Rush Limbaugh, a Victim of His Own Success?

Rush Limbaugh is a victim of his own success. He became huge in the early 90s. The country had just left the Reagan years, and there were a number of attacks against government regulations such as the EEOC rules (based on the civil rights laws), government regulation of business, women's rights, and environmentalism. He was pretty popular among conservatives, and in fact loved for dismissing all of his opponents, including big groups of people.

However, Limbaugh personally attached Sandra Fluke. He spoke to her, a third year law student at Georgetown, in the manner that one would speak to a street prostitute of the lowest class. The problem with this many CEOs of companies who advertise with Limbaugh's show have young daughters in college who are using birth control. Therefore Limbaugh inadvertently attacked all educated women who want to control when they have children. This is what caused him to have a big enough outcry for him to first apologize and then lose sponsors en mass.

Limbaugh has long insisted he has the right to free speech. This is true, but it goes both ways. If he wants to say offensive things, fine. Others have the right to complain about it, and companies have the right to refuse to sponsor him. In just a short time he's lost 43 sponsors. Just like with Imus, he is backed by the network for now. But just like Imus, as the complaints against him sustain and as sponsors continue to withdraw, it will be the end of Limbaugh.


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