Rush...: ‘I’m Not Going To Apologize. People In My Position Never Apologize’

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/media/2012/03/05/437551/rush-on-degrading-comments-about-women-im-not-going-to-apologize-people-in-my-position-never-apologize/

Rush On Degrading Comments About Women: ‘I’m Not Going To Apologize. People In My Position Never Apologize’

By Judd Legum on Mar 5, 2012 at 10:30 am


For three days, Rush Limbaugh pursed a relentless, sexist and hateful assault on law student Sandra Fluke. (You can read a catalogue of 53 separate attacks by Limbaugh on Fluke here.)

As more advertisers announced they would no longer sponsor Limbaugh’s show, he abruptly reversed course on Saturday and issued an apology on his website. Some have questioned the sincerity of the apology since the brief statement also furthered his attacks on Fluke, suggesting she and other women’s health advocates wanted to testify before Congress regarding their “personal sexual recreational activities.”

A review of Limbaugh’s rhetoric, which is littered with misogynistic language, shows that there is reason to be skeptical of his remorse. For example, here’s an exchange from November 2007, when a caller reacts to Limbaugh commenting that “I’m like a woman when you get to numbers. I don’t follow them too easily”:

RUSH: I had a Barbie doll once, Cheryl, and you’d pull the string on the back, “Math class is tough.” You know the stereotype. I was just making a stereotypical joke.

CALLER: Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe you said that. I really can’t. We laugh at you all the time, but that was not funny. That was degrading to some women. [...]

CALLER: Okay. Do you apologize to the women? (Laughing.)

RUSH: Well, you know, Cheryl, I have to tell you, Cheryl is one of my all-time top-ten female names, and I hope that I can salvage your loyalty here as an audience member. I’m not going to apologize. People in my position never apologize. But we just acknowledge that you were upset and offended by it. I’ll apologize you were offended.

CALLER: Okay.

RUSH: But I’m not going to apologize for saying it. I meant to say it. Why would I apologize for something I meant to say? It was a joke.

CALLER: Okay. I guess. Okay.

Some advertisers are also not convinced that, this time, Limbaugh is sincerely apologetic. After he announced his apology, two additional advertisers announced they were dropping their sponsorship.

[yodermon]

1. good find.

k&r

[unapatriciated]

2. he apologized that women were upset by his comments?

In other words we are the ones that owe him an apology, for not getting his joke.
Well the joke is on you rush, I look forward to the day that they pull the plug on your little hatefest of a show.

[DefenseLawyer]

5. That's the classic non-apology apology: I'm sorry you were offended.

or "I did not intended to offend anyone with my comments". It's going through the ritual so you get the "credit" for apologizing, but for people who actually listen you never actually say that your comments were wrong or that you are sorry that you made them. I didn't see this thing Limbaugh did on Saturday as the "classic non-apology apology"; he did say he was sorry he said those things. His problem is by continuing to argue the same points in the middle of his supposed apology (comparing women's health to government mandated running shoes? Wha? ) and brushing it off as "humor", there isn't anyone who thought for a second it was a sincere apology.

[lpbk2713]

3. The liar usually just denies saying whatever backfires on him.

Even when it is on tape.

He denied saying he wants Obama to fail, even before he was inaugurated.

And he denied saying drug users should all be jailed. And then he was caught with drugs.

And then he heard himself on tape.

[Gormy Cuss]

4. People in his position can't apologize

because it's hard to talk when one's head is so firmly stuck up one's posterior.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. He went so far off the cliff

that he would have a difficult time getting back. We are witnessing that brief moment in time, in slow-motion, where he floats above the abyss before he comes crashing down to the ground.



Of course Wiley always came back for the next episode to do his dirty work, so I expect the same would happen with this bigot.

[donheld]

7. Rush has gotten away with this years too long.

He should have been fired many years ago. His mouth has done a hell of a lot of damage to our country.