Here's something you probably thought you'd never see.
Vulgarian Bill Maher Tuesday actually came out on Twitter in defense of - wait for it! - conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh:
Hate to defend #RushLimbaugh but he apologized, liberals looking bad not accepting. Also hate intimidation by sponsor pullout
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) March 7, 2012
So, why do you think he did this?
In the wake of the Limbaugh-Sandra Fluke controversy, Maher's coming under a lot of pressure from conservative groups for his vulgar attacks on women.
Despite his claim Friday that he's different from Limbaugh because he doesn't have any sponsors, he knows this is nonsense.
HBO makes money from subscriptions, and it's far easier for such patrons to directly make their negative opinions known to a company than in a traditional boycott. You call up your cable provider and drop the channel. Simple.
Just as Limbaugh likely started getting pressure from stations and his advisers before his apology Saturday, you can bet Maher has been told by people inside HBO and business managers that he needs to put his finger in this dike before it explodes all over him.
Maher's probably beginning to realize that if Limbaugh continues to lose sponsors and stations, he'll come under even more pressure which could force HBO to dump him.
Take it from someone that watches Maher almost every time he's on television - this man hates Rush Limbaugh. He'd only be defending him to prevent financial loss. Period!
And, if this tweet doesn't stop the bleeding, there might be something more closely resembling a real mea culpa in the days to come.
Stay tuned.
(H/T Hot Air)
