Is Rush Limbaugh damaging the Republican Party?
Is Rush Limbaugh damaging the Republican Party? On Friday Limbaugh drew withering criticism from all colors of the political spectrum for his comment that Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke is 鈥渟lut鈥� and a 鈥減rostitute鈥� for testifying in favor of mandatory coverage of contraception in employer-provided health insurance.
National Republican Senatorial Committee vice-chairman Carly Fiorina called the talk show host/provocateur鈥檚 language 鈥渋nsulting,鈥� 鈥渋ncendiary,鈥� and 鈥渁 distraction.鈥� House Speaker John Boehner called the words 鈥渋nappropriate,鈥� while also hitting Democrats for trying to raise money off the issue.
President Obama called Ms. Fluke in support, while the president of Georgetown University sent an e-mail to all the school鈥檚 students that said Mr. Limbaugh鈥檚 words were 鈥渕isogynistic, vitriolic, and a misrepresentation of the position of our student.鈥�
In short, Limbaugh at least for the moment appears to have taken a complicated issue on the beliefs of religious groups versus the powers of government and reduced it to a discussion of schoolyard epithets.
鈥淵esterday鈥檚 topic: legitimate rights of [Roman Catholic] church. Today鈥檚 topic: calling women 鈥榮luts.鈥� Good job Rush,鈥� , a journalist and self-described conservative Republican who at times has jousted with his party鈥檚 right wing.
Limbaugh himself remains unapologetic for his comments. On he said, 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 about contraception anyway. This is about expanding the reach and power of government into your womb, if you鈥檙e a woman.鈥�
Meanwhile, opponents flooded the web and Twitter with comments aimed at getting advertisers on Limbaugh鈥檚 show to pull their support. At least two firms, mattress companies Sleep Train and Sleep Number, said they would do so.
Mr. Obama鈥檚 phone call to Fluke further escalated the public visibility of the controversy. Having made clear where his sympathies are in the matter, Obama may force GOP rivals to make their own statements on the issue. Indeed, it鈥檚 possible Democrats are gleeful about what they consider Limbaugh鈥檚 rhetorical overreaching.
鈥淩eporters now have just the hook they need to ask Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum for comment on Rush鈥檚 remarks,鈥� noted liberal Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent today on his Plum Line blog.
Others on the left charged that Republicans were now reaping the results of inviting shock-jock hosts such as Limbaugh into the inner circle, in essence. At Mother Jones blogger Kevin Drum opined in 鈥淗as Right Wing Media Become an Albatross for the Right Wing?鈥�
Limbaugh 鈥減lumbed some new depths of loathsomeness鈥� with his comments, said Mr. Drum.
Even some of Limbaugh鈥檚 defenders did not defend Limbaugh's choice of words. Over at the conservative RedState site, editor that, 鈥淲ell of course Rush Limbaugh was being insulting. It is not something I would do and I do think we鈥檙e going to now be focused on what he said for a while and that it will be a distraction from the central argument.鈥�
This central argument, according to Mr. Erickson, is that the Obama administration wants to force taxpayers to foot the bill for couples鈥� contraception by forcing health insurers to include it in coverage.
鈥淪o of course Rush Limbaugh was being insulting,鈥� writes Erickson. 鈥淗e was using it as a tool to highlight just how absurd the Democrats鈥� position is on this.鈥�
