Rush Limbaugh: Do Democrats want uproar to continue?
Rush Limbaugh remains in big trouble. Advertisers 鈥� 11 at last count 鈥� are pulling spots off his radio talk show because of the reaction to his calling Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke a 鈥渟lut鈥� and a 鈥減rostitute.鈥� Opponents are for a long campaign to try to convince even more sponsors to drop his program. Ms. Fluke herself has rejected as insufficient Mr. Limbaugh鈥檚 attempts at apology.
But here鈥檚 our question: At this point, is it even within Limbaugh鈥檚 power to apologize enough? Has the political uproar reached a state where Democratic officials just want it to continue?
That鈥檚 certainly possible. Over at the liberal Plum Line blog, Greg Sargent writes that it鈥檚 hard to overstate what a huge gift Limbaugh has handed the Democratic Party.
鈥淒ems will do all they can to ensure that Limbaugh continues to loom large over the presidential race,鈥� .
He points out an interview Obama campaign senior strategist David Axelrod gave CNN in which Axelrod accused Mitt Romney of not showing enough outrage over Limbaugh鈥檚 comments.
鈥淚 was kind of shocked when Governor Romney, all he had to say was, 鈥榃ell, that isn鈥檛 language I would have used鈥�.... I thought that was a cowardly answer,鈥� on camera.
Republicans and Democrats were already fighting a bitter battle over the Obama administration鈥檚 move to mandate that employer-provided health insurance cover women鈥檚 contraception. By throwing gasoline on an existing propane fire, Limbaugh got himself into even deeper trouble than normal, according to Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo editor and publisher.
鈥淚t鈥檚 because this lined up so closely to a party political gambit that Limbaugh鈥檚 been far harder pressed to handle this controversy than he has with ones in the past,鈥� Tuesday.
Meanwhile, conservatives are beginning to hammer at what they see as the hypocrisy of the left鈥檚 shaming of Limbaugh.
Sure, Limbaugh used words he should not have, in this view. But some on the right are asking this: Where鈥檚 the outrage when liberals do something similar?
鈥淓xcuse me for being fed up with the media-generated histrionics,鈥� Tuesday on National Review Online.
Mr. Corallo notes that after conservative firebrand Andrew Breitbart died recently, Rolling Stone columnist , 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be happier that he鈥檚 dead.鈥� This comment did not attract nearly as much attention as did Limbaugh鈥檚 words.
Comedian Bill Maher, who recently said he would give $1 million to the "super political action committee" associated with President Obama, has repeatedly used obscene gynecological references to refer to Sarah Palin, writes L. Brent Bozell III, founder of the Media Research Center, in a Fox News opinion piece.
鈥淟imbaugh has been singled out and condemned across the national media.... How many of these outlets have condemned Bill Maher with equal vigor for his attacks on Palin?鈥� .
