AK senator condemns Limbaugh Fluke comments

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Rush LimbaughLisa Murkowski (R-AK) told listeners to a Homer AK radio station that she was amazed that what she thought was long settled policy on access to contraceptives may no longer be settled. And she said she was disappointed that Rush Limbaugh wasn’t rebuked by Republican leaders after his widely-reported remarks about Georgetown student Sandra Fluke.


According to an article in the Homer News, Murkowski made her remarks on noncommercial AM 890 KBBI.

She called Limbaugh’s remarks “horribly offensive” and said that women feel threatened. She said she supports Planned Parenthood and the right to a “safe and legal abortion.”

Murkowski expressed her disappointment that the candidates running in her own party’s primary did not condemn Limbaugh’s rhetoric.

She said that the current attack on women was senseless, and added that anyone who believes it is not in fact an attack should discuss the matter with his wife and daughters.

RBR-TVBR observation: It wasn’t that long ago that on the rare occasions a Republican criticized Limbaugh for something, they would soon retract whatever the criticism was, or at least smooth it over. If nothing else, it is possible that the Fluke incident has cost the Talk icon the bulletproof vest that used to protect him from occasional bursts of friendly fire.

RBR-TVBR’s Media Information Bureau has studies available that put the Talk Radio audience under the microscope. In “The politics of the Radio Audience” you will see that Talk Radio is one of the prime radio destinations for Republican listeners; and in “Talk Radio, Consumers and Retail” you will find that the format leans heavily to the male side. We suspect that for Limbaugh, the numbers on both counts are far higher than they are for Talk Radio as a whole.

7 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you Lisa Murkowski for showing the courage that few republicans will show. It is not about “party” when someone tries to threaten and demean a group of people. Bullying is what the radio talk show host does best. He has targeted women frequently and unnecessarily. He establishes a divisive “us against them” that is not conducive to improving anything. Why can’t we all respect others and work together toward a common goal? Because then he would not have a show. Why does he appeal so much to the republican party (or does he) and why do the party members (except for you) fear him? Sincerely hope that you are not mistreated for standing up. Sounds like you can stand up for yourself though. If others will stand up it would help turn the republican party around and help women feel less alienated.

  2. Thank you Senator Murkowski for speaking out, for straying from the GOP script! Thank you Rush Limbaugh for alerting minorities, women and men across the country to what is really going on here. His racial and misogynist rants of the past month have awaken a sleeping giant. We are learning that individually we can use our pocketbooks and purchasing power to counter Limbaugh. Let’s make an example out of the man whose been making examples out of women and minorities for too many years!

  3. “Friendly fire”…unless you’ve experienced it – it ain’t. I resent the analogy!

    As an ex-Marine and Viet man War era veteran (62-66) and, ex-broadcaster rush limburger, in my opinion, does not spew “friendly fire”, but rather, a planned, calculated and executed hateful discourse that further erodes the very fabric that made this country great.

    He feeds on the fear, prejudices and hatred that have only been simmering under the surface since and even before the days of the Watts riots, OJ’s trial and Rodney King. limburger is like a festering sore on this country underside.

    limburger, in his disgusting manner feeds of the carcasses, sick, lame n’ lazy that buy into his hateful attitude.

    It may sound corny, but I have to ask “Would YOU want limburger in a fox hole with you? I think not. Most don’t even know what a fox hole is, right?

    I am sure limburger feels he is ‘above’ the First Amendment.

  4. Isn’t it time we ALL stopped degrading others? Unfortunately if one side is civil and the other not, then nothing is solved. On this issue, when will we realize that nothing is FREE! Why can we not have insurance that allows a ‘menu’ for us to pick from? Let the individual pick and choose what coverage one wants. If a company (employer or insurance) wants to put contraception as an item on all policies, then OK, but at least make it an option (even at extra cost for that individual policy). Yes, it requires the insured to take an active role in the coverage options. So what is wrong with that? Limbaugh was off base. He said so. He appologized. Enough!

    • Actually, Limbaugh “apologized” only for “those two words” (“slut” and “prostitute”), but he has not yet apologized for calling Ms. Fluke “a woman who is happily presenting herself as an immoral, baseless, no-purpose-to-her-life woman,” nor for claiming “by her own admission, in her own words, Sandra Fluke is having so much sex that she can’t afford it” (in fact, Fluke NEVER even mentioned her own sex life, much less whether she herself needs or uses contraception), nor for claiming, “Does she have more boyfriends? Ha! They’re lined up around the block.”

      Limbaugh *especially* never apologized for demanding, “Ms. Fluke and the rest of you feminazis, here’s the deal: If we are going to pay for your contraceptives and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. And I’ll tell you what it is. We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch,” nor for, “we want something in return, Ms. Fluke: And that would be the videos of all this sex posted online so we can see what we are getting for our money.”

      I’m a lifelong registered Independent who voted for McCain and Palin in 2008 and who’s voted Republican as often as I’ve voted Democratic over the decades, but I’m also the mother of a teenage daughter, and for her sake I’m determined to be relentless in my efforts to ensure that she is never subjected to the kind of hateful, misogynist treatment to which Rush Limbaugh subjected Sandra Fluke, and that such indecent programming and profane speech is driven from the public airways between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., in accordance with Federal law: http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/oip/

      Limbaugh’s big error — which neither he nor Clear Channel nor media pundits appear to grasp yet — is that he’s riled up a hefty percentage of the soccer moms of America by attacking a young woman who could be our own daughters, and what makes the female the more dangerous of the species is threatening or harming her cub — or someone who *could* be her cub.

      And by the way, Sandra Fluke was *not* asking for “free” coverage: she explained in her testimony that the students themselves pay 100% of the cost of their health insurance policy and policies including contraception are made available to Georgetown’s faculty and staff — the students simply want a choice of the same kind of coverage at their own expense.

      But no one who listens to Rush Limbaugh for their “news” would ever know that.

  5. Ad to see that Soros’ money is still doing so well for Media Matters. The ‘boycott’ still grows as more ompanies that never sponsored Limbaugh announce they will no longer sponsor Limbaugh. At the same time they love real anti women behavior.

    • Cheers to Cathleen.

      As for you, “Watcher,” do you have the courage to say in the same defensive statement “…that Fox News’ money ($1 million to the Republican Governors Association) is doing so well for the Conservative party”? Or, how about “That May’s money is behind Limbaugh and the rest of the Republican movement?” – need we mention the Koch brothers and their attempt to take majority control of the Cato Institute? Or, that Romney only admitted “I wouldn’t have used those words” because his Bain Capital owns Limbaugh – and Clear Channel.

      How about an acknowledgement that the anti-Limbaugh movement is a grass roots effort to stamp out inaccurate and mean-spirited talk on a public’s airwaves? As Cathleen points out, “threatening or harming her cub” has a way of turning women into activists (and millions of guys like me support them).

      It’s time that the misinformation and this misogynist approach to “entertainment” be stopped! High school students are expelled for bullying in a similar manner. Other air talent on Clear Channel stations get fired, suspended, or are forced to take sensitivity training for far less grievous statements.

      Rush and his followers don’t have a clue about the truth – most are as ignorant as someone who makes a statement like “At the same time they love real anti women behavior.” (Watcher, you need to invest in spell-check, too.)

      If you need proof that Limbaugh’s troops follow without question, leaf-through “The Limbaugh Letter.” April’s issue didn’t mention this fiasco but had plenty of other words that twisted reality.

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