Yes, Mam! Big name companies as well as small locals, continue to dump Rush Limbaugh - about 2700 sponsors have departed so far. Some of the most loyal Limbaugh sponsors, who have ignored protestors for over a year... are now bolting. Why? The boycott heat is hot, and these Rush Limbaugh 'Sponsor-Babes' are feeling the *BAIN, I mean the pain. We are thrilled to see them go. Do they deserve praise and glory for doing so? Hell, no. They stood by Limbaugh, even after his 3-day attack of Sandra Fluke. They saw him call her a 'slut' and 'prostitute' for advocating insurance coverage for birth control, and they continued to sponsor and support his hateful bigoted rhetoric, by throwing advertising dollars his way. No reputable company should have stayed with him after that. Maybe someday, the public will forgive these companies Right now, it's good to see them finally doing the right thing. The latest to flush Rush is AAMCO. Here is part of their statement, sent to protesting groups:
"AAMCO stores are locally owned and operated, and each, therefore make advertising purchasing decisions at their own discretion. However, after many requests online from groups and individuals who have continuously posted about the controversial content on the Rush Limbaugh program, AAMCO investigated where local centers were advertising on Rush Limbaugh programming. The program was not specifically selected by any local AAMCO center, but was part of a broad program rotation in two local markets. Because of this, AAMCO has since requested to those markets that the Limbaugh program be removed from the ad rotation, therefore making an exception to its local policy."
Very good. Pray tell, why didn't they do this before? For over a year they have been contacted by individual consumers and groups. Many of these national chains often say they do not agree with Limbaugh's commentary, but they have no control over their franchises. That's BS, and we all know it. When push comes to shove, it's their name and logo on the line - and they can call the troops to order. Push came to shove also for Dish Networks, Capstone and Safelite who've not been heard on Limbaugh's show for months. Angie's Lists has gone back and forth, so we don't know what they'll do. (They're gone for now.) The protests are clearly working. Limbaugh's parent company, Clear Channel, run by CEO Bob Pittman and President John Sykes, has lost hundreds of millions in revenue since the boycotts began. Clear Channel is owned by Bain Capitol(yes, of the Mitt Romney flavor). And Clear Channel owns iHeart Radio.
We must celebrate the American public for these accomplishments. It has not been an easy job, no. Hundreds of thousands are involved in the work. There are numerous groups and petitions. Some groups like 'BoycottRush' and 'FlushRush', monitor stations, and report ads to the StopRush Database, then post them on their Facebook walls.The BoycottRush Facebook Grouphas over 58,000 members. When they post a sponsor's name on their wall, it appears in the Facebook news feeds. Those people share on their other social media networks like Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon... so the original post with the sponsors name aligned with Rush Limbaugh, is capable of being seen by millions. That's a lot of bad press for a company to risk. And sometimes even bad press really is not good press. I know I have remembered the wrongs of certain companies for decades and still won't buy from them. Okay, yes, I can hold a grudge with companies - I'm not alone.
Occasionally, several groups join together and do social media blasts. On a certain day, at a certain time, the combined group members tweet, Facebook post, call, and email sponsors - all at once. (Sunday night, there was a Subway 'twitter bomb.') Members are advised to be respectful to sponsors. There are some that just can't do it, but for the most part, the boycotters are decent everyday people who've joined the Limbaugh protests because they care about public radio. They are fed up with the hate speech Rush Limbaugh spews daily on our public airways. Though some members are politically inclined, for most people, this is not a right/left wing issue. It's about common decency - something Limbaugh greatly lacks. Our public radio network was not created to be used by a hate-monger like Limbaugh, who makes millions, to promote racism, sexism and gay-hating bigotry.
Limbaugh is losing and he's desperate. To join in the final countdown days to victory, here are a few ways you can help:
Join/Like: BoycottRushFacebook Group
Sign: Limbaugh Sponsor & Clear Channel Petition
Visit: The StopRush Database
Email: FCC Acting Chairwoman Clyburn
Also, you can sign: Petition To Remove Limbaugh's Bust From Missouri State Capitol Building (The bust sits with with others like, Mark Twain, Walter Cronkite, Sacajawea, and Harry Truman - in tax-paid government building.)
Sign: Daily Kos Petition To Remove Limbaugh From The Armed Forces Network
Some of the most loyal remaining Rush Limbaugh sponsors include:
Amberen SweetJack, LegalZoom, Comcast, 1-800-Flowers, Ageless Male, Lifelock, Comcast, Blinds.com, Stamps.com, Regus, Lear Capitol, Income At Home/Herbal Life, Hillsdale College, Lunch Dates, iHeart, Wave Home, Gold Bond, Midas, Visiting Angel, MyTV, New Vitality, Keller Williams, Heritage Foundation, 800-Donate Cars, Power Swabs, Idrive, Bank On Yourself, Total Transformations and iHeart. Sadly, AARP is jumping in to take advantage of free PSA (Public Service Announcement) ad space on Limbaugh's show. Why would any company risk offending 90% or more of Americans (women, blacks, gay men, lesbians, hispanics, disabled, military, unions members, the poor, children, immigrants, liberals, teachers, tax-payers, anyone with any sense of goodness) ...for free ad space with Rush Limbaugh. Come to grips, AARP.
If you'd like to send these companies a note, most are on Facebook/Twitter. For more sponsors, (yes, there are many more who are taking advantage of the Rush Limbaugh Clearance Sale on Ad Space) you can visit StopRush.net. It's good to see the people using their voices and consumer dollars to fight and win against greed and corruption.
Thank you, Richard Myers. We are finishing this. Rest in peace.
Note: Special thanks to OldSoldier99, CTNET, and Shockwave for their information. The AFN petition has been edited in to this diary, as well as mention of Subway and AARP's ads.
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