ABC Scolds GOP Candidates as ‘Cowards’ for Inadequately Rebuking Limbaugh: ‘Not Exactly Profiles in Courage’
ABC on Monday night rebuked the Republican presidential field for not adequately condemning Rush Limbaugh for his “slut” characterization of Sandra Fluke, for which he apologized on his Monday radio show. “The Republican presidential candidates still tried to dodge having to make tough comments about the power broker,” anchor Diane Sawyer announced in framing the World News story.
Reporter Dan Harris contended, without identifying who is making such a complaint, that “leading Republicans are essentially being called cowards for their tepid criticism of America’s most powerful conservative radio host.” After a bite of Mitt Romney saying “it’s not the language I would have used,” Harris snidely asserted: “Not exactly Profiles in Courage material.”
He then ran a soundbite from George Will on Sunday’s This Week: “Boehner comes out and says Rush’s language was ‘inappropriate.’ Using the salad fork for your entree, that’s inappropriate.”
NBC focused its Nightly News piece on Limbuagh losing advertisers, but reporter Anne Thompson couldn’t resist pointing out “Republicans aren’t rallying around the conservative icon either.” To illustrate, she played a clip of Mike Murphy on Sunday’s Meet the Press taking a pot-shot at Limbaugh unrelated to the propriety of what he said on the radio: “The big myth about Rush Limbaugh is he can’t deliver a pizza, let alone a vote. A lot of noise.”
That quip came in response to host David Gregory who had also pushed the line that Romney as been too timid toward Limbaugh: “Was this a ‘Sister Souljah Moment’ that Romney missed?” (My Sunday NB post, with video.)
From the Monday, March 5 ABC World News, transcript provided by the MRC’s Brad Wilmouth, who corrected the closed-captioning against the video:
DIANE SAWYER: It was turbulent today as conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh tried to steer through the whirlwind he unleashed after calling a law school student speaking out about contraception, quote, a “slut” and a “prostitute.” One radio station canceled his show. More big sponsors withdrew. And, as Limbaugh apologized again, the Republican presidential candidates still tried to dodge having to make tough comments about the power broker. ABC's Dan Harris has it all.
RUSH LIMBAUGH: The apology was sincere.
DAN HARRIS: A rare and public apology today from Rush Limbaugh to Sandra Fluke, the 30-year-old law student who Limbaugh mocked last week for arguing to Congress that insurers should cover birth control costs.
LIMBAUGH CLIP #1: She must be paid to have sex.
LIMBAUGH CLIP #2: It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute.
LIMBAUGH CLIP #3: And I again sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for using those two words to describe her.
HARRIS: Fluke appeared on ABC’s The View this morning and afterwards spoke to us, saying Limbaugh’s apology changed nothing.
SANDRA FLUKE, GEORGETOWN LAW SCHOOL STUDENT: He said that I was having so much sex that he was surprised I could still walk to get to Capitol Hill. It’s so vile.
HARRIS: So vile as to be perhaps unforgivable?
FLUKE: Perhaps.
HARRIS: Today, more companies, including AOL and Allstate, pulled their ads from the program, making it at least 10 sponsors who apparently feel that calling a woman a “slut” does not jibe with their marketing plan. But with 15 million weekly listeners on nearly 600 stations across America, it may be that in the words of one expert, Rush is too big to fail. Meanwhile, leading Republicans are essentially being called cowards for their tepid criticism of America's most powerful conservative radio host.
MITT ROMNEY: It’s not the language I would have used.
HARRIS: Not exactly Profiles in Courage material.
GEORGE WILL, CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST: -Boehner comes out and says Rush’s language was “inappropriate.” Using the salad fork for your entree, that’s inappropriate.
HARRIS: As for Sandra Fluke, she says she has heard just about enough from Rush Limbaugh. What if he were to call you and say, “I personally want to apologize to you directly”? Could that make a difference?
FLUKE: I want to be very clear that I don’t want a personal phone call from him. The attacks he made against me personally on the air were enough personal contact for a lifetime.
HARRIS: Dan Harris, ABC News, New York.
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Comments
Only when THEY rebuke Schultz
Submitted by rbosque on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 9:56pm.
Only when THEY rebuke Schultz for calling Laura Ingraham a slut.
If the republican candidates
Submitted by Reaver on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 9:59pm.
If the republican candidates had all got together with torches and pitchforks and burned down Rush Limbaugh’s house the media would still be saying their response was inadequate.
Did I miss this?
Submitted by Shreve on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 10:03pm.
"He said that I was having so much sex that he was surprised I could still walk to get to Capitol Hill." - Sandra Fluke
Did he say this really, or is she total liar?
Fluke lies
Submitted by lostinkc on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 10:08pm.
She's a liar ...plain and simple.
So, if she's not a slut, what is she?
Submitted by Willis_Leon_Johnson on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 10:04pm.
She says she can't afford $9 a month to pay for her own recreational activities?
Maybe she wants the TaxPAYER to pay for her shots of whiskey or tequila as well?
Who is paying for her college education if $9.00 is too much for her to afford?
Is she getting her tuition paid for by the taxPAYERS?
Is she living in "subsidized housing" as well?
If $9.00 is too steep, maybe she can get her 'partner(s)' to split the cost 50-50?
Let's see, half of $9.00 is $4.50, and she has 5 friends in any given month, and each of those 5 pays the $4.50....
She may not be promiscuous, but the whine on NATIONAL TV about $9.00 a month being unaffordable?
At best she is a braindead twit!
End 'gun violence in America' - Require training and MANDATORY "Shall Carry" by every Citizen.
If harry reid is the best person to lead the senate, what does that say about the other 99 senators?
where is the anger
Submitted by oldfart on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 10:13pm.
when Bill Maher runs his mount and call non-liber/progressive women every bad, sophormic name in the book?
what at pile of BS
"HARRIS: Not exactly Profiles in Courage material."
Submitted by Tugboat Phil on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 11:03pm.
He said, from his comfortable perch on Obama's arse cheek.
The media
Submitted by grammajane on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 11:07pm.
is on the war-path to get Rush fired. They are all worried and scared of him because he tells the truth. Williams and Todd were wetting their pants tonight reporting all THEIR polls putting Barry in the lead of everything political. If any of these reporters had a fourth of credibility that Rush has, it would be a lie. Rush has been in their cross-hairs for 25 years and they can't stand how powerful and liked he is.
Who Was It that called the Woman a
Submitted by RickZ on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 11:13pm.
Cunt
Twat
Whore
Slut
.......
Don't think it was anyone on the right......
In fact, it was some LeftTard ripping into Sarah Palin.
William I-got-no-sponsers Maher...
.......That's what he thought, that's what he said....
and then ripping into her teen daughter.
And then some other LeftTard renting the house next to Palin, so he could spy on the family, and write a book about it..
Incredible, Bill Maher is the
Submitted by Liberallies on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 11:20pm.
Incredible, Bill Maher is the most vile, digusting, unapologetic mysogenist on television today. he represents Liberal values. He gives $1 million dollars to an Obama Super Pac, no prominent Liberal, politician, writer, talking head has ever condemned his vile attacks against women. Instead they constantly flock to his HBO show and it is Republicans who do not have the courage to call out Rush Limbaugh?
Diane Sawyer, you sad, sad hypocrite! and so is the idiot who helped you with this story. SAD!
Sandra Flounder is a
Submitted by RickZ on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 11:32pm.
30 yr old activist who chose her law school because it did not have birth control coverage.
ObamaKare does not cover college students ... so she only was looking for a platform to blotiate her agenda.
Ms Flounder (aka Fluke) is kinda fishy about this ..... she has a coauthored article in a LGBTQ journal stating that employers who do not provide health insurance to cover gender transitions (woman to man; man to woman) operations and hormone medication are some type of bigots.....
This is not some 'typical' law school student; it is a serious, 30 yr old activist who was given a stage by the Democrats in a news conference -- NOT in a bipartisan hearing.
Sandra Fluke must be paying for sex, and wants the gub'mint to pick up the tab for male prostitutes she hires ..... ..... $3,000 ? ? ? .... with NO health insurance, BC pills cost $20-$50 a month .... and, Wal-Mart, Target and Kroger pharmacies offer a limited selection of generic birth control pills for $9 per month. ...... ...... also, Clinics such as those operated by Planned Parenthood offer discounted birth control pills to women who qualify. And most college campus health centers do the same for enrolled students. ....... ....... ........ health.costhelper.com/birth-control-pills.html
Hey RickZ
Submitted by gfrrman on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:56am.
Who is "Sandra Fluke"? Where'd you dig up this info...my inquiring mind wants to know(Georgetown info?).....have
not heard any of this(what does one expect from LSM?)????
g
Just head about this on Mark
Submitted by lesterwink23 on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 11:43pm.
Just head about this on Mark Levin's show...I'm sure there will be a great outcry from the MSM for Dems to condemn the human waste matter that is Mike Malloy for these comments...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44hU4pVaV4g
The media, rewriting history as it happens.
Submitted by Willis_Leon_Johnson on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:55am.
Just like the public socialist indoctrination centers jokingly referred to as 'schools'.
History rewritten to fit the needs of the ruling parties.
We still have a department of indoctrination because BOTH PARTIES demand it!
End 'gun violence in America' - Require training and MANDATORY "Shall Carry" by every Citizen.
If harry reid is the best person to lead the senate, what does that say about the other 99 senators?
Diane and Harris
Submitted by ohio granny on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 5:45pm.
Did you demand Ed Schultz or Bill Maher apologize? Did you ask any democrat on your show to condem them? Did you ask why obama didn't call Sarah Palin or Laura Ingraham to assauge their hurt feelings. Did either one of them get on any shows to complain about their feelings? We know the answer to these questons are a big NO and because you are libs/dems you don't care. It is okay to denigrate a republican, woman, man, or child, but don't dare do that to a liberal/democRat.
I am saying enough. I call this Fluke character a slut and a whore. She is a liar. She knew when she decided to go to this Law School they did not cover contraceptives to prevent pregnancy. She could have gone to any number of other highly ranked law schools. If she and her friends can afford this law school, they surely can afford $9.00 a month for birth control pills. Condoms are even cheaper and their partners would probably pay for them. I really don't care how many sexual partners they have or how often they have sex but when someone goes public and demands that others pay for their contraceptives, abortion inducing drugs, or for an abortion THEY ARE THE ONES THAT MADE THEM PUBLIC.
Enough already. We need to call the left out for what they are trying to do. We need to stop them now. We need to defeat them.
The ridiculous bandwagon that
Submitted by Snappy on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:03pm.
The ridiculous bandwagon that has been jumped on in recent years is absurd. Since when is it imperative that the moment someone you may not even know says something remotely perceived as out of bounds (defined solely by the liberal media) then the mad rush begins to publicly denounce the statement. I long for the days when the only one responsible for statements was the one who made them. Primarily as this phenomenon only seems to occur in one direction.
Well, Rush does seem to speak to a higher class of people
Submitted by Willis_Leon_Johnson on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:08pm.
While the babble heads prefer to speak to the less intelligent, poorly educated fools that will believe anything they are spoonfed.
I listen to Rush because I am intelligent enough to understand words of more than 4 letters and 1 syllable.
The concepts he speaks of make sense to me because I'm not a braindead zombie.
End 'gun violence in America' - Require training and MANDATORY "Shall Carry" by every Citizen.
If harry reid is the best person to lead the senate, what does that say about the other 99 senators?