Does Rush Limbaugh’s apology put his ‘slut’ comment behind him? Not likely
(Read article summary)Rush Limbaugh apologized for calling Sandra Fluke a “slut” because of her comments about contraception. But that unusual retreat by the sharp-tongued talk show host has not ended the matter as a political weapon.
You didn’t think Rush Limbaugh’s apology to Sandra Fluke for calling her a “slut” because of her comments about contraception would end the controversy, did you? In the middle of a presidential campaign? Of course not.
Anything involving sex, women’s rights, and the acid-tongued conservative radio broadcaster was bound to keep political partisans and the media stirring the pot for days, if not longer.
Just to review….
When a Republican House committee chairman (Darrell Issa) denied Georgetown University law school student Sandra Fluke permission to speak at a hearing, minority Democrats quickly organized their own unofficial event at which Ms. Fluke talked about the importance of having contraception services covered under government-required health insurance plans.
Never one to waste an opportunity to attack liberal causes, Mr. Limbaugh took after Fluke – calling her a “slut,” a “prostitute,” and – one of his personal favorites – a “feminazi.” He also suggested that she make sex tapes and post them online “so we can all watch.”
Outrage ensued on the left, grudging criticisms of Limbaugh on the right – some from Republicans known to have apologized to Limbaugh when he took them to task for not being sufficiently conservative.
To Democrats, it was proof of the GOP’s “war on women.”
Advertisers on Limbaugh’s syndicated radio show, heard by millions every day, began jumping ship.
