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Jimmy
Under attack from all sides, conservative radio Rush Limbaugh apologized Monday for calling icon a law student a "slut" and a "prostitute", but it was not enough to stop a flow of advertisers on his radio program nationally syndicated him down.
The intensity of the conflict reflects not only the usual reluctance of advertisers, who hate the controversy, even when they deliberately choose a controversial show, but the unstable political climate during a Republican primary that, to the delight of Democrats, turned in sensitive social issues.
Republicans, including Speaker of the House John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor and GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich have all said Limbaugh had to apologize to the woman. Conservative pundit David Frum called Limbaugh conduct "a new kind of low."
"It was not the case of a bad" choice of words. "It was a brutally sexualised charge, against a specific person, continued for three days," he wrote Monday on CNN.com
But some conservatives, including former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, denounced what they considered a double standard that punishes conservative commentators harder than liberal talk show hosts. And Republican groups, including a super pro-PAC Gingrich said they would continue to advertise on the show.
Limbaugh has devoted at least half an hour of his three-hour show Monday reiterated his apologies to Sandra Fluke, a student at Georgetown University Law - while reaffirming its opposition to his call for contraception to be covered by health insurance. Limbaugh had been thoroughly criticized by Democrats and Republicans since his comment Wednesday that Fluke was a "prostitute" because, he said, she wanted to be paid to have sex.
The intensity of the conflict reflects not only the usual reluctance of advertisers, who hate the controversy, even when they deliberately choose a controversial show, but the unstable political climate during a Republican primary that, to the delight of Democrats, turned in sensitive social issues.
Republicans, including Speaker of the House John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor and GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich have all said Limbaugh had to apologize to the woman. Conservative pundit David Frum called Limbaugh conduct "a new kind of low."
"It was not the case of a bad" choice of words. "It was a brutally sexualised charge, against a specific person, continued for three days," he wrote Monday on CNN.com
But some conservatives, including former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, denounced what they considered a double standard that punishes conservative commentators harder than liberal talk show hosts. And Republican groups, including a super pro-PAC Gingrich said they would continue to advertise on the show.
Limbaugh has devoted at least half an hour of his three-hour show Monday reiterated his apologies to Sandra Fluke, a student at Georgetown University Law - while reaffirming its opposition to his call for contraception to be covered by health insurance. Limbaugh had been thoroughly criticized by Democrats and Republicans since his comment Wednesday that Fluke was a "prostitute" because, he said, she wanted to be paid to have sex.
Limbaugh had issued a written apology on Saturday, but reiterated that his program. I once again apologize to Ms. Fluke for using those two words to describe it. Do not think she is one of those two words.
Last week I did not think she was one of those two words. Advertisers are fleeing At least a dozen companies, including AOL, Allstate and Sears said Monday that no longer advertised on the Limbaugh program, which reaches an estimated 15 million listeners weekly.
John Deere tractor manufacturer, manufacturer of solar panels and solar Verengo web Stamps.com postage ran ads during the broadcast of Monday as the radio broadcast on WABC in New York, the largest station carrying the show, but the three companies , said Monday afternoon that it would not be advertising.
Stamps.com spokesman Eric Nash said in an email that recent comments by Rush Limbaugh do not align with the values of our company, and as such, Stamps.com has suspended advertising on the Rush Limbaugh radio program. In the air, Limbaugh joked about the ads pulled, saying he had tried to call their own program to pay their own ads, but could not pass.
Clear Channel Radio Networks Premiere Limbaugh is under contract through 2016. We respect the right of Mr. Limbaugh, and the rights of those who disagree with him, to express those views. The debate is a contraceptive that arouses strong emotions and opinions from both sides of the issue, the company said in an instruction.
We believe he was right, on Saturday, and again this morning on his radio show, expressing regret over his choice of words and offer a sincere apology and heart to Mrs. Fluke. The battle over contraception is because a new rule issued by the Obama administration that requires most employers to offer health insurance that includes coverage for contraceptives.
After intense criticism from Catholic groups and Republicans, the Adminstration modified the rule, placing the responsibility for birth control coverage of insurance providers in place. On Monday, Limbaugh reiterated his argument that Fluke is being used by Democrats to change the discussion of the constitutional obligation of religious freedom to access to contraception, which he called 1st page of the Democratic playbook: Republicans hate Women.
Limbaugh apology was not significant, Fluke, said Monday on ABC The View. It was a great pressure from their sponsors, who have begun to withdraw their support, he said.
"The delivery was degrading"
A radio station in Hawaii, KPUA fell Limbaugh program. "Regardless of one's political views on the subject, we believe that labor was degrading comments and continued for several days to be atrocious," said New West Broadcasting Corp. 's president and general manager, Chris Leonard, a statement to the Associated Press.
The Committee Democratic Congressional Campaign, calling Limbaugh part of a "Republican war on women", said it had reached 300,000 people to sign a petition demanding an apology. The musician Peter Gabriel, Sledgehammer which played during the presentation of Limbaugh, told the show host to stop using his music.
Limbaugh predicted on Monday that it lost advertising would be replaced and said he had previously rejected "million" on ads that would be unacceptable to its audience.
Penalties for the rebel broadcasters vary. In 2007, morning radio host Don Imus, whose program often with political guests, including Senator John McCain and Sen. Chris Dodd, was fired by CBS Radio after he called basketball championship winner Rutgers University women's team "head diapers hospitals," although he had apologized on the air and in person. On Monday, he called Limbaugh to apologize for "lame".
Talk-show Bill Maher, who recently donated $ 1 million to super PAC President Obama, used sexually offensive terminology to describe Sarah Palin in HBO last year. Has been criticized by the National Organization for Women (like Limbaugh), but still appears on his show on the cable network - which, as noted by Maher, which is funded by contributions from viewers, not advertising.
"I have no sponsors," said Maher, when controversy erupted Limbaugh.
But Tim Graham of the Media Research Center, a conservative media monitoring group communication, said "it is very easy to list large, huge," of the offensive comments of Maher. However, "no one says:" Um, are you going back? That's the problem, we have a full and complete double standard. "
As a result, he said, standing in the conservative community Limbaugh will not change. "I do not think Limbaugh is somehow a radiative zone," said Graham. "The apology, no doubt by conservatives, is an accepted thing, and you can move on."
Limbaugh has no guests regularly on his show, but the Republican senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, considered a potential vice presidential candidate, was invited last summer, and his spokesman said Monday that he would appear again "if guest. "
Bachmann, R-Minn., Which withdrew from the presidential race in January, told CNN that conservative women are reviled by liberal commentators without consequences. "I've never seen this level of outrage from the left about what the left leaning commentators said about me," said Bachmann in an interview airing Monday on Piers Morgan Tonight.
Winning the Future, a super support Gingrich PAC made two major announcements Mitt Romney during the broadcast on Monday and said it would pull its ads. "Why would we?" Said Rick Tyler, a consultant, noting that Limbaugh apologized to Fluke. "Did U.S. advertisers today called Bill Maher program after what he said about Sarah Palin?"
Americans for Prosperity, an advocacy group of the free market will also continue to advertise.
"Rush apologized for the comments crossed the line, and that should be enough," said Levi Russell, spokesman for the defense of free markets. "The reason I support Rush in this is because we agree with your point, which is truly outrageous to force the American people to subsidize the private life of Mrs. Fluke or any other person."
Sources: Us today
