The boycott of Rush Limbaugh's sponsors is going very well. In a word, it's amazing what the power of the People can accomplish.
But ultimately this is about more than Limbaugh's commercial sponsors. It is about his relationship with the Republican Party, which he took control of just over three years ago now. In the end, Limbaugh's political sponsorship must be pulled too, by the GOP, if they've got the...um...spine to do it.
A bit of history (from 2009) lies just below the pretty orange cloud.
On January 20th, 2009, history was being made as Barack Obama became our 44th president. Millions of people traveled to the Capital that day to celebrate, and the hopes of the Nation for the success of of the new president ran very deep as the times were dire. The Nation had just experienced a financial meltdown, we had a negative 8.9% GDP, and hundreds of thousands of jobs per month were being lost.
We were also mired in two foreign wars, the deficit projection for the coming fiscal year was over a trillion dollars, and the American Automobile industry was on the brink of collapse.
But not everyone in America wished for our Nation to get back on solid ground under the new president's leadership. Several days earlier that great American, Rush Limbaugh said the following:
“I disagree fervently with the people on our [GOP] side of the aisle who have caved and who say, ‘Well, I hope he succeeds.’”
He went on to say that his own feelings on the matter could be summed up in only 4 words:
"I hope he fails"
When confronted on these words, Limbaugh only doubled down with this:
"I would be honored if the "Drive-By Media" headlined me all day long: 'Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails.' Somebody’s gotta say it."
It took only about a week into the Obama Administration for Limbaugh to start consolidating his power. Here's an item from a Politico article dated 1/27/09:
Responding to President Obama’s recommendation to Republican congressional leaders last week that they not follow Limbaugh’s lead, the conservative talkmeister said on his show that Obama is “obviously more frightened of me than he is Mitch McConnell. He's more frightened of me, than he is of, say, John Boehner, which doesn't say much about our party."
Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., did not take kindly to this assessment in an interview with Politico Tuesday.
“I think that our leadership, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, are taking the right approach,” Gingrey said. “I mean, it’s easy if you’re Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even sometimes Newt Gingrich to stand back and throw bricks. You don’t have to try to do what’s best for your people and your party. You know you’re just on these talk shows and you’re living well and plus you stir up a bit of controversy and gin the base and that sort of that thing. But when it comes to true leadership, not that these people couldn’t be or wouldn’t be good leaders, they’re not in that position of John Boehner or Mitch McConnell."
Somehow, Gingrey did not get the memo that the party had a new leader, whom he had just insulted. So, on January 28th,after being properly informed, Gingrey sprinted back to his new place in line by begging Limbaugh for his forgiveness. He called the show to tell Mr. Limbaugh that he was a "conservative giant." Here's a sample of what he said:
"Rush, thank you so much. I thank you for the opportunity, of course this is not exactly the way to I wanted to come on. ... Mainly, I want to express to you and all your listeners my very sincere regret for those comments I made yesterday to Politico. ... I clearly ended up putting my foot in my mouth on some of those comments. ... I regret those stupid comments."
The pattern of Republicans being critical of Limbaugh, and then begging forgiveness lasted only a short time before his victory was total.
And just look at what has happened to our government as a result. The Republican Party became the Obstructionist Party, for within months they united behind a strategy of trying to block everything the president proposed, no matter where they stood on the various issues before. Mr. Obama tried over and over again to work co-operatively with the Republicans, only to be rebuffed time and time again.
By 2011, the President was unable to make a simple appointment to head a commission, both the operation of the Government, and the full faith and credit of the Nation became a game of "chicken," and the Congress of the United States has become almost entirely dysfunctional.
To be sure, there are other bad actors afoot, but Limbaugh has been the most powerful. The main damage of Limbaugh's reign has been to the Republican Party itself. Like Limbaugh, the GOP is now irrational, resentful of factual information, and mean-spirited.
If you're wondering if Limbaugh is still in control, look how many Republicans condemned him for his disgusting and deplorable three-day rant against a remarkably strong and steady young female law student, who testified before Congress on serious matters of women's health.
Limbaugh called her a slut and a prostitute, claimed entitlement to view videos of her and all the "feminazis" whose contraception he (somehow) paid for engaging in sexual intercourse, which he said should be posted on line, and so on. By now we're all familiar with the depths of his depravity.
On Saturday he issued what in his mind constitutes an apology. It begins this way:
For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.
ENOUGH! Mr. Limbaugh, you can't lie in an apology.
You did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke?
You most certainly did, or you would not have kept it up for three bleeping days! (trying to stay classy here. You would not have issued an unbelievable fifty-three personal attacks in that time during your "monologues." And let's be clear, there is nothing funny about that sort of vicious name-calling, nor is it "absurd." It is hateful and disgusting.
Mr. Limbaugh, you wrote this "apology" because your sponsors are (wisely) bailing on you.
You might be a bit more believable if you apologized for some of these remarks as well:
“You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray [the confessed assassin of Martin Luther King]. We miss you, James. Godspeed.”
Or when you said this to an African-American woman who dared to call your show:
“Take that bone out of your nose and call me back.”
Or how about this gem:
“Let the unskilled jobs that take absolutely no knowledge whatsoever to do — let stupid and unskilled Mexicans do that work.”
Or this one about the president:
Barack Obama is an angry black guy.
.
And on and on and on.
For too long now, Rush Limbaugh has been spewing a variety of vile and hate-filled messages onto the Public airways; messages of misogyny, racism, a generalized hatred of those people who are different in some way, or those disagree with him. But most of all he expresses a profound hatred and disrespect of our president and his family.
Last week, the years of hatred finally caught up with him.
We the People have had enough of it and we are refusing to tolerate it any longer. We are taking him on in a hard-nosed, united way by contacting his commercial sponsors, and boycotting them if they continue to endorse this cretin with their sponsorship, and the effort is already bearing fruit.
But remember the other support he gets is from the political party he has co-opted, and that part hasn't changed.
The other major target of our effort must be the Republican Party, where his disturbing political and social views are still in charge.
The simple question to put to Republicans now is whether they endorse or condemn the misogynist comments he delivered over and over again last week. But more importantly, do they endorse the body of his work from "take the bone out of your nose" to "I hope he fails?"
Will they continue to bow down to this hate-filled lunatic, or will they take a stand against his vile comments, and return common decency and civility to our National discourse, and put the common good over the Nation over rank and obscene political gamesmanship as it should be?
In essence, will the GOP stick with Limbaugh as their leader and go over the cliff with him, or will they disavow him by showing some courage and integrity, and in so doing begin to cure their illness?
I know it's tough to be put between a rock and a hard place, but if they're wise, they'll see the opportunity they're being given here to bring their Party back from the edge.
It is on us now to insist on an answer (silence is an endorsement), but it's on them to make the choice. I predict (sadly) that they'll make the wrong choice because they're afraid, and more's the pity for them if they do.