Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host decided to reverse his stance on Saturday regarding his comments about a law student from Georgetown University. The student spoke publicly as she acknowledged the birth control policy of the Obama administration. Limbaugh apologized for calling the student a ‘prostitute.’
President Obama called Sandra Fluke on Saturday to let her know he stood with her in the wake of her personal attacks by Limbaugh, who then posted an apology on his personal website, according to the New York Times.
“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,” Limbaugh wrote.
Last week, on three of his shows, Limbaugh went after Fluke as a sexually promiscuous woman and one who is motivated in the political sector. He even called her “an anti-Catholic plant.”
During his Wednesday show he called Fluke a “slut who wants to be paid to have sex.” Then, on his Thursday show, Limbaugh said Fluke was “having so much sex, it’s amazing she can still walk.” Friday’s show brought the following comment from Limbaugh regarding a possible testified statement from Fluke: “she was having sex so frequently that she can’t afford all the birth-control pills that she needs.”
Quite a few advertisers on Limbaugh’s radio show have pulled their ads but Limbaugh did not address those companies during his written statement over the weekend. The statement did say, “My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.”
Plenty of outlets across the country viewed the apology as a non-apology from Limbaugh. In fact, a Twitter account called ‘Stop Rush,’ posted the following Tweet:
“I think this attempt at damage control labeled as an apology actually makes things worse.” The account’s main goal is to have the public put pressure on Limbaugh’s advertisers to pull ads from his radio programs. The Twitter account also posted the following Tweet: “You know what Rush’s so-called apology means? Your efforts at delivering real accountability are working! Keep at it! Onward!”
Dana Loesch, a conservative figure, backed what Limbaugh had to say. Loesch added on Twitter: “If you expect me to pay higher insurance premiums to cover your ‘free’ birth control, I can call you whatever I want.”
David Friend, the chief executive of Carbonite, said on Facebook that it would pull its ads on Limbaugh’s 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.”