Thursday, March 8, 2012

Rush and The Controversy



"What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke [sic] who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex -- what does that make her? It makes her a slut, right?...  She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex." -Rush Limbaugh, referring to Sandra Fluke, a student at Georgetown Law School

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I am a fan of Rush Limbaugh.

There,  I wrote it. I feel much better now.

I began listening to Rush in 1992 during the Bush vs. Clinton campaign year. I was a Liberal Democrat back then working in a frame shop alone all day long. I switched to talk radio to pass the time while I worked alone.

I immediately thought he was funny, conceited, but funny. I loved his Al Gore parodies! But I mostly disagreed with everything he said. That is, until I started to really listen to what he was saying. I was taught (by Liberal television shows) that Ronald Reagan was a dunce idiot and perhaps the worst US President in our history. But Rush said on his show that Reagan was perhaps our greatest President. What? How can this be?

Do you mean that what they said on TV was…gulp….WRONG??

He spoke of Reagan's policies and how they helped America out of a deep recession. He played some of Reagan's speeches about how great America is. I had forgotten what it meant to be proud of my country until I listened to Rush's show. 

I stopped listening to Rush when I changed jobs in 1993 and didn't listen to him again until the Monica Lewinski debacle happened in 1998. I was sickened by what Clinton did and tuned in to hear what Rush had to say about it.

Suddenly, I found myself agreeing with him. How'd that happen?? Could it be that I was older and much wiser? I relished how Rush went after Clinton. He felt the way I did: disgusted that a US President would behave in such a way.  And in the Oval Office! Ick!

I was hooked. I started to listen to Rush's show every day faithfully. I didn't agree with everything he said, but I was a Dittohead through and through. I even held on for over an hour to talk to him once. Unfortunately, I had to hang up before it was my turn. Oh well.



In 2003, I thought for sure his show was over when he admitted to being addicted to Oxycontin and headed out for rehab. But we loyal listeners and sponsors held fast…and he returned better than ever!


Now it is 2012 and he has been on the air as long as I have been married:  24yrs this year. Is this the end for Rush because of what he said about Sandra Fluke??

Hardly.







As a fan, I agree that Rush was wrong to resort to ad hominems. He is above that. I know what he was trying to say (spending $3,000 a year on contraceptives does seem excessive, doesn't it??) but he said it all wrong.  However, what he said pales in comparison to what sexist hateful remarks Bill Maher and other celebrities have spewed out about Sarah Palin.

At least Rush apologized. Bill Maher remains silent so far regarding his comments about Sarah Palin.

What this controversy has done is revealed the hypocrisy of the Liberal Left. It has shown people that they believe they can do and say anything because they are Liberal and have no moral standard. But the Right claims to have morality and, therefore, must be held to a higher standard.

Really? How asinine is that logic?

But they hold onto that logic like a life vest through a storm in the ocean.
Will Rush go down like the Titanic?  No. He will continue on through this storm and unite the Conservative base. We will rally around him and continue to point out the hypocrisy of the Left and the bias in the media.

That's how we roll!


Keep on, keeping on, Rush. Keep raising millions of dollars for children's cancer research. Keep giving your time to various charities. We all make mistakes. At least you own up to them.


Blessing,
Ruth

6 comments:

  1. Like you, I have enjoyed listening to Rush from time to time, but I never, um, drank the Kool-Aid, as it were. The biggest difference between Rush and Bill Maher is that Maher is a comedian making (albeit offensive) jokes at the expense of public figures. Rush is a mouthpiece for the GOP making slanderous accusations towards a private citizen.

    I think it's also important to keep in mind that Rush didn't make an apology until his advertisers started to abandon ship. This was after three days of attacks on Ms. Fluke. Not exactly the makings for a sincere Mea Culpa.

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    1. Excellent points! But, you have to admit, Bill Maher is more than just a comedian. He is a political pundit. The main difference, is that he doesn't have sponsors...and Rush does.

      Thanks for visiting!

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  2. Since when does being a comedian excuse offensive attacks? Oh, and FYI, J.C., Fluke made herself a "public" target by her "public" testimony on Capital Hill. She, and her opinion, were splashed all over the news, internet, blog, papers. She ceased being private the moment she opened her mouth.

    If Rush must apologize for slamming 'public' testimony before the 'people's' elected officials, then Bill Maher should apologize for his offensive jokes. You can't have it both ways, J.C.

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    1. Exactly! Bill Maher represents his party as a mouthpiece too, let's face it. He and Jon Stewart spew out political rhetoric on their shows and when they get it wrong...and they do get it wrong from time to time...they run behind the "I'm just a Comedian, so I'm allowed to be raunchy!" banner.

      I'm not buying it...

      Thanks for visiting, Shawn!

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  3. Bill can hide behind HBO or whatever channel decides to carry is show. Rush (who I don't care for since the 94 debacle) is basically a one man show directly responsible for what he says. Did some sponores bail? Yes, but how many others are willing to throw their hat in the ring for a show taht reches 30 million listeners. I don't see EDI's revenue dropping anytime soon.

    Two reasons I quit listening to him. When the Clintons were replaced, Rush was relentless for years about everything Clinton had done. He was giving them free advertising. That is why Bill and Hillary never really complained about Rush. He kept their name in everyones mind. George Jr. had it right. They're gone. Let them disappear.

    The second was the free pass he gave the republicans after they gained the Congress in 94 and did nothing they said they would do to right the ship. Rush should have gone after everyone of them to be "tarred and feathered"

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    1. Very interesting, Jeff. I wasn't listening to his show in '94 so I didn't know about all that.

      Well, Rush will survive this controversy. He'll come out stronger than ever.

      Thanks for visiting!

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