Regarding this whole Rush Limbaugh thing, I think my viewpoint is not unlike that of Josh Marshall. I've already received a couple of Facebooked harangues that it's okay for Rush to call this Sandra Fluke a "slut" because Ed Schultz once called talk show host Laura Ingraham a "slut." Well, no. But in addition to the differences Marshall itemizes, there's this: I think Rush really misrepresented what the lady said. A lot more folks heard his summary than her testimony. They think she said, "I have sex so many times a day I can't afford to pay for it" — because as we all know, birth control pills work like that — "and I demand that taxpayers subsidize this." Her statements before Congress did not say or imply anything of the sort.
Some might argue that Mr. Schultz mispresented what Ms. Ingraham said. I don't recall that he did but if that's so, it's wrong…though not as wrong as what Limbaugh did. Laura Ingraham has ample means and opportunity to fight back. In fact at the time, I think she probably had a much larger audience than Ed Schultz. The more power and reach you have, the more responsibility you have in how you use it. Rush is a pretty powerful guy.
My problem with him and with much of talk radio (including the folks who try to replicate it on TV) is with this attitude of "every single syllable we utter is the God's truth and every single syllable the other side says is a lie." That's never been the case with any political movement in history. Some other practitioners aren't as bad as Rush. Some even issue real corrections and apologies when wrong. Limbaugh fills hours a day with his ravings and defends every minute of it to the death. Everyone in the press, including those on his side, described his slight, forced words of regret on Monday as a "rare" apology.
Question: When was the last time this man was in fair fight? As far as I know, he broadcasts from his secret headquarters in a format where he always has Home Court Advantage and his finger on the button that mutes his caller. I would love to see him sit down in some neutral setting opposite Jon Stewart or Paul Begala or Paul Krugman or someone like that in a venue where both sides get to talk and neither has access to a mute button or editing software. I'll bet a lot of Rush's admirers would love to see that too because they think he'd tear his opponent to shreds…and I'll bet he'd score a fair number of points. But he wouldn't win all of them and that's why he'll never do it; not as long as he's making umpteen zillion doing what he's been doing.