At this point, dealing with the shit that spews from Rush Limbaugh’s mouth becomes physically exhausting. I don’t know how he manages to keep topping himself, but he’s done it again – this time in the form of a horribly misogynistic (and just plain creepy) radio rant against Georgetown Law School student Sandra Fluke.
Fluke testified during an unofficial hearing headed by Nancy Pelosi, giving a personal account about the health problems caused due to inaccessibility to contraception. On his show, Limbaugh called her out by name as a “slut” and a “prostitute.” He took his slut-shaming a step (or a million steps) further, asking of Fluke, “Who bought your condoms in sixth grade?” With the maturity expected of him, he rejected all concerns over lack of accessibility to contraception by mocking Fluke’s congressional testimony in a baby voice, crying, “I’m going broke having sex. I need government to provide me condoms and contraception. It’s not fair!”
And because consistency is his strong suit, he kept the misogyny and douche-baggery coming until the very end, proclaiming that if the government will pay for women’s contraception, women are obligated to post videos of themselves having sex online. I shit you not. Listen for yourself:
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYxxps6tgSQ 425×344]
Here’s the transcript: “So, 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.”
I don’t think I need to explain to you all why this rant is infuriatingly crazy wrong and why the need for affordable and accessible contraception is good. But what is particularly striking about this rant is Limbaugh’s insatiable need to bully people – people who can’t respond directly – from the safety of his radio studio.
Fluke calmly and eloquently responded to Limbaugh’s tirade in an MSNBC interview yesterday, saying, “I guess my reaction is the reaction a lot of women have when they’ve been called these names. Initially you’re stunned but then, very quickly, you’re outraged because this is historically the kind of language that is used to silence women, especially when women stand up and say that these are their reproductive health care needs and this is what they need.”
Limbaugh’s station, WJR, will continue to air Limbaugh’s talk show, and has yet to denounce his revolting comments. If you’d like to contact them and encourage them to condemn Limbaugh for his hateful misogyny and slut-shaming, you can e-mail them here or tweet them at @WJRadio.
EDIT: Sandra Fluke reveals on Andrea Mitchell Reports that President Obama called her and voiced his support of her. “He encouraged me and supported me and thanked me for speaking out about the concerns of American women,” said Fluke of the President’s phone call. “What was really personal for me was that he said to tell my parents that they should be proud.” Solid, Mr. President. Solid.
(Photo via cleveland.com)
