Here’s Sandra Fluke on the View yesterday. She’s quite good, especially her response to a (soft) “both sides do it” from Elisabeth Hasselbeck, which was essentially that “both sides” don’t repeat the same charge in different ways forty or fifty times.
Rush has lost something like 15 sponsors so far. All that’s left is crap like LifeLock and gold. Radio stations are starting to cancel his show. I listened to Rush for a few minutes yesterday, and it was fun to hear him try to walk the tightrope between appeasing his sponsors with a “real” apology (he apologized twice that I heard) and feeding his listeners red meat. He couldn’t do either. Here’s the best he could do criticizing Fluke:
Sandra Fluke gave vague examples based on unnamed friends who she says couldn’t afford birth control to treat medical conditions they had, since Georgetown University wouldn’t pay for them. Georgetown paid for all of their other medical treatment, but it wouldn’t pay for the birth control pills that these doctors prescribed should they be necessary — or so she says. We still don’t know who any of these friends of hers are, these other women, and we don’t know what happened to them. Her testimony was hearsay, and it was unprovable.
My guess is that once Rush realizes that he’s now a C-lister like Glenn Beck, he’ll re-tool his stable of advertisers to attract Beck-style scammers and bottom-feeders, and then he’s going to have to start throwing some bombs to keep his audience. I’ll bet that he’ll go after Fluke again–after all, she mentioned Media Matters in her View interview.
SmoovP
Honestly, I don’t think we’ve laid a glove on the fat, panty-shiffing, vicoden-swilling, viagra-stealing bastard.
Losing sponsors is a temporary thing.
It’s not until he starts losing radio stations in significant numbers that he’ll really get hurt.
Nancy
Can we keep refuting the lie that “Georgetown University wouldn’t pay for them”? Students pay for their own insurance.
Also, too, someone needs to tell Rush that horizontal stripes make him look fat.
c u n d gulag
If his downward spiral continues for a few more days, I suspect some of the more heavyweight Republican politicians will finally show the cojones to start to weigh in on “The Round Mound of Sound.”
They’ll kick him when he’s down.
And that’s the only time Conservatives show any courage.
MattF
Wasn’t there an admiring profile of Rush in the NYT magazine last year? He’s falling fast. And hasn’t hit the ground yet, IMO.
cathyx
Why does Rush want her to provide names of her friends who need birth control pills? Does he want to call them sluts too? Sicko.
kerFuFFler
So, Rush is now insinuating that Sandra Fluke is a liar! I imagine she was sworn in before she gave testimony so he is accusing her of perjury now? He just makes this whole mess more actionable everyday.
My hat is off to Fluke. She came off as so much more articulate than so many people one sees on the news. Well done!
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@cathyx: They’re not real unless they have names. They’re just hypothetical and he’s trying to change the subject to the examples not being real. I guess because she’ll be a slut if they aren’t, I don’t know. As we know, though, if she were to name names they would be fake until pictures were provided, so it wouldn’t end there.
amk
nevah happened before. nevah gonna happen after.
Eric the Infrequent
Medical records are private you giant gasbag.
rlrr
You know, Rush has had his own problems with this sort of thing…
jheartney
@Belafon (formerly anonevent): Anyone following the birther saga would know that there are unlimited fallback positions. If we had the names, they’d want photos. If they had that, they’d want documentation of their prescriptions. With that in hand, they’d want a second doctor’s opinion and a confirmation from a pharmacy that someone tried to fill the prescription. Etc. etc. etc.
Update: Great, in moderation now. Was it “birther” or “pharmacy?”
MikeJ
Sears didn’t actually cancel ads on Limbaugh’s show. They already didn’t run any. They did say that if they bought run of day ads they would ask that they not run during Limbaugh’s show. Which is nice, but doesn’t affect Limbaugh at all.
jibeaux
Worst smoke and mirrors evah. This is more the equivalent of “look over there! (inserts rabbit into hat) Was hormonal birth control covered under their insurance policy, or not. If not, then the existence of fucking insured students affected by the failure to cover birth control is not a damn hypothetical. If it was, then bring out the fucking policy and show us. Even a perverted old obese Oxy addict should be able to figure that out.
RalfW
Like most wretched bullies, when the sh*t really starts hitting the fan, they’re clueless. The only tool they have is bluster and attack.
It’s pathetic, really. He’s got nothing. He’s an angry, vicious Oz.
RSA
And as for the five men on Issa’s first panel (The Most Reverend William E. Lori, the Reverend Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, and so forth), their arguments against contraception were “provable”, right?
MikeJ
IF they wanted names of these other women who were affected, perhaps the Republicans could have allowed women to testify. Remember, the Democrats *begged* to allow women to address Congress and were turned down.
Ivan Ivanovich Renko
@Belafon (formerly anonevent):
ftfy
harlana
i will never listen to Alex Bennett again. Limbaugh is going down in flames and the first thing i hear on my radio this morning is Bennett and his cohorts piling on Ed Schultz. (and before anyone gets started, i’m really not interested in your personal feelings about Schultz; the fact that he is loathed by many here is not lost on me so reinforcement of that fact is not necessary) – this is about false equivalancies.
and last week, Bennett and cohorts were practically rolling on the floor laughing at a fake Stephen Hawking electronic voice saying pr0nographic things because Hawking went to a strip club. this is the first time i have ever heard Bennett laugh so hard i thought his IBS (which he loves to discuss) was going to flare up.
I really tried to give this guy a chance. I’m not the purity police and I don’t want Bennett taken off the air. I just want him to be moved from the morning drive slot, where he does not belong, to an evening slot that is more appropriate. Also, his show and language is completely uncensored which I’m sure parents driving their kids to school in the morning really appreciate.
In addition, he takes delight in turning off listeners, which is another reason Sirius needs to rethink their idiotic decision to replace Bill Press with Bennett in the mornings.
Also, after being in the radio business for so long, you’d he would be a little better at hiding his bitterness and jealousy over not having his own teevee show.
Will be calling Sirius to express my opinion.
I get the feeling I am the only person here who listens to progressive radio so i apologize for the rant – just hadda get it out.
kdaug
First Breitbart, now Limbaugh. Hmm.
God’s karmic enema? Little divine “Colon-Blow!”?
Overdue, but welcome.
redshirt
OT – In the newly open Maine Senate race, Angus King (I) has announced he’s running, which IMO now puts this seat back into play for the Repukes, unfortunately. As the Dems will runs someone, and they’ll get 25-33% of the vote. King will get likewise. And a slithering Repuke might slide right in the slimmest of majorities.
King himself would be a great senator, but a three way race always favors the Repukes up here, since the liberal vote will get split.
R-Jud
Whenever Limbaugh is in the news I get “The Greatest Man In America” going around in my head:
Not since Jesus Christ
Has the world seen someone
With such widely syndicated views
Hundreds of years from now
They’ll celebrate Rushmas
(And Rush Hushana for the Jews)
donovong
I cannot get over just how polished and professional Ms. Fluke comes across after all of this. She is a perfect example of how this type of attack can and should be handled. Personally, I would have succumbed to the adrenalin and anger and started yelling back at Rush, sounding like Barney Fife the whole time. She’s going to be a great lawyer and, I suspect, Democratic candidate down the road.
Satanicpanic
@donovong: I thought the same thing- there’s someone to look out for in the future. She handled that like a pro.
amk
@donovong: She is very articulate and cool. Compare her to the rw shrill tarts like malkin, coulter and pox news bimbos.
Punchy
OT:
Guns, excessive alcohol, and immaturity dont mix. Wait a minute, yes they do!
kdaug
Down here, we eat Angus. Usually slow smoked with hickory chips and basted with BBQ sauce.
kdaug
@donovong: Agreed. There’s a reason Rushbo’s in panic mode.
Waldo
I would say Rush ought to stop digging, but it’s going to take something like the Marianas Trench to bury that hog. Keep going, fat man!
djork
I think I have a cruach on Sandra Fluke after watching that.
djork
I think I have a crush on Sandra Fluke after watching that.
Jasper
Not the only one, and I agree with every point about Alex Bennett. In the mornings now I listen to NPR or bluegrass. I find him unbearable, especially the gratuitous profanity.
bemused
@harlana:
Bennett is on before Stephanie Miller, right? Not only is he b-o-r-i-n-g as hell, Sirius chopped off the first hour of Stephanie’s show. I catch the first hour of Stephanie online and then listen to the last two hours on Sirius.
Now I learn from you that he isn’t just dull and uninteresting, he is an jerky idiot too.
Linda Featheringill
@harlana:
If Dr. Hawking got some pleasure from that, then good for him! Actually, it sounds like proof of life to me.
Linda Featheringill
@R-Jud:
LOL! Wonderful! You win the thread!
MonkeyBoy
In watching that clip I was again reminded how scripted most interviews and talk shows are. For the View audience it seems like they like their women fairly meek and to say things indirectly – e.g. no direct call to boycott Rush but an implication that proper thinking people will.
While there was much more they could have attacked Rush and his supporters on they only gave a few highlights – maybe so as to not confuse the audience with too many details or maybe not to appear as too strident.
Kilkee
@redshirt: ironically, I think the best thing the Dems can do now is run a lame candidate. Let Chellie stay in her House seat, let Angus King win the Senate seat.
THE
Amazing that this quiet, soft spoken, dignified young person has quite possibly destroyed Rush Limbaugh. Permanently.
He stands exposed publicly as an utter cowardly pig.
He is seriously damaged goods now. I find it hard to believe his brand will ever recover.
My guess, soon he will disappear from public view, only to resurface years from now, marketing weight-loss therapies and hair replacement treatments on late night cable shopping networks. A leaner hairier Rush.
Years of poverty and anonymity will be his salvation. I believe. Teach him the things that really matter.
Hal
Still remember when Elisabeth Hasselbeck was interviewing Shirley Sherrod with the rest of the view and asked her if she violated the hatch act, while reading notes I have no doubt her husband prepared for her.
...now I try to be amused
@THE:
I wouldn’t count on Limbaugh sinking to poverty and anonymity. He’ll still have his cult of dittoheads to feed his ego and his wallet. The best we can hope for is that he’ll be marginalized.
slag
Good for her! I was really impressed with the job she did. Her calm recitation of the facts in this instance made her point beautifully! The juxtaposition between her presence and that clip they played perfectly demonstrated what a gross person Limbaugh is. Showing–not telling–was how she got the job done here. Very powerful. Bravo!
Odie Hugh Manatee
EE is opining this fine AM and as usual, it’s all the fault of those evil libruls. He says that we’re out to silence the right with our attacks on The Spiritual Leader of the Republican Party. It’s all our fault that The Spiritual Leader of the Republican Party was baited, lost it and unloaded on Fluke.
This is why these people are destined to fail, they never admit they have been (or might be) wrong. Never. To them, it’s a sign of weakness. Any time they might turn out wrong they quickly find some scapegoat on the left to deflect to and then consider it settled fact that they were right all along.
As I taught my kids long ago, if you can’t admit when you are wrong then you are destined for a miserable life surrounded by people just like you. EE’s Dad obviously failed his son. What about his Mom?
I’m sure his Mom was doing whatever his Dad told her to.
serge
I am so impressed by this young woman. It takes a lot to have done what she has in the past weeks. My daughter is a 3L at a law school in Charleston, SC, and she comes from the same Georgetown tradition. Her mother and I attended, her aunt and one uncle did, and my father taught there for about 300 years. I would have been supporting her 100% under these circumstances. I trust Ms Fluke’s parents are so proud.
Hungry Joe
@Nancy:
Shhh.
WaterGirl
It’s interesting to see so many people noting how well Sandra Fluke is handing everything, her interviews, her responses to the Rush situation, etc.
There’s a reason she was chosen by the Democrats as the only witness at Issa’s hearing. They knew she would handle the predictable firestorm extremely well, and I’m guessing that they wanted to get her some national exposure.
This is not a happy accident.
WaynersT
Limbaugh’s dominican stag party:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/rush-limbaughs-dominican-stag-party
…”With all those guys in tow, it is unclear what the radio host needed with the 29 100mg Viagra pills listed on a seized property receipt.
The passenger manifest was among several documents released today by the Palm Beach County State’s Attorney in response to a TSG open records request. Included in the material released was a copy of the handwritten statement Limbaugh provided investigators after he was detained upon the discovery of the impotency drug.
In that statement, Limbaugh claimed that the drug had been prescribed in his doctor’s name “to protect my privacy, given the potential embarrassing nature of Viagra.”
An affidavit sworn three days later by Limbaugh was also released. In that document, Limbaugh explains that the Viagra “was intended for my exclusive use” and that the drug had been prescribed in the name of his drug treatment doctor, Steven Strumwasser”
Rafer Janders
@harlana:
Does the car radio turn on his show automatically or do the parents driving the car have some control over where they turn the dial?
wrb
@cathyx:
Just wants to be sure that the videos are a complete set.
wrb
@THE:
I don’t know. My impression from skimming comments is that this increased his fans’ enthusiasm for him until he apologized, which didn’t go over well.
However, while they would prefer him to be omnipotent, they are willing support him in his victimhood. That the liberals could force even Rush to back down only proves how courageous are their acts of conservative typing.
shortstop
@Hal: If we were the kind of people who watched Survivor, I’d have a memory of the third baseman being totally hot to trot for Elisabeth Hasselbeck back when she was just a cute girl and no one knew how unintelligent and full of wingnut resentment she is. I could tell you how disappointed TTB was when she turned out to be so loathsome, and how he declared that no face is beautiful enough to make listening to that voice worthwhile. I could tell you all that if I were a secret Survivor watcher who had a guilty pleasure of watching Survivor, but obviously, I’m not.
THE
@…now I try to be amused:
@wrb:
Consider the optics. Every time Sandra Fluke appears on a talk show anywhere, Rush’s nuclear meltdown is going to be aired all over again. It’s calm reasonable Sandra vs. Crazy abusive Rush.
In the end its just a dirty-minded old man having sex fantasies in public about a young woman who’s talking about womens’ health issues.
How can Rush win this? Every time you watch it you want to throw up.
I’ll bet he wants to throw up too. Inside.
I’m sure his advertisers do.
...now I try to be amused
@THE:
I completely agree. But there are a few million Americans who like crazy abusive Rush, the crazier and more abusive the better. A few million listeners will keep him on the radio, assuming he has an employer that has no shame. A pretty safe assumption IMO.
THE
I guess I’d have to agree that there are elements of the “rabid right”, who are pretty obnoxious.
wobbly
It is pretty terrible that Georgetown won’t cover the cost of birth control pills prescribed to treat students’ health problems.
Even in the dark days when the the Republic of Ireland banned “the Pill” for contraception, there was an exception made for other uses, treating endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and even irregular menses. Needless to say, the number of Irish women suffering these conditions skyrocketed during those years, but it was a humane exemption.
wobbly
P.S. Three days and eighty seven years ago, the grandmother I’m named for died on her eldest’s son’s fifth birthday. That was son was my father.
She was pregnant with him when she married, gave birth to him and his handsome three brothers in 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923.
In 1925, she, her husband, an
wobbly
P.S. Three days and eighty seven years ago, the grandmother I’m named for died on her eldest’s son’s fifth birthday. That was son was my father.
She was pregnant with him when she married, gave birth to him and his handsome three brothers in 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923.
In 1925, she, her husband, and her brood of babies caught colds.
She was again pregnant. The males in the house got over their colds. Her cold turned into pneumonia, and killed her and the child she was carrying.
Anna Agnes Carroll Bradley. My father missed her every day of his life thereafter, and when my mother, in the 1950’s, suffered her second “miscarriage” after bearing two healthy children and the priest advised “abstinence”, he said “Yes, Father!” and bought lots and lots of condoms.
My mother lived to be eighty-five.
Triassic Sands
Goldberg, Behar, Hasselbeck, Walters, Shepherd, and Fluke.
One of them is a highly intelligent, articulate person with something worthwhile to say to the American people. Sadly, she was the guest and while the others will continue to add to the vacuum for the foreseeable future, Ms. Fluke may fade from view. What a shame.
(On the other hand, for someone of Ms. Fluke’s qualities, this may prove to be very helpful in the long run. She’s gone from being a face in the crowd — of other intelligent, articulate young women at Georgetown — to standing out as a courageous spokesperson willing to stand up to bullying pigs like Rush Limbaugh. If this does help Ms. Fluke, I can only say she richly deserves it. As Daniel Kahneman repeatedly points out in his wonderful book “Thinking, Fast and Slow” there is a great deal of luck in any success story. If this turns out to be part of the luck that launches Fluke on her way, it will be richly deserved luck, and doubly good that it comes at the expense of one of the luckiest scumbags in this country. )