So, for the first time in my memory, he has apologized. Sort of. He did not mean to personally attack her, even though he said these things specifically about her: It is obvious the apology is for the sponsors, not for Ms. Fluke.
I doubt that. Official GOP folks don't want to talk about it, just like the Swiftboating, but the damage was done. It was effective enough to distract people to stop talking about legit issues. As of right now, people are not listening to the president's agenda because this doofus changed the subject. Us liberals are like the dog from Up when somebody attacks us with stupid reasons. We can't stop ourselves. Rush and co are simple trolls. ...and we fall for it everytime. Every reasonable person knows contraceptives are good. There are few things in medicine that are easier to demonstrate their worthiness. What's there to debate? Every moment we spend debating the topic is another win for the GOP because they control the dialogue and liberals are forced to be on defense.
I have to disagree here. This was a huge loss for the GOP, and a big plus for the Democratic Party. The tactics of the GOP going into this election have always included preventing the President's agenda by hook or by crook. To assault the Democrats (especially the President) at every turn, and if no opportunity presented itself, to make things up in order to attack the President and his party. That has been their agenda since the day he was sworn in. The "dialogue" (has there really been any dialogue? doesn't that require two sides talking to each other?) has been a waste of time, and the GOP attacks unrelenting. My complaint is completely different from yours. The Democrats and the President, if anything, have been too passive, to reluctant to attack back. Perhaps it has been a good strategy... that the GOP would shoot itself in the foot and make itself look bad, while making the Democrats look reasonable. In this case, that has happened, but more from luck than by strategy. Who could have predicted that Limbaugh, the most prominent far-right entertainer in the media, would say things so dispicable that even Republicans had to distance themselves from him? Yes, sheer luck. In my opinion, however, we should have gone after them three years ago for abusing the rules of the Senate in ways we haven't seen before, for preventing the President exercising the mandate the public gave him when he was elected. The President attempted, time and time and time again, to forge a compromise on the issues. The Republican Party made it clear from the outset that they would do all in their power to prevent compromise, regardless of the damage done to the nation. The President waited far too long to forcefully respond. Limbaugh gave Democrats a gift, The irony is very amusing.
Limbaugh isn't getting enough attention or his ratings slip -- he says something outrageous/ over the top -- and here we are putting him back in the national conversation.
I will concede that THIS time that the GOP may have taken some damage. But you have to concede that we are NOT talking about the presidents agenda either. So even when we win, we still lose. ...and Rush will barely feel any pain because of it. So what did the GOP lose? They launched their attach (like swiftboat) and if there is too much backlash the GOP starts to "distance" themselves (like swiftboat) but only after a direct hit. Now, I am not suggesting this is always a winning strategy for them. But I AM suggesting that the GOP is on offense and unless they over extend themselves, as maybe they have this time, then that puts dems off message. For that, I think you and I agree. I think it is time to air out their strategy. Let's stop responding to their silly arguments. Using Rush's own (silly) description, he was using a ridiculous analogy. Let's stop using ridiculous analogies. Let's stop comparing Obama to Hitler. In short, I don't believe for one second that Rush believes anything he said or that it was an unintentional. I believe it was discussed with his strategists ahead of time to use this language because he KNEW it would create a stir and get the Dems off topic. That is their only motive. Do you think Rush honestly tries to convince people or do you think he is a national troll? If you think he is a troll, what have we learned on the interwebs on how to deal with them? Don't feed them. We need to stop debating the merrits of his (and his cohort) messages and start pointing out these damaging tactics. It's a tactic ...nothing less. I should start my own thread on this. It derails the topic (which is actually my goal. Lol)
I rarely say this about someone, and not caught up into looks or anything like that. Though, when I see Rush Limbaugh. I can attest that I am truly looking at someone who is genuinely ugly on the inside and outside. He's not remotely cute or handsome in any sort of way, while he comes off a sleazeball. I wouldn't see how anyone could genuinely make love to him unless there was a financial incentive on the table. There are animals I would sleep with, before I slept with Rush Limbaugh.
I was making a simple hyperbole, not assuming a certain taste of bestiality. Though again, considering the subject at hand is this man: I think it would be negotiable with most mammals, if I had to choose one animal or Rush Limbaugh to bust open my vajay. I think I could tell my most of my friends I slept with horse or monkey, before I could tell them I slept with or gave Rush Limbaugh a blow job. The latter one just disgusted me, now I need to go take a shower.
While i agree with you that Rush is an ugly man, I don't think it is particularly helpful to sexualize your statement. It's nearly as bad as his statement.
True. But Rush's own excuse was that he was being humerous. IMO, we use extreme humor a little too often these days. It adds very little and more often detracts from the actual point ...another thing you now have in common w/ Rush. Lol You had a good point that the man is ugly inside and out ...but then derailed your own point. Just an observation.
Clearly you don't. No worries for me. You posted a comment on a BBS and I'm simply pointing out to you that nobody paid any attention to your actual point because everybody was distracted by your delivery rather than your message. But if you don't care that your own means of communication is ineffective, fine. Just some constructive criticism. Feel free to flush it down the toilet. BUT you actually proved my prior point rather well. Thanks for that. (although I doubt you did so intentionally but I'm convinced that Rush does). That makes him a troll ...not you. Rush uses methods to distract folks from the real point. As a society, we bite EVERY time.
Dude, who cares about what point you are trying to prove, or Rush Limbaugh for that matter? Moreover, what he just said about that girl is very much libelous and tinkering on character assassination. Your point is just a pointed opinion. What Rush Limbaugh just said hurts him more than what I just said about choosing to engage with sexual contact over animals versus Rush Limbaugh. Considering when they are people who actively going after his advertisers and trying to have him boycotted. If that progress goes any further, then it may hurt his pockets and even viewership. If that is fun for him that is his business. Sweetie, do you not realize this is BBs, there are people on here obsessing over basketball games, Jeremy Lin, half naked men and women, and who to get drunk with. I could become the most rhetorical, judicial, and well-spoken person on this board. It really doesn't mean anything, anyway. It's just a fan-related basketball BBs. It's all about context and the forum. It's not like I am sitting on Capitol Hill here, or a scholastic meeting of professors.
We don't really disagree here much, except that I don't believe Limbaugh does this to "distract folks from the real point." In my opinion, what he does is ratings driven. He is held up by Republicans of the Right as a paragon because he gets very, very high ratings, and his rants are almost always anti-Democratic Party/Liberal/Progressive rants. So prominent Republicans kowtow to the man, puff up his ego, use him for their own ends, while he uses them for his own ends... making money as an entertainer. Personally, I don't think Limbaugh believes half of what he says, if that much. What is unusual here is that he went so far off the reservation with these comments that they have hurt the Republican Party, his bread and butter, and what has made him a millionaire several times over, at the worst possible time. The run-up to a presidential election is not when you want to piss off half the country (women), regardless of if they are conservative Republicans, or not. Millions of Republican women use birth control pills. They have sex. They don't consider themselves "sluts," or the other things Limbaugh called this woman. This will hurt the GOP in this election. Women who weren't "engaged" politically, who are independents, or lackadasical Democrats, are going to remember this incident, many will associate Limbaugh's comments with the GOP and, in my opinion, many will vote Democratic who might otherwise stay home, and some Repubican women may simply stay home. In a vacuum, Limbaugh's comments are not game changing, but in a close election, they are going to be another element on the scales as women (and men) weigh who to vote for. This will not be forgotten. The Democratic Party will insure that it is not, in my opinion. Thanks for your big mouth, Limbaugh! ;-)-
For one thing, credibility. But more importantly, independent voters. I think this whole thing is a net loss for the GOP. Winning a national election means winning independent voters. This amazing claptrap over contraception energizes the social conservative base, and alienates a lot of independents. There are a LOT of women out there using the pill. A LOT. Not just college coeds, but married women, women from various professions and political backgrounds. This huge *****storm over contraception illustrates loud and clear how utterly out of touch the GOP is with the real lives of the average american. They've energized the rabid base, but they were rabid already. They're going to vote republican anyway. What about all those financial conservatives who aren't strongly religious? What about the libertarian conservatives who value personal freedom and choice? I agree it's gotten the national conversation off of the president's agenda, but he has tons of time to stay on track with that, and the GOP just did a lot of work to make themselves unappealing to the average american.
Didn't Rush go after this one woman? How is what he did different than what you did.... or Maher calling Sarah Palin a "twat?"
