowable abortions even after delivery ! Not even Barbara Boxer or Hilary could endorse that.If you would kindly remove your head from your posterior we might no longer be forced to indulge your moronic diatrabes.

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McNamara31 | Mar 07, 2012, 12:46 PM EST

Just heard its up to 39 including:AccuQuote Life Insurance, Allstate Insurance, AOL, Bare Escentuals, Bethesda Sedation Dentistry, Bonobos, Capital One, Carbonite, Cascades Dental, Citrix, Consolidated Credit Counseling Services, Constant Contact, Cunningham Security, Freedom Debt Relief, Girl Scouts, Goodwill Industries, Hadeed Carpet, JCPenney, Legal Zoom, Matrix Direct, Netflix, Norway Savings Bank, Philadelphia Orchestra, PolyCom, Portland Ovations, ProFlowers, Quicken Loans, Regal Assets, Reputation Rhino, RSVP Discount Beverage, Sears, Sensa, Service Magic, Sleep Train, Sleep Number, St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Tax Resolution, Thompson Creek Windows and Vitacost...Probably many of them are Republicans, some Democrats, but mostly parents who say this was one step too far for this extremely vile subhuman.

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McNamara31 | Mar 07, 2012, 12:36 PM EST

As of today 29 sponsors have left the Rush Limbaugh show. After years of his constant distortion of the news and the facts and the constant smears and vilification of all he targeted, in the end all it took was a little "fluke" to cast the conservative "shark" from the pond.

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torbreezy | Mar 07, 2012, 11:21 AM EST

El Rushbo is a man of singular brilliance, prescience and inspiration but a "man" nonetheless: how sad that lesser mortals "pile on" when indeed they would do well to thank God we have a veritable "John the Baptist" among us who exudes and exhibits his "talents on loan from God" everyday.

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alimah | Mar 06, 2012, 06:49 PM EST

Mr. Roberts... You're right on with your analysis of the situation and it was refreshing to read this article. Mitt Romney's statement describing Limbaugh's comments as a poor choice of words makes you wonder what words Romney would have chosen. The candidates on the right are afraid of the "dragon"... but me thinks he has lost much of his power and may not regain it. So many are underestimating the power of women today... they are fighting hard and strong for their rights (although I thought most of this was settled in the '60's). With the power of technology and the Internet, women are getting results swiftly by uniting, speaking out, and signing online petitions by the thousands. In this case, it was women (the primary retail shoppers in the nation) who pressured Limbaugh's radio sponsors to abandon his show or they would boycott their products... and it worked. It was also evidenced recently with the reversal of the "Komen Foundation's" hypocracy. For the first time in a long time, women have the support of a President who believes in women's rights and isn't afraid to act on their behalf.

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Pittsburghkid | Mar 06, 2012, 06:34 PM EST

Letterman said the Palin's 14 year old daughter was sleeping a baseball player. Letterman held his job. The assults on Palin and her family have been bad, but no one in the Lamestream Media lost their job. This is definately a double standard.

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seanomelb | Mar 06, 2012, 05:28 PM EST

Limbaugh is a nasty little man who has no respect for marriage.He,Gingrich and O'Reilly espouse Christian values on marriage and fidelity yet they play under their own rules the sanctimonious hypocrites.Theresaom is an ignorant fool with a stupid attitude towards contraception.

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