March 3, 2012

Rush Limbaugh: "I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke."

A statement issued this afternoon.

"You know who's the winner here? Romney," Meade said to me. He explains that Rush's statement begins with "For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity," and that tracks Santorum's response to Limbaugh's misstep:
Well, he's taking - you know, he's being absurd.  But that's, you know, an entertainer can be absurd.  And - and he's taking the absurd, you know, the...  absurd, you know, sort of, you know, point of view here as to how - how far do you go? And, look, I'm - he's - he's in a very different business than I am. I'm... concerned about the public policy of this president imposing his values... on people of faith who morally object to - to the government telling them they have to do something which they believe is a grave moral wrong. 
So Santorum sounded like Limbaugh himself, defending his approach. But Limbaugh now says he did it wrong this time: "In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation." And that tracks the way Romney originally responded:
"I'll just say this, which is, it's not the language I would have used... I'm focusing on the issues that I think are significant in the country today, and that's why I'm here talking about jobs and Ohio."
So Limbaugh's new statement demonstrates that Romney had the better instinct.

Note that both Santorum and Romney went on to state what they wanted to focus on. Santorum wanted to focus on the freedom of religion aspect of the birth control controversy. Romney wanted to get back to the economy. There too, I'd say, Romney had the better instinct.

ADDED: Here's my post from this morning chastising Rush. It has over 500 comments, many of which are mine, arguing with people who insisted on defending Rush.

342 comments:

1 – 200 of 342   Newer›   Newest»
Skyler said...

My faith in Rush is restored. That was just plain foolish of him to be so coarse.

And his attack detracted from the first amendment issue.

Anonymous said...

Good for Limbaugh. He, too, should be focused on the economy.

Andy said...

This sure is awkward for all the sexist commenters here that were defending Limbaugh for calling that woman a slut.

Roman said...

His commentary is, at times, off-putting. This should end this, but it won't. The left will grind this into the ground. This whole birth control issue is trumped up to deflect attention from the economic problems Barry has made much worse.

m stone said...

An apology like this doesn't whitewash people's opinions of Ms Fluke, already established without need of Rush.

Smart move.

Fen said...

"I'm focusing on the issues that I think are significant in the country today"

But the issues are both related - a Blue model of entitlement that has bankrupted this nation. To pretend that social values don't have an economic affect is ridiculous.

Holmes said...

Yes, sad that economics takes precedent over fundamental rights such as religious freedom, but such is our world. If bondage produced 7% GDP growth, I dare say we would take it.

Anonymous said...

I think this episode is a huge plus for conservatives and libertarians going forward. Everyone now knows what happens when you stupidly jump into that briar patch, and everyone including Limbaugh can say, "No, ew're not talking about social issues. Those issues are vital, but not right now. Nothing matters if people don't have jobs and if people spend all their money on gasoline."

Andy is a douchebag, asshole,and anti-religion bigot, but his comment above about the commenters here is spot-on.

Andy said...

Republicans may say they're concerned about religious freedom but if the conversation goes on long enough it comes out that they are really concerned that sexually active women are appropriately shamed and punished. We can all thank Limbaugh and his many many supporters for making that clear.

Anonymous said...

Fen -- Social issues are not the sphere of government. On this conservatives and libertarians can agree, and that's the fusion.

Get government out of social issues. Moralizing over it and spending money on it.

Anonymous said...

Andy -- You are simply a hateful, anti-religious bigot. How is the moronity you just spouted any different than the worst racism? It's not. But you are too stupid to see it.

Go to school, Andy. Learn something. Become remotely self-aware.

Saint Croix said...

This sure is awkward for all the sexist commenters here that were defending Limbaugh for calling that woman a slut.

Why? Needing $3000 worth of birth control (right now! hurry!) is funny, damn it. Rush's whole routine yesterday was funny.

He was forced to apologize because his advertisers were leaving. I find it sad. They made him apologize. They forced an apology out of him. They broke him. He snapped like a twig.

You have to be a nitwit to confuse "power" with "right".

Fen said...

Andy: that they are really concerned that sexually active women are appropriately shamed and punished

Hardly. Your case must be really weak if you have to make up such bullshit.

rhhardin said...

What's wrong with calling her a slut?

Other than you can't beat the feigned taking of offense media storm.

There's something to take on. Media silliness, and the silliness of its audience, an audience that votes but it silly nonetheless. Go for truth.

Calling her a slut didn't get to the point, true. But that's beside the new point.

mesquito said...

I used to be angry that my health insurance* premiums have doubled in the past three years. But now that I know it's so students at elite $50,000-a-year law schools will never ever be asked to pay for their own goddam birth control pills, I feel better about it.

*deductable: $5,000

Anonymous said...

Croix -- The issue with Limbaugh is the absurd statement suggesting that this woman put out self-made pornography. Had he not said that, everything else would be no problem.

Reminds me of a joke. The old man was on his death bed and he gathered the strength to make a statement. "The world is unjust," he said. "You build a thousand bridges. Does the world call you a bridge builder? No. You bring peace to people fighting all over. Does the world call you a peacemaker? No. But you fuck one single goat..."

chickelit said...

Andy R:
This sure is awkward for all the sexist commenters here that were defending Limbaugh for calling that woman a slut.

Good thing I never defended that. I still think Fluke is selfish and personifies the "I want my entitlement too mentality."

That is the real issue and has been all along.

Meade said...

The point is - calling her a slut kept folks from getting the point - big goverment gone wild.

Saint Croix said...

In an earlier post Althouse talked about "puritans" who were attacking sexual liberty. I find it really bizarre for a Rush listener to think he's puritan.

He's a bad boy who said a bad word. All the puritans were after him to shut up. Toe the line. You can't say that!

William said...

I guess slut now becomes a forbidden word......I get it. Slut was absolutely the wrong choice of words. Still, don't you think there's somthing comic opera about a law student complaining that she cannot afford contraceptives. In our search for social justice and amelioriation of the world's problems, I would put buying contrapceptives for law students pretty far down on the to do list.

Saint Croix said...

Croix -- The issue with Limbaugh is the absurd statement suggesting that this woman put out self-made pornography. Had he not said that, everything else would be no problem.

Seven, I heard his routine yesterday. It was funny. You didn't hear it. You're relying on hearsay. Inadmissible.

Anonymous said...

You can't say that!

No. You shouldn't say that. I don't believe for a moment that Limbaugh is concerned about losing advertisers. He realizes now that his argument was horrific. It was hurting his cause.

Limbaugh reads this blog, people. Count on it. Althouse knows it and it's why she put so much into her very well-conceived post recently.

edutcher said...

Rush kills the story while it's still on the weekend. Smart. Waiting till Monday would have given the Lefties a big item on the nightly propaganda.

Rush let himself be played, to be sure, but Ms Fluke is still a fraud and should be regarded as such. Any woman who chooses Georgetown for the purpose of picking a fight with it, as opposed to gaining an education in the law, and participates in Pelosi Galore's dog-and-pony show while saying she's not participating in a war on the Church is lying through her teeth.

And, yes, Meade is very correct. Milton very adroitly avoided this one.

Andy R. said...

Republicans may say they're concerned about religious freedom but if the conversation goes on long enough it comes out that they are really concerned that sexually active women are appropriately shamed and punished.

And we saw this, where?

Ms Fluke made some false statements about birth control and law students - please note the many Hoyas and Hoyettes who renounce her - and has been criticized for them. Last I looked, lying was a no-no.

sunsong said...

Good for Rush! Thanks for that!

Synova said...

If someone should be shamed for something it's for the refusal to even intend to carry one's own weight.

It's all about the women demanding that the patriarchy stop treating them like dependents while demanding that their government daddy take over the role.

I have another idea for a political cartoon. Make it a play on rock-paper-scissors. One is freedom of religion and one is the right to not be compelled by government to purchase goods and the third is "you hate women."

In a rock-paper-scissors game who wins?

Anonymous said...

Croix -- Do you think the people bitching about it heard it? The fact of hearing it or reading it doesn't matter. Perception is the only issue. And Limbaugh realizes, rightly, that he is being perceived as an out-of-touch, moralizing scold.

Further, this is not a court of law. Hearsay is not an issue or even remotely relevant.

Lyssa said...

I like Romney's reaction, too. It illustrates why I couldn't handle running for political office.

The power of the "we've already agreed on what you; we're just haggling over the price" story is that it leaves the insult unsaid, but irrefutable as a logical conclusion. Limbaugh would have made his point a lot more powerfully if he had done the same, and only pointed out that she wanted payment for sex, letting the listener draw his or her own conclusion.

James Pawlak said...

The last time I checked, someone (Male or female) who wished to pay to have sex is a whore---Or a Democrat.

dreams said...

I think Romney is so obviously a good man with a good heart and he is a smart successful businessman too. I think that, like Ronald Reagan, he would be good for our country.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

This sure is awkward for all the sexist commenters here that were defending Limbaugh for calling that woman a slut.

Speaking for myself, while I did not defend Rush.. I will defend your right to call people sexist.

To ask the same from you, seems to be a bridge too far.

chickelit said...

@Meade: My take on this is that Althouse is not cruelly neutral when it comes to Santorum. She's impatiently waiting for him to be destroyed.

Yesterday she said that Limbaugh was aiding Obama. Today it's that Limbaugh really hurt Santorum and Romney not all.

I am not "for" Santorum but neither am I hopelessly biased against him.

Anonymous said...

The last time I checked, someone (Male or female) who wished to pay to have sex is a whore

No, James. The word you are looking for is john, or jane (but that's very rare).

I am sad to have to educate you on this elementary economic transaction.

Rusty said...

Meade said...
The point is - calling her a slut kept folks from getting the point - big goverment gone wild.



But it was funny as hell. Once again if don't want the country to know your business, don't announce loudly on the common. Which is also funny as hell, but I don't think she realized it at the time.



Seven. You're much too kind.

Meade said...

Limbaugh erringly joked that he wanted, in exchange for providing contraception, a sex tape.

Now I see reported, John Edwards, who only four years ago was demagoguing poverty in America along with wealth redistribution in his quest for political power, is requesting that the sex tape he made be preserved.

You can't make this up.

dreams said...

When is the media going to call for Bill Maher to apologize to Sarah Palin for calling her the four letter c-word? Never.

Meade said...

"I am not "for" Santorum but neither am I hopelessly biased against him."

Now THAT, friend, is cruel neutrality!

Saint Croix said...

Further, this is not a court of law.

Yeah, thanks for that clarification. Your ski mask confused me.

Unknown said...

Now that the puritanical right wingers are in full and embarrassed retreat on this issue, it is time for progressives to press for even more of what college kids deserve. Not all of them are more or less attractive women. Some are male engineering students, such as I once was. To promote gender equality, these guys should get $3,000 worth of porn video subscriptions and a pallet of paper towels. Students who, for what ever reason, eschew carnality altogether should get $3 large worth of cash toward ski lift tickets or plane fare to Florida for spring break.

To the barricades! Fight for social justice.

Anonymous said...

Limbaugh overplayed a good but not great hand, people. That's it. And he did singlehandedly manage to make a nice freedom of religion issue in favor of the right into a typical freedom from religion issue in favor of the left.

Just look at douchebag, asshole anti-religious bigot Andy here and you can see that. He's only got a point because so many people here jumped right into the briar patch with Limbaugh.

We want our private lives private, unencumbered positively or negatively by government. It's an easy rule, but a tough one.

write_effort said...

Too late. Slut is a very easy word to remember.

chickelit said...

William said...
I guess slut now becomes a forbidden word...

There'll always be slattern.

William said...

If name is identity, a woman named Fluke was bound to become involved in such a scandal. Will fluking beome a verb like borking or swift boating? I suppose liberals will say any put down of any woman for any reason is fluking. But I would prefer a definition that expounds a fluke as a flake who engages in floozy behavior.....Anyway, Ms. Fluke is now famous and is sure to get a plum job on some Congressperson's staff after graduation More people will listen to Limbaugh if only to hear him expand on his apology. Everybody wins.....I just hope that in all this confusion, the sad plight of the untold millions of law students who face a bleak Saturday night because they are too poor to screw does not go unnoticed.

wyo sis said...

I'm glad he apologized. Sometimes he goes too far.
But, even at his worst he doesn't approach the degrading language and images conjured up by people who claim to celebrate the body and worship the use of it for entertainment. Now, that's some disgusting stuff, and if it's a celebration of women's freedom count me out. It looks oddly like slavery.

somefeller said...

Once again, in the immortal words of that great American conservative, Rick Perry: oops.

Jon Burack said...

Roman's comment:

"His commentary is, at times, off-putting. This should end this, but it won't. The left will grind this into the ground. This whole birth control issue is trumped up to deflect attention from the economic problems Barry has made much worse."

What I fear is that like this comment, many will continue to convince themselves Obama set them up, poor babies. In fact, they had Obama in the cross-hairs on this issue had they simply defended the autonomy of the Catholic Church (and all civil society institutions) from total regulation by the state - and left sex out of it entirely. The stand should have been to give the Catholics some leeway -- and NOT becaues they are a church (I agree with Ann earlier that religious liberty is not unlimited and this was not a religious liberty issue either) but because they are a valued non-governmental part of society. As such, leeway is essential for liberty per se, not religious liberty.

As I say, the right had Obama in their crosshairs with an issue that would have resonated. Instead, they distracted themselves, Obama did not distract them. And they did so because they are full of rage, paranoia, and self-righteous fury. As Ann pointed out, Rush messed up even understanding the mandate itself so filled with rage and contempt as he was for what was probably a ploy meant to provoke him and others exactly in that way.Right now, the rightwing of the Republican Party simply does not understand clearly enought what is and is not important. Again, I say, this makes laughable the endless swipes at Romney by people who have far less of a clue than he does. HE stayed on message through this, which is why he is winning and will win the nomination. As flawed a candidate as he is, he is better than what the base deserves right now.

edutcher said...

In my reply to Hatman, I said Ms Fluke made some false statements.

In relation to most law students, I should have added. That she didn't clarify or specify her remarks is where the falsehood lies.

Tom Spaulding said...

I'm just glad this apology from Rush has forced President Obama to refuse Bill Maher's $1M donation because Maher had called Sarah Palin a c*nt multiple times and refused to apologize for it.

I would have loved to listen in when Obama called Sarah.

Or Coulter.
Or Malkin.
Or Loesch.
Or Ingraham.

Anonymous said...

One more thing: this issue doesn't even work for Limbaugh. The man has been married three times. He has had a drug addiction. He is a fun-loving libertarian and not a moral scold. That's part of the reason the joke failed. Which is it, Limbaugh? Are you being a moral scold or are you having fun talking about amateur porn? The whole thing was uneven.

Now, me, you know I'm a fun-loving libertarian. So I can say that I hope I score a date with this Fluke chick because I know I can come inside her. And you will think it's funny.

Chip Ahoy said...

Oh, so that's what keeping your eye on the ball means. Okay. What about these guys tackling me? Keep an eye on them too. What about the boundaries and the yard markers and goal post and the referees? Well, keep an eye on them too. But what about about the score and the tactics and the lineups and the present position we're in? Yes, yes, keep an eye on all that too. Look, the phrase is about baseball, just forget it.

Hagar said...

Ms. Fluke is still an addleheaded twit.
That better?

edutcher said...

somefeller said...

Once again, in the immortal words of that great American conservative, Rick Perry: oops.

Hardly oops.

Handling on the weekend, where it started, kills it quietly.

Saint Croix said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Synova said...

"And he did singlehandedly manage to make a nice freedom of religion issue in favor of the right into a typical freedom from religion issue in favor of the left."

It was already that way. Long long before Ms. Fluke said a thing.

It was about hating the womyns when only old white men with lots of competency were asked to address congress on the issue of religious freedom and Nancy Dear got the vapours that no one with lady-parts was asked to testify on an issue that was all and only about lady-parts.

The issues of religious conviction or the intrusion of government in forcing the violation of religious conviction, or even just the economic and liberty implications of a government that can order us to purchase what it decides we must purchase, for ourselves or for others... none of that existed next to the "you hate women and sex" charge, long long before Rush had a bad idea about how to illustrate the absurdity of Ms. Fluke's $3,000 claims.

somefeller said...

It's really tough for you, isn't it, edutcher? As Glenn Reynolds might say, heh.

dreams said...

I would say that once again it was the conservatives and the Republican party that got fluked. Thanks liberal media.

somefeller said...

And for Synova as well, it would appear. Anyway, I'm off to meet some friends for drinks and dinner. Carry on.

DADvocate said...

The whole thing was just a fluke.

Petunia said...

The whole point here is that Ms. Fluke, and those who support her, including President Obama, have no understanding of the First Amendment. Government's compelling a religious institution to do something that is against its tenets is unconstitutional.

Georgetown is a Jesuit institution. Who thinks the Jesuits are in favor of birth control? Ms. Fluke is either an agitator, an idiot, or an unbelievable hypocrite. Or a combination.

Wince said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rhhardin said...

Slut is a perfectly valid lifestyle choice these days.

Looter is the lifestyle choice that's still deprecated.

Rush was picking the more charitable.

write_effort said...

I think a lot of the treatment of Sarah Palin in entwined with misogyny. However, looking at the word "cunt" there is a male equivalent, "prick." The word "slut" is unique, and intended to justify the ostracism and even punishment of women who have as much sex as men. We all know this from high school.

Anonymous said...

Petunia -- That's a great argument. But that's not the argument Limbaugh made. Not remotely. It's the argument Limbaugh should have made, and thus avoided this hot, senseless mess, and it's the argument we all need to make going forward.

Why didn't Limbaugh say that this Fluke person's sex life does not trump the First Amendment? You tell us.

MayBee said...

The point is - calling her a slut kept folks from getting the point - big goverment gone wild.

Kept people from getting the point, or offered opportunity #1001 to avoid having to discuss the point?

Because even on this blog, I didn't see our wonderful blog host discussing the real point *before* the big "slut" freakout.

edutcher said...

somefeller said...

It's really tough for you, isn't it, edutcher? As Glenn Reynolds might say, heh.

Not at all. If some phony folksy took the trouble to look, I was hardly on the bandwagon on this. All I did was quote Bernard Shaw.

But Rush, seeing that this would be a distraction, acted quickly and handled it smartly.

This whole thing started on a late Friday - when GodZero usually puts out news he doesn't want scrutinized much - and ends on a late Saturday, so only wonks took any notice.

People like some phony folksy are sooo disappointed this didn't drag into next week.

Too bad.

Now we'll have to deal with real stuff - like 8% inflation.

MayBee said...

The word "slut" is unique, and intended to justify the ostracism and even punishment of women who have as much sex as men. We all know this from high school.

I've always been perfectly comfortable calling men "sluts". In high school, my friends and I stayed away from them.

Ann Althouse said...

"In an earlier post Althouse talked about "puritans" who were attacking sexual liberty. I find it really bizarre for a Rush listener to think he's puritan."

I said he was appealing to the puritanism in his listeners. That he did it using rough language is odd. And it didn't work very well!

Anonymous said...

MayBee -- But virtually all men are sluts. Some are just more patient.

If you think some guy who is dating you isn't angling to get in your pants, well, I envy that guy. He's quite the player.

shiloh said...

Limbaugh caving to reality notwithstanding ...

"My take on this is that Althouse is not cruelly neutral when it comes to Santorum. She's impatiently waiting for him to be destroyed."

clittle, you're a little late to the party :D as mittens has been "her" guy since 2008 lol and her cruel neutrality nonsense has never passed the laugh test

mittens = good, godly
Santo = train wreck
Obama = evil, wrong on every subject yada yada yada

There, now that you know how Althouse thinks, everybody can go home. :-P

take care

chickelit said...

MayBee

Because even on this blog, I didn't see our wonderful blog host discussing the real point *before* the big "slut" freakout.

Good point. Real economic discussions don't generate blog hits I imagine.

Paddy O said...

Back from birthing class, so I'm still traumatized by the videos they show and can't wade back into what is now a 516 comment thread.

That being the case, Meade is exactly right:

"The point is - calling her a slut kept folks from getting the point - big goverment gone wild."

It was distracting and undermined the core of not only this issue, which is relatively minor, but the bigger issues of this present economy.

The whole hoopla did illustrate how progressives are like social conservatives. They get pushed back on issues they don't know how to deal with, they start making up issues to strike fear into the hearts of their constituents.

The new rallying cry: "Teh Church is taking away all your contraceptives! And won't let you have sex! Vote Obama!"

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I am not "for" Santorum but neither am I hopelessly biased against him.

As a moderately liberal, zombie Santorum is a problem for the professor.. because in the eyes of many people (erroneously btw.. they dont read the blog) the professor is right wing.. So, Santorums continued death defiance.. can be a source of irritation.. who knows how many other satan like videos lie in wait.

Can somebody sign a fake but accurate DNR for Santorum.. He is obviously incapacitated to make the decision himself ;)

chickelit said...

@shiloh: There, now that you know how Althouse thinks, everybody can go home. :-P

I think Althouse still favors Obama but that Meade keeps her from denying Romney.

MayBee said...

If you think some guy who is dating you isn't angling to get in your pants, well, I envy that guy. He's quite the player.

I didn't care if he was angling to get in my pants. I cared if he'd been in a lot of pants before he got around to me, and would be onto the next pants posthaste.
That's what a slut is, right?

Carol_Herman said...

"Make no mistake about it." To "quoth" Richard Milhouse Nixon.

Unfortunately, he did.

And, so did Rush Limbaugh.

It shook him all up to lose advertisers. That's his bread and butter.

And, the ECONOMY? You want the stupid party to discuss rational solutions?

It's just awesome watching birth control bite them in their collective behinds.

Ann Althouse said...

"I'm just glad this apology from Rush has forced President Obama to refuse Bill Maher's $1M donation because Maher had called Sarah Palin a c*nt multiple times and refused to apologize for it."

Maher gave money to a PAC. Obama is not permitted to coordinate with the PAC. So... you're raising a nonissue.

Wince said...

Meade is correct. Romney is the winner in this, both in his early response to Stephanopoulos and in his reaction to Limbaugh, demonstrating he's got the right temperament for the job of president.

As I said, Limbaugh's "proffered 'prostitute/slut' analogy was tenuous at best". Rather than puritanism, Limbaugh's riff was trying to turn liberals' long-standing idolization of the condoms as an effective, affordable panacea against them, but he really got off track with the personal insults.

Wise for him to retract and apologize for that analogy that was really weak to begin with.

Santorum, for his part, can't even articulate what Limbaugh does. Rush purports to "demonstrate absurdity through absurdity", not just be absurd.

It's similar to how Santorum screwed-up the argument that college isn't necessarily a good investment, Solyndra-like, for all young people, in part because of Obama cronies in both, that jack-up costs and leave others in debt.

Santorum just came across as anti-higher education or, alternatively, elitist. It wasn't clear, and that's the problem with Santorum.

Santorum should bow out.

Carol_Herman said...

The "fluke" is that Ms. Flake will become as famous as Monica.

Now, all the GOP has to do is put their other foot forward, and when they shoot AIM.

The Crack Emcee said...

Limbaugh now says he did it wrong this time,...Romney had the better instinct.

Nonsense. Is everything about the narrative (and self-flattery) to you?

Rush caved to one entity - his advertisers - which he's always stated was first responsibility. But he can't come out and say it under the circumstances (some were bailing) so he caved. Not his finest hour but understandable.

Monday should prove interesting:

His integrity's on the line again and, if he can't convincingly sell this lie somehow, some - not all but some - will hear it,...

shiloh said...

"I think Althouse still favors Obama but that Meade keeps her from denying Romney."

No, but Althouse definitely thinks Obama will win, because, like Santo, she knows mittens is also a train wreck, even though she tries to prop mittens up daily w/positive threads. :)

It's really kinda endearing lol.

Unfortunately, like Limbaugh, Althouse is preaching to an even smaller conservative choir.

and so it goes ...

edutcher said...

some phony folksy signs off, bathtub swabbie signs on.

Shift change - or, more accurately, account name change.

Those guys need to get different tag lines. They're getting way too predictable.

Carol_Herman said...

The "fluke" is that Ms. Flake will become as famous as Monica.

And which POTUS was impeached and disbarred becuase of Ms Fluke?

She's at 14 min, 58 sec.

Bill White said...

Rush had the cojones to issue a real apology and not one of those wishy-washy "if anyone was offended I'm sorry" non-apologies.

Tom Spaulding said...

Maher gave money to a PAC. Obama is not permitted to coordinate with the PAC. So... you're raising a nonissue.


Ah. The rules don't allow a phone call to Sarah either?

I had forgotten that this administration is all about following the rules. Sticklers.

Still not sure who to vote against in November?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ann Althouse said...

"No, but Althouse definitely thinks Obama will win, because, like Santo, she knows mittens is also a train wreck, even though she tries to prop mittens up daily w/positive threads. :)"

For the record, I like Romney. In no way do I regard him as a "train wreck." I think he's highly competent, clearly ethical, and a truly good man. I even like his gaffes. Wife drives 2 Cadillacs.

Saint Croix said...

I said he was appealing to the puritanism in his listeners. That he did it using rough language is odd.

I was giggling all through his routine yesterday. I didn't know puritans were so funny!

Do puritans sing condom songs? Cause I wrote a condom song. Need to put that sucker to music.

Condoms are funnier than pills, by the way, because pills put estrogen in our drinking water and turn us all into pussies.

rcocean said...

"Maher gave money to a PAC. Obama is not permitted to coordinate with the PAC. So... you're raising a nonissue."

That's not the point. Maher and a dozen other liberals call conservatives women whore's, sluts, cunts, etc. - sometimes on national TV. Weirdly this doesn't bother the left or a lot people on the right.

I'm not even sure Rush called Ms. Fluke/Flake a 'slut' directly. This is just the same old pattern of the liberals latching on to some mistep by a popular conservative, trying to destroy him/her while the others conservatives stand by and watch or play Pontius Pilate.

Saint Croix said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Saint Croix said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
victoria said...

I don't know why anyone even listens to him anymore. He is an ignoramus, a bore and a total jerk. He loves the power he can wield with the far right, have them quaking in their boots. What a putz.


Vicki from Pasadena

Saint Croix said...

I even like his gaffes. Wife drives 2 Cadillacs.

I like, "the trees are the right height."

edutcher said...

Canuck said...

What's wrong with calling her a slut?

Two problems:

1) It's rude and hateful

2) It's politically stupid


I thought all the Lefty babes wanted to be sluts and be called sluts; I mean, didn't they have a couple of big marches up in the Great White North?

If so, it's just another example of Lefty hypocrisy.

Like the difference between rape and rape at one of the Occupations.

It would have been OK if GodZero had called her a slut.

Because he would have meant the good kind of slut.

Right?

YoungHegelian said...

This Fluke business was just awful. A coarsening of political discourse. We can't let these performers get away with this! They should be shunned!

Like the guy who called Sarah Palin a "cunt"!

Oh wait....

Anonymous said...
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The Crack Emcee said...

Hey - something just occurred to me, and it was Ann's twisted re-writing of reality that did it:

There is absolutely no one in this story now who is telling the truth - including Rush.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are officially back in The Twilight Zone.

Whoever wins, we all lose. Reality has officially ceased to exist. Rush - who is probably the only person with any integrity here - has sold his to the advertisers with this lie, so there's no turning back for him now. Fluke never had any. And anyone who buys, or tries to bolster, Rush's lie as the truth is merely an enabler. It's 2008 all over again, but in a slightly new way. This time it's not just the Dem/Media Complex - it's EVERYBODY. The tether has been broken:

And we're REALLY on our own now.

I repeat what I said before:

If Santorum doesn't get the nom, I'm definitely sitting this one out.

You guys can have all the blame for what happens now - my hands are clean,...

Palladian said...

Can we just call Fluke a twat? Because I can't believe people spent days screeching back and forth about this twat and this whole pissant non-issue.

Romney made me like him even more by ignoring this media-created nonsense, like any adult should have done.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Wince said...

Canuck said...
2B) He didn't understand how birth control works, so his "slut" "round-heeled" "lots of sex" name-calling made no sense.

See my earlier comments above and at link for explanation of what I think was Rush's point about substitution of condoms for oral contraceptive and the cost per sexual encounter argument (i.e., liberals have always said that condoms are inexpensive and effective birth control... unless you use so many one-use condoms per month that they become unaffordable as well).

Kirby Olson said...

Obama called her. Was it for a date. His wife is out of town. Maybe he said he could bring birth control and give her some extras since hes big government.

Peano said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chickelit said...

Canuck wrote: It's not ok to use hate speech in my book.

You're calling using the word slut "hate speech"?

Seriously?

If so, then I must seriously ask you why you are not raising the same complaint against Maher.

I reserve the right to call you a hypocrite.

Peano said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jason said...

Rush did what he should have done Friday. It was a poor choice of words.

This whole birth control issue is trumped up to deflect attention from the economic problems Barry has made much worse.

Once gas approaches the $5 per gallon range as a national average come Memorial Day, nobody will care about this issue anymore.

A big part of me hopes Romney wraps this up on Super Tuesday. Its time for the narrative to move on to getting Obama out of office.

Wince said...

Peano said...
Seriously. Take the Valium. Go to bed for a little while. Calm down. You'll feel all better.

Can't. Valium is not covered by my health insurance! You don't expect me to pay, do you?

chickelit said...

Palladian said: Can we just call Fluke a twat?

I think "moocher" keeps the argument and insults in economic terms. I'd also countenance "freeloader" and "entitled adolescent" because she's too old to be a "spoiled brat."

Anonymous said...

I can't remember where I saw this, but I agree wholeheartedly: I didn't realize they let Kardashians into Georgetown Law.

Limbaugh is an entertainer. He did a couple of very funny comedy routines on this Georgetown Kardashian. A lot tamer than Maher has said about conservative women.


More along the lines of the shtick Letterman would do on any woman who wandered off the liberal plantation where righteous women are supposed to reside. And those women's children are fair game too. (See Palin, Sarah).

This Georgetown Kardashian is a nasty little fascist with an overweening sense of entitlement. She's a typical leftist.

And she wants everyone else, PARTICULARLY those whose religion forbids it, to pay for her prodigious birth control needs.

If we have to pay for these girl's pills, then how about something more necessary (to those of us not in a permanent state of rut): FOOD and WATER.

That's even more necessary. And it's necessary for everyone. So why don't we get these items for FREE. Why birth control, of all the things. I want free food.

Limbaugh meant his apology to Ms. Kardashain about as much as Obama meant his to Sgt. James Crowley.

The Crack Emcee said...

chickenlittle,

I must seriously ask you why you are not raising the same complaint against Maher.

And I must seriously ask you, why do you care? Didn't you hear me?

No one is telling the truth now.

Who or what are you now defending? Everybody's lying. Whether you are for Fluke or Rush or Obama or Romney, there is "winner". There is no "right" choice. Everybody's lying about something, just as Bill Maher was lying about Palin. Left or Right, there is no integrity to be "won" or had here. All there is is the truth and, somehow, making our way back to it.

Who called who what is irrelevant now. They're all "sluts." I reminded Ann on another thread of the phrase, we know what you are, madam, now all we're haggling over is the price. Well, now we know Rush's price. He has no more integrity than Fluke, so what are you defending? We've - all - lost.

Who watches The Watchmen?

shiloh said...

"1) It's rude and hateful

2) It's politically stupid"

Indeed!

>

For the record, I like Romney. In no way do I regard him as a "train wreck." I think he's highly competent, clearly ethical, and a truly good man. I even like his gaffes. Wife drives 2 Cadillacs.

Althouse is stickin' to her story come hell or high water lol and like I said ...

It's really kinda endearing :)

btw ...

Mitt Romney urged President Obama to propose individual mandate

Mitt Romney says Romneycare should go national (8/5/07)

Andrew Kaczynski digs up a remarkable July 2009 op-ed from Mitt Romney in which Romney not only brags about the effectiveness of the individual mandate in Massachusetts, but urges President Obama to support it at the federal level:

Oops !!!

I'm Full of Soup said...

Rush realized this made him look like he was punching down and he usually avoids that unlike Obama who can't resist punching at those below him.

MayBee said...

'Slut' is hate speech, you teabaggers.

Palladian said...

I use "twat" in the British sense.

Anonymous said...
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I'm Full of Soup said...

The libs here [Phx, I love Willard, Andy, Alex, Ritmo] are scared shitless and were desperately posting today to try and take advantage of Rush's slut slur. They realize Obama is in big trouble.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Canuck is another of the libs who were jumping on the slutwagon.

edutcher said...

Canuck said...

It's not ok to use hate speech in my book.

Funny how "hate speech" is defined solely by the Lefties.

Funnier still is how they can use "hate speech" and it's OK, but Conservatives have a different set of rules applied.

Canuck ought to be glad that stuff is apparently going bye-bye in the Great White North.

Mark Steyn certainly gave us all a bird's eye view of pernicious and hypocritical it is.

shiloh said...

Canuck

Defending Limbaugh is impossible so Althouse's conservative lemmings deflect to Maher.

Just like when they "attempt" to defend cheney/bush it's but, but, but Carter/Clinton.

Lather, rinse, repeat ...

garage mahal said...

I think "moocher" keeps the argument and insults in economic terms.

Well there you have it. Compassionate assholeism.

rcocean said...

BTW, Rush's "apology" is about as close as a "non-apology" that you can actually get. Does anyone think he meant it? Of course not, its all just a kabuki dance.

The whole thing, the media onslaught, the media boycott, was designed to humiliate Rush and get him to grovel.
The Soccer Moms win, and the country loses.

Wince said...

shiloh,

Your overreach in asserting Romney advocated a national health insurance mandate is assuming that any health care reform necessarily entails the federal government wresting control from the states, rather than the federal government simply doing what is possible to enable the states to craft their own individual reforms.

Anonymous said...
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The Crack Emcee said...

rcocean,

Rush's "apology" is about as close as a "non-apology" that you can actually get. Does anyone think he meant it? Of course not, its all just a kabuki dance.

The whole thing, the media onslaught, the media boycott, was designed to humiliate Rush and get him to grovel.

The Soccer Moms win, and the country loses.


Exactly.

Who watches The Watchmen?

MayBee said...


That's possible, but I really don't think he understood the take-one-pill a day thing.


You are imagining that.
It was about using condoms.

Canuck- are birth control devices and surgeries for women (but not men) mandated as zero-copay coverage items in all of Canada?

Mark said...

Rush asking for a video was the line he crossed that will end up sticking to him.

Dirty Old Man ... that's not a title you live down. He called her some vile terms, but his ad-lib about the video will live forever.

Also - going after his sponsors would appear to work. They leave, he apologizes.

There's a new line in Rush's schtick that he cannot cross, less he have to apologize again.

Also, it's useful to notice that Ann isn't the only one who thinks his `apology' is weak. Carbonite just announced they're dropping him ... post apology. Ruh roh!

Carbonite's statement:
"No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady. Mr. Limbaugh, with his highly personal attacks on Miss Fluke, overstepped any reasonable bounds of decency. Even though Mr. Limbaugh has now issued an apology, we have nonetheless decided to withdraw our advertising from his show. We hope that our action, along with the other advertisers who have already withdrawn their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public discourse."

Pro Flowers is surely next. The place to buy flowers for your slut or prostitute isn't great PR.

Anonymous said...
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MayBee said...

I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but I don't think one single liberal commenter/blog hostess who wants the debate to be held on an honest message has commented on Obama's "permission slip". Still.

Moneyrunner said...

Forgive me if thsi has been posted before but it's in keeping with this controversy.

Hitler learns Georgetown doesn't cover contraception

http://moneyrunner.blogspot.com/2012/03/hitler-learns-georgetown-doesnt-cover.html

shiloh said...

"Also - going after his sponsors would appear to work. They leave, he apologizes."

Indeed, as his bottom line is the bottom line ie no core beliefs lol much like mittens.

And Althouse as all three worship $$$. A certain symmetry as she worships Limbaugh and is smitten by mittens. Her tagalong should be jealous! :-P

bagoh20 said...

How perfectly is the Obama advantage working that all this was about an entertainer/pundit using an inappropriate word, while the real issues of the day were right there on the agenda to discuss?

How do we explain to our children that when THEIR future was on the line and the nation needed serious work done, the boomers were busy once again proving their seriousness. I'm considering starting a movement for mass suicide of our entire generation. It's the only way to save face now.

And the greatest generation begat the richest generation which begat the poorest generation which will probably beget the bloodiest.

DADvocate said...

the American government sincerely believes that ALL American women are sluts–that is, that we all, without exception, want to have lots of pre- and extra-marital contraceptive sex as well as married contraceptive sex and that we all demand that someone else pay for our pills, prophylactics, shots, abortion pills and/or sterilization surgeries. But we’re not allowed actually to use the “s” word because the WORD–not the idea that all American women are such entitlement-minded horny sex-crazed anti-child harpies with no self-control that providing all of us with “free” birth control is necessary for our “health”–is the only thing that is offensive.

Quite a bit of truth in the above statement. Couldn't have said it as well myself.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chickelit said...

From Carbonites statement:
We hope that our action, along with the other advertisers who have already withdrawn their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public discourse.

OK then. The "courageous" Sandra Fluke calls for an expansion of the entitlement mentality, something we can ill-afford at this time. Is that offensive to Carbonite and to women in general?

sakredkow said...

The libs here [Phx, I love Willard, Andy, Alex, Ritmo] are scared shitless and were desperately posting today to try and take advantage of Rush's slut slur. They realize Obama is in big trouble.

I just want to say, AJ Lynch is a big fat TATTLETALE! Nyah nyah nyah nyah!

The Crack Emcee said...

shiloh,

"Also - going after his sponsors would appear to work. They leave, he apologizes."

Indeed, as his bottom line is the bottom line ie no core beliefs lol much like mittens.

And Althouse as all three worship $$$. A certain symmetry as she worships Limbaugh and is smitten by mittens. Her tagalong should be jealous! :-P


As much as I hate agreeing with you, Shi, you're right - everyone's soiled now. (But keep in mind, as a Lefitist, you have no integrity, either, so don't gloat - your enemies have just come down to your level,...) Lordy, lordy, lordy, what shall we do?

The economy can crash now - it's time.

All is lost,...

roesch/voltaire said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sakredkow said...

AJ Lynch said...

Canuck is another of the libs who were jumping on the slutwagon.



So what do you guys think we should do Canuck? Do you think we should turn him over?

sakredkow said...

Thank God for good Americans, like AJ Lynch.

sakredkow said...

I think AJ Lynch deserves a little appreciation here for reporting on the libs and what they were saying about Rush in another thread.

A little positive feedback here folks.

chickelit said...

garage mahal said to me...

Well there you have it. Compassionate assholeism.

Your WDS meds are either wearing off or are of inferior quality, garage. Better eat that higher co-pay for non generics next time.

The Crack Emcee said...

bagoh20,

And the greatest generation begat the richest generation which begat the poorest generation which will probably beget the bloodiest.

I tried to avoid saying that last part, but yep:

Fighting over the scraps of a once-great republic is all that's left.

Thanks, Hippies, Commies, NewAgers - all of you cocksuckers.

On the other hand, once the rule of law is gone (what do i mean "once"?) it'll be kind of nice to be free again.

A man can be A Man again, if you know what I mean,...

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
roesch/voltaire said...

Too little too late, the curtain has been pulled back to reveal the twisted psyche of Rush, the power of the dollar over all-- even Crack sees the light on this one.

chickelit said...

roesch/voltaire said...
Too little too late, the curtain has been pulled back to reveal the twisted psyche of Rush-- even Crack can see can see the light on this one.

I have no way of verify it but I'd wager that Limbaugh's audience spikes next week--especially given that he will be the talk tomorrow on the shows where gets a lot of material. I normally don't listen, but I will be Monday. I'm looking forward to it actually.

The Crack Emcee said...

roesch/voltaire,

Too little too late, the curtain has been pulled back to reveal the twisted psyche of Rush-- even Crack can see can see the light on this one.

Fuck you. You're lying, too - YOU'RE ALL LYING - I've already said I understand what Rush did and why he did it. But it was the wrong thing to do. He should've told Carbonite or whoever to go to Hell. he's got enough money. He doesn't need them now with the web. He can do whatever he wants and he chose to lie - just as you do - so he's no better than you.

If it makes you feel proud to be as low as he is now, that's on you, loser.

MayBee said...


In my province medicine is NOT covered. We get it through our jobs or buy private insurance that covers medicine and dental.


So no. The government of Canada does not, as Obama is mandating, require all citizens by law must have insurance that covers female contraception (and breast pumps) at zero co-pay. It does not require all employers to provide this insurance.

I'm sure you can imagine why I'm a bit flabbergasted that you have decided to jump into the conversation about covering medically necessary birth control pills when your own country has not decided to make this utterly absurd mandate.

About the condom claim- Fluke made several different arguments, but one of her points was that female law students were having trouble affording contraception because of the high cost. Rush used the condom cost to show how cheap birth control can be, and what it can take to get it up to a $1000/year price tag.

Then he called her a "slut", which is bad, but much like all the other civility bullshit, it had no power to addle the brain of everyone in America (who will, after all be affected).

bagoh20 said...

And remember that when the nation was deeply overextended at crisis levels like much of the western world, the left thought it was critical that contraceptives were free for some of the richest humans that have ever walked the earth - every one of them with cable TV, a cell phone, computer, data plan and purse full of expensive cosmetics.
I'm glad someone was looking out for those tragic people.

shiloh said...

"All is lost,..."

lol Crack ~ on the bright side Mayan End of Days prophecy says the world will end Dec. 21, 2012, so you won't have to suffer much longer ...

The Crack Emcee said...

MayBee,

The government of Canada does not, as Obama is mandating, require all citizens,..blah, blah, motherfucking blah.

Will you shut up with that nonsense now? It doesn't matter anymore - it's over. You can't win. You can't be right. Nobody can. In order for any debate to real you've got to have a baseline of truth - that doesn't exist. Obama is lying and now so is his enemy. So debate is over. If you're not willing to kill them all then just shut the fuck up.

Hell, it was stupid before it ended anyway,...

Anonymous said...
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pm317 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andy said...

Althouse said, "Here's my post from this morning chastising Rush. It has over 500 comments, many of which are mine, arguing with people who insisted on defending Rush."

That's just a nicer version of what I said: "This sure is awkward for all the sexist commenters here that were defending Limbaugh for calling that woman a slut."

And yet there are still people here defending calling her a slut!

chickelit said...

@BagoH2O:

This isn't about Fluke or contraceptives--the tone here on the left is to silence Limbaugh in general. They "got" Breitbart, and think they can get to Limbaugh next. They're giddy.

These threads (and I'm not following this much elsewhere) seem to be mostly about controlling the election narrative and silencing criticism of Obama--that is why I agree with those who say Romney is the real winner--by default.

Peano said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chickelit said...

AndyR wrote: And yet there are still people here defending calling her a slut!

I didn't notice that, actually. I do notice that no one rises to defend you when are called a bigot--which you are.

The Crack Emcee said...

shiloh,

lol Crack ~ on the bright side Mayan End of Days prophecy says the world will end Dec. 21, 2012, so you won't have to suffer much longer ...

Who's suffering? I'm elated. Don't you understand?

Feminism? OVER.

Liberalism? OVER.

No-fault divorce, environmentalism, all this bullshit that's us for decades - OVER.

Getting the message yet?

Once the United States falls, all your precious delusional "we are all One" bullshit is DONE.

Welcome to my world, kids,...

MayBee said...

And one of my friend's ovaries blew up because of a cyst. She lost the ovary. This woman was testified about exactly that instance happening to her friend. The pill is about medical needs in my point of view.

Your American citizenship doesn't interest me.
I'm talking about you going on and on and on about how Rush and the GOP are running this country off a cliff when your own country doesn't even go so far as having this mandate.

The pill has two different purposes. It is not being mandated because it treats ovarian cysts, just like penicillin isn't being mandated because of all the things it treats. They should be covered the same, if your argument is about medicine.

sakredkow said...

These threads (and I'm not following this much elsewhere) seem to be mostly about controlling the election narrative and silencing criticism of Obama

And which parties aren't trying to control the election narrative? As far as silencing criticism of Obama, I think Dem strategists live for the kind of message Rush and his defenders were screaming the last few days. Silence that? I don't think so. Give 'em the mic, turn 'em loose.

Palladian said...

"I didn't notice that, actually. I do notice that no one rises to defend you when are called a bigot--which you are."

I think twat fits Andy R, too.

MayBee said...

Ace is tearing apart Fluke's absurd testimony on Twitter.
Remember, she went to Congress with a bunch of anecdotes. Nobody asked her to show her work. The President of the United States of America called her, the day after issuing a mock up of the permission slip the GOP will make you get from your employer if you want to use birth control.
And the problem in this debate is Rush Limbaugh.

Usually Althouse hates this kind of stuff done "on behalf" of women.

pm317 said...

Now you come around to giving Romney credit. I have been making this point and trying to get you to recognize it in the previous posts. And in the last Rush Limbaugh post, commenter John Stodard wrote a similar comment about how Romney is untainted by this absurd issue.

The Crack Emcee said...

MayBee,

Ace is tearing apart Fluke's absurd testimony on Twitter.

Bullshit. I follow him, too, and he sounds like a fucking fool. Didn't you get the memo?

It's OVER.

Everybody lost,...

DADvocate said...

Ms. Fluke was pimped out by the Dems, but don't call her a slut.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Obama's budget places our national debt on a path to reach 900% of GDP by 2075. And, whores like Andy don't want to talk about this elephant.

shiloh said...

Damn, I missed the (522) Althouse "woe is me" thread re: Limbaugh. :-P

Praise the lord! :)

Again, Limbo would be no big deal, except that he is the titular head of the rudderless/leaderless Republican party, by default!

Woe is me indeed lol.

chickelit said...

As far as silencing criticism of Obama, I think Dem strategists live for the kind of message Rush and his defenders were screaming the last few days. Silence that? I don't think so. Give 'em the mic, turn 'em loose.

Case in point: go read Sullivan--he's absolutely giddy with the prospect of a real turn in the "Culture War." This is a Stalingrad-like turning point to him (speaking of people who never apologize).

sakredkow said...

It was one more event for moderates and undecideds to remember why_they_don't_like_Republicans.

And even if they don't like Obama's policies, sure as shit Rush or some other high-profile Republican or Tea Partier is going to remind them of that same thing again and again and again.

Romney will try to stay on message, he's not dumb, but he'll forever be tied to worst aspects of the Republican party.

A lot can happen between then and now, but that's what I expect.

shiloh said...

Re: Althouse being smitten w/mittens.

Love means never having to say you're sorry! :D

bagoh20 said...

BTW, beyond whether or not it was smart politics to call her a slut, has it been determined if she is or not, in actuality, a slut? The word does have a meaning beyond being an unfounded insult. When Maher called Palin a cunt it was just as a meaningless insult based solely in hate (despite any obscure RHHardin side dish). Rush was making a point about her promiscuity. Was it valid? I've been incorrectly called a slut, and I think Titus basically admits too it, but is Rush, as Crack suggests, now lying to make everyone shut up.

jeff said...

"Republicans may say they're concerned about religious freedom but if the conversation goes on long enough it comes out that they are really concerned that sexually active women are appropriately shamed and punished. We can all thank Limbaugh and his many many supporters for making that clear."

Except that I'm a Republican, and at best agnostic. And I love sexually active women and wish there were far more of them. And totally concerned about how folks as Andy R are totally willing to drive the bus over the Constitution. Which actually isnt that surprising.

Anonymous said...
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LoafingOaf said...

Some of us don't pay enough attention to see exactly what each Republican is saying. We just are aware some vile garbage was said by the Republicans about a female law student. Okay, I saw this blog post, so I now know what Romney said, but other people will probably just lump the Republicans all together on this and conclude they wanna stay away from these folks.

And as for Romney, he's been calling my phone in Ohio so often the past few days it's absurd. I have some amount of tolerance for it, being aware that they gotta do what they gotta do. But Romney seems to be the worst offender with the robo calls. I got two Romney phone calls during dinner this evening! And those weren't the first of the day. Totally obnoxious. Are they trying to force me to unplug my phone???

Seems like a waste of campaign funds.

The Crack Emcee said...

pm317,

in the last Rush Limbaugh post, commenter John Stodard wrote a similar comment about how Romney is untainted by this absurd issue.

Whoo-hoo! So now you're all going to dance around the Golden Calf - I mean, Joseph Smith's Golden Plates that hold the secret to everything! Are you proud of yourselves? You can't wait to put Mormonism's "White Horse" in office, can you? Shit, it's too bad L. Ron Hubbard isn't alive so you guys could really cream your jeans. L. Ron? Now THAT was a charlatan! As honest as Andrew Breitbart when it came to admitting he was bullshitting you.

But Romney? Puh-Leaze. I dare you to go to Utah and look at those temples and tell me you seriously know what you're getting us into - you don't. You don't know shit.

Just like these rubes, so happy Rush has "apologized" when he's done no such thing, and like Ann, you're in love with facades. Truth means nothing as long as it looks good. And, boy, does Romnet look GOOD. You're fucking hopeless.

At this point, I could take every brain cell on this blog, almost, and all it would add up to is that jar of jellybeans that used to sit on Reagan's desk.

Pathetic.

bagoh20 said...

Although I've decried this distraction, in the end it's strategically better to hold off attacking Obama on the economy and other real issues so the nation can get tired of this fluffy crap early and be ready in the second half to stay on topic. It's gonna be great timing.

Sorry lefties, but your guy has not even come out of his corner yet and he's already not polling great, so I like the way it's sizing up. Romney has been deep in the fight and he's just starting to catch fire.

shiloh said...

"But Romney seems to be the worst offender with the robo calls."

"They" say mittens is runnin' the most negative campaign in presidential history! Regardless, it would be nice if he would eventually say what he is for. ok, he's the ultimate flip/flopper which means he's for everything at time or another lol.

And no, his $$$ is well spent as he is finally putting train wreck Santo away. But it's tellin' mittens is beating Santo by default ie peeps are voting against Santo and not for mittens.

Such is mittens conundrum as he can't get any respect ~ shocking!

Again, this is the weakest presidential field in presidential history and mittens is already out of $$$, his many political PACS/bundlers notwithstanding.

Anya said...

Rush's statement is not a real apology since he misrepresents the issue.

By comparing insurance coverage of birth control to the government buying shoes for students, he promotes the myth he promulgated that Fluke was asking for the government to pay for birth control.

And he says that he didn't care what people do in their bedrooms, which is at variance with him saying he wanted to see Fluke and others' having sex on tape.

As a woman with two children who has been married to the same man for nearly 25 years and whose birth control is covered by insurance, I continue to be both insulted and amazed. I'm amazed that Limbaugh doesn't understand how birth control works and that some forms of contraception serve medical purposes. And I'm insulted by his formulation that covering birth control means one is being "paid to have sex."

This statement is not a real apology. Romney's statement was no metter, since he didn't disagree with Rush's ideas, just the way he said them.

The Crack Emcee said...

Canuck,

But, yeah, we disagree about the pill being classified as medicine.

Look at you - YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT MEDICINE IS ANYMORE!!!!!!!!

And you people actually think you're debating? That you're capable of debating?

YOU'VE ALREADY OBLITERATED THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!

Nothing means anything and everything is nothing - Congratulations!

You are the smartest collection of idiots the world has ever known,...

MayBee said...

But, yeah, we disagree about the pill being classified as medicine. I don't care about the co-pay or not co-pay debate.

We do not disagree about the pill being classified as medicine. You keep getting confused about the current debate actually not being about the pill when it is used as medicine.

I'm not quite sure what you think the debate is, but I'm going to guess your conclusion was always going to be that the GOP was doin' it wrong.

Alex said...

Crack - while you're bellyaching about ideological purity, shiloh is pointing out that his side is winning. Don't you care about the W?

MayBee said...

he promotes the myth he promulgated that Fluke was asking for the government to pay for birth control.

If she is a 30 year old college student with low income, who will pay for her government-required insurance?

edutcher said...

LoafingOaf said...

Some of us don't pay enough attention to see exactly what each Republican is saying. We just are aware some vile garbage was said by the Republicans about a female law student. Okay, I saw this blog post, so I now know what Romney said, but other people will probably just lump the Republicans all together on this and conclude they wanna stay away from these folks.

Oh, yes, she's a "female law student". Just a poor wittle victim.

Who misrepresents everything about herself and her motives.

But Oaf (aptly named) really believes people will run over to the heroes who slimed Sarah Palin and Condi Rice and Clarence Thomas?

Suuuure they will.

PS The trolls are certainly edgy. In the two weeks they were away (we actually had some intelligent discussions), they must have heard how bad it's looking for the Demos.

They're not even trying to come up with any good rebuttals, just FUD.

But they can't FUD away all the bad news that's coming.

Poor little trolls.

Peano said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chickelit said...

Hello Anya and welcome to Blogger!

bagoh20 said...

Crack,
Romney will be President, and Mormonism will be a non-issue before and after that happens. Leaders have been very effective throughout history despite apparently following all kinds of bizarre religions. In this case, it's not any more important than what breakfast cereal he prefers. Like most morality, none of us are as religious as we pretend. God just doesn't have a lot of time to spend with anyone, so we kind of don't really depend on him like we say we do. Romney will be the same.

Anonymous said...

"the left thought it was critical that contraceptives were free for some of the richest humans that have ever walked the earth -"

That's the idea. Welfare for the wealthy.

I had a carpenter do some work at my house last week. He was very stressed because he'd left some equipment at his business because he was in such a hurry to get from job to job. He had a bit of a stress rant about the fact that he had to lay off his assistant because business was bad. He was making mistakes trying to get used to doing without. At the end of his rant he said something like: "NOw I have to pay higher insurance premiums so that wealthy women and their spoiled daughters can have free contraceptives."

Then he apologized, but I didn't hear the apology because I was too busy agreeing with him :)

Of course, if free birth control is what it takes to be sure someone with a sex life as *ahem* expensive as the Georgetown Kardashian never reproduces, it might be worth it.

And, of course, now that this future 1%er is able to get her pills for free, here's hoping she now never feels the need for her many and varied lovers to use condoms.

I hear there's a particularly nasty form of antibiotic-resistant VD starting to make its way through the population.....

shiloh said...

"she was insane over Hussein."

No, her guy mittens lost to another weak, flip/flopping RINO McCain, which she was not enamored with. ;) So by process of elimination she went w/Obama over McCain.

But if clueless mittens had somehow won the nomination, Willard I didn't understand the question Romney would have been her guy in '08.

Rusty said...

shiloh said...
Limbaugh caving to reality notwithstanding ...

"My take on this is that Althouse is not cruelly neutral when it comes to Santorum. She's impatiently waiting for him to be destroyed."

clittle, you're a little late to the party :D as mittens has been "her" guy since 2008 lol and her cruel neutrality nonsense has never passed the laugh test

mittens = good, godly
Santo = train wreck
Obama = evil, wrong on every subject yada yada yada

There, now that you know how Althouse thinks, everybody can go home. :-P

take care



Not really, but now we how mind numbingly dense you are.
Thanks.
It's entertaining.

The Crack Emcee said...

Alex,

Crack - while you're bellyaching about ideological purity, shiloh is pointing out that his side is winning. Don't you care about the W?

I'm not bellyaching about ideological purity, I'm talking about THE TRUTH! Don't any of you give a damn about that anymore? Fuck Left or Right, what is the truth? Knowing that - and sticking to it - is all that'll save what we have. Rush's departure from it (out of expediency) is a "tell" - both sides have now gone over to the dark side. We're finally, totally, on our own. So either we demand he step up - or we get rid of the entire ruling class, period, and start again. Or we prepare for war - against ourselves - winner take all.

The truth will win out - we, as people, have already lost.

Alex said...

Crack - you are not a student of history to be doom mongering like this. If you knew anything about it, you'd know that 1778 was much more desperate.

bagoh20 said...

"Romney would have been her guy in '08."

I highly doubt that. In 2008, Ann Althouse with her history, friends and associates (I'm talking out my ass here) was never, ever gonna vote against the first Black President, who was from Harvard Law, young, liberal and a Democrat. It just wasn't gonna happen. Now that she and many like her have checked that box and are validated non-racists, they can vote against him...maybe.

chickelit said...

The Crack Emcee concluded:
The truth will win out - we, as people, have already lost.

I'm shocked SHOCKED! that you failed to link to yourself after that.

This really must be Stalingrad for you too. There's nothing left to do but close our laptops now and wait for Monday.

Me? I've got movies to watch and art to work on.

Ciao!

Alex said...

Washington's Army at Valley Forge

So severe were conditions at times that Washington despaired "that unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place ... this Army must inevitably ... Starve, dissolve, or disperse, in order to obtain subsistence in the best manner they can." Animals fared no better. General Henry Knox, Washington's Chief of Artillery, wrote that hundreds of horses either starved to death or died of exhaustion.

Awful. Yet they did not give up!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jane the Actuary said...

Was Fluke asking for the government to pay for her contraception? No, she was asking for Georgetown to include it in their student policies -- which means that the cost would be shared among all students. If she's right and everyone's "doing it," then it's a wash. If she's surrounded by students who are not doing it at all, or only seldom enough that they use condoms or a diaphragm, then they'll pay more so she pays less.

The Crack Emcee said...

bagoh20 said...
Crack,

Romney will be President, and Mormonism will be a non-issue before and after that happens.

Bullshit. name me another "religion" that owns a state. name me another "religion" that owns a state and has ruled it with an iron fist. Name me another 'religion" filled with people who are just now discovering blacks were slaves brought here from Africa? (I recently had a succesful Mormon businessman pull me aside and say "If anyone tries to do that to you, you let me know, because I'll be angry.") Do you understand? No, you don't understand. You can't understand. Because they don't show it to outsiders - and you're all outsiders.

You're trippin'.

sakredkow said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Alex said...

A group of people called Regimental Camp Followers also helped increase the morale of the soldiers and provided necessary support to the men. Camp Followers at Valley Forge consisted of the families, wives, children, mothers, and sisters of the soldiers.

These camp followers often served as laundresses, cleaning and mending the uniforms of the soldiers. Washington understood a soldier would die quickly from disease if his uniform was dirty and threadbare. These women and children also provided the emotional support to a soldier, allowing them to remain at camp and continue on training and soldiering during the winter months. These women gained half the rations of soldiers, half the wages of a soldier as well as a half pension after the war—if they had done enough work. Children would receive quarter rations if enough work was done.

Women were relegated to the back of the column when marching and were forbidden to ride on wagons. Camp followers faced the issues of disease along with the soldiers. While excellent scavengers, some women lost their lives on the battlefield trying to obtain goods from wounded or dead soldiers. At Valley Forge women averaged 1 to every 44 men, adding up to around 500 women.


I guess those women were sluts too huh?

pm317 said...

The Crack Emcee said..
-------------
You seem like a smart man (I mean it sincerely) and frankly, I have not understood why you support Santorum.

I like what I am seeing in Romney, a non-melodramatic nerdy candidate who does not want to get drawn into stupid applause grabbing lines on religion and morality. Look at this particular instance -- Obama threw the bait and Santorum just swallowed it hook, line and sinker. And what happened? a 5% gap in women's vote in MI. You can't afford that kind of misstep if you want to defeat Obama.

I have been to Utah -- at a conference another prof from Utah U. related to me a surprising fact about how people in Utah are entrepreneurial, more so than the national average and explained that one of the reasons was how the family and even extended family stands by each other which in turn gives the individual freedom to take risks and then make it work. You may deride Mormonism all you want, I know nothing about it and I care less about it. But if it breeds the kind of resourcefulness you see in Utah on the jobs and economy front, more power to them. BTW, Romney seems less of a Mormon than Santorum is a fundy Christian. That appeals to me. I don't want these guys talking about religion at all.

edutcher said...

For those interested, here's a little more on the "female law student".

Those trying to paint her as a some sort of victim, may find this hard to get past:

But the 30-year-old student who stirred the debate is no novice to the political arena. Fluke has a long history of feminist advocacy: The Washington Post reported Fluke entered Georgetown Law well aware that the school’s insurance plan did not cover contraception, only to spend the next three years lobbying the school to change its policy.

Fluke attended Cornell University from 1999-2003, where she received a B.S. in Policy Analysis & Management and Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies.

While at Cornell, Fluke’s organized activities centered on the far-left feminist and gender equity movements. Fluke participated in rallies supporting abortion, protests against war in Iraq and efforts to recruit other womens’ rights activists to campus.

During that period, she gained experience engaging in disputes concerning abortion with religious organizations.


An old pro. Kind of a community organizer.

sakredkow said...

Shiloh's school.

sakredkow said...

what is the truth? Knowing that - and sticking to it - is all that'll save what we have.

That's a real fucked-up way of thinking. Just MO.

MayBee said...

To be clear: I think the pill is a medical tool, and should be classified as proper medical care if prescribed by a doctor. I don't think it's relevant if it is for pregnancy or for ovarian cysts or for both at the same time. I agree with religious exceptions.

You should be aware that your same arguments were used in the United States to allow insurance agencies to refuse coverage to pregnant women.


Which of my arguments were used to refuse coverage to pregnant women?

You have already said you don't care about the copay issue. You have already said you agree with religious exemptions.

Now...about the mandate. Your own government does not have a mandate that all coverage *must* include female contraception. It will be illegal not to own a policy that covers that, as well as breast pumps. And whatever else the next politician wants to throw in.

Do you like those kind of mandates? Wish you had them? Think your country is falling about because you don't have those mandates?
What other medicines should the US and Canada mandate in such a way?

mc said...

We will all regret policing language. No matter the context into which we fall into it. You may not connect your incident ten years from now, but you will be complicit in your own abrogation of your first amendment. You contrition will begin with the word "but"

The Crack Emcee said...

Alex,

Crack - you are not a student of history to be doom mongering like this. If you knew anything about it, you'd know that 1778 was much more desperate.

Bullshit. I'm not the one passionately arguing over birth control up to my ears in debt. You guys have NO IDEA where we are now, financially, culturally, politically - anything - you're completely lost in meaningless bullshit. You dumbshits wouldn't understand an important issue if it was holding a gun to your head - AND IT IS!!!

Issue #1: YOU'RE STUPID!

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