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 The author argues that Rush Limbaugh didn't really apologize for maligning a Georgetown Law student.
March 6th, 2012
01:05 PM ET
My Take: Rush Limbaugh's 'apology' fails test for public confession
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN Dear Rush, which part of “I’m sorry” don’t you understand? The ritual of public confession is so formulaic in American culture that it’s hard to imagine that someone as media savvy as Rush Limbaugh doesn’t know how to do it. But his so-called apology for calling Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” shows he doesn’t know the first thing about this rite, so here is how it goes. First, admit that you have done wrong. Say this straight. Do not hedge. Do not confuse things by saying that others have wronged you. Do not say that others have committed similar sins.
Here the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church is a good model:
Second, show that you are truly sorry. Saying “I’m sorry” (which Limbaugh did not do) is a good start, but it isn’t enough. You have to make yourself believable. Here tears are not necessary, but they help. Others need to believe that you are confessing for the sake of your soul, and not merely for the sake of your career. Hint: the best way to make that happen is to actually be sorry. Third, humble yourself. Admit that you are a human being like the rest of us. This can be difficult for people with a high opinion of themselves. So what. Suck it up. Fourth, repent, turn around, promise that you will go and sin no more. Look familiar? It should, if you’ve ever gone to Catholic Mass or observed Yom Kippur. But Limbaugh flubbed it big time. First, he didn’t really apologize for turning a public policy question into a vicious personal attack. In fact, he said, “I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.” Second, he tried to justify his unjustifiable behavior by claiming that he was trying to be “absurd” and “humorous.” He wasn’t trying to libel or slander Fluke, or to shut her up or humiliate her. He was just trying to have a little fun. Third, Limbaugh stopped apologizing almost as soon as his apology had begun. Instead of detailing his many and manifold sins, he launched into a reprise of his argument against birth control coverage in U.S. health plans, and criticized President Obama along the way for coming to Fluke’s defense. In other words, he changed the subject, so the bulk of his ”apology” wasn’t an apology at all. Finally, when he got to something approaching apologizing, Limbaugh did not apologize for what he really did. He did not apologize for launching a multi-day ad hominem attack against a private citizen. He did not apologize for dragging the American public through the muck and mire of his misogynistic fantasies. He did not apologize for inspiring a series of copycats in the right wing blogosphere. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories Instead he apologized for “insulting word choices.” In other words, he apologized for using the word “slut” instead of some less insulting synonym. Given this abysmal performance, we should not be surprised that Fluke did not find his remarks particularly apologetic, or that she and many others believe he issued it not out of genuine remorse but in an effort to stanch the hemmoraging of advertisers from his show. “I don’t think that a statement like this issued, saying that his choice of words was not the best, changes anything, and especially when that statement is issued when he’s under significant pressure from sponsors who have begun to pull their support,” said Fluke, a Georgetown Law student. Neither should we find it surprising that advertisers, including AOL, are fleeing the show en masse, and that some radio stations are now refusing to air it. Limbaugh could have stanched the bleeding by practicing what historian Susan Wise Bauer has described as “the art of the public grovel.” Instead he gave us the art of the public equivocation. Why? So why couldn’t he say, "I'm sorry"? In a word: ego. Republicans and Democrats will doubtless disagree about vices and virtues of the man who would be a GOP kingmaker. But there is no doubting that Limbaugh admires himself. And he is not about to sacrifice that form of worship at the altar of Sandra Fluke or anyone else. That is why he is now blaming not himself but the companies who have stopped advertising on his show for their decision to separate themselves from his hate speech. “They’ve decided they don’t want you or your business any more,” he told his radio audience on Monday. This in my view is a foolish course. Americans are a forgiving people. Many of the public figures profiled in Bauer’s “The Art of the Public Grovel” have come back into the public eye, not least President Bill Clinton. But the American public will not forgive you unless and until you confess and repent. And so far at least Limbaugh has refused to do either. At this point, what is dragging Limbaugh down is not so much his incendiary attack on Fluke but his refusal to admit that, like the rest of us, he is a sinner, too. Until he does that, he will continue to float around in a celebrity limbo of his own making, praised by his true believers but damned - and rightly so - by most of the rest of us. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephen Prothero.
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  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World," is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.
Guess what Tommy boy. I pay for your healthcare. And guess what. You pay for mine. The problem is that we both are being screwed by the Medical Cartels.
No, you don't, and no, I don't. And no, we aren't.
And there was no second shooter on the grassy knoll, nor was the moon landing faked.
idk tom, that moon landing looked pretty fake to me!
Pot will do that to you.
Nice
pot had nothing to do with how fake the moon landing looked – it was 1969 and i was 17 years unborn....so...!
When i saw it for the first time i had already studied space physics and wondered how some things were happening when i knew them to be impossible... but thats me vs you – using intelligence to draw intelligent conclusions instead of eating whats in front of you. Speaking of, blow me! lol
And just so your information, i am normally not high....kids.
this is a funny article... it first says Rush is wrong in the way he said sorry but then goes on to say that the whole act of saying sorry when in a public life is nothing more then an act in the first place!! this is just completely retarded! if the sorry isn't supposed to mean anything but just look good then why is it needed in the first place? get over a stupid insult and grow up! hey, maybe you are hoe – who cares but you, and only your opinion matters about yourself right??????? exactly! shut up!
and no, i won't apologize! Rush needs not either unless of course his show CAN'T stand on its own then he should or start looking for a new job...now isn't that a much simplier look at all?
why look at what is really going on and focus on, ...omg, oh jesus....wait , what was that!?
Rush was wrong. He went too far. But I don't care whether he apologizes or not. It was show business hyperbole and let's leave it at that.
I am tired of people of all sorts acting indignent and demanding apologies over one thing or another. It has gotten to be a ploy used by both Democrates and Repulicans, and by advocates of this agenda or that. It is curious that the only time we recognize the howls for apologies as a ploy is when it is demanded against something we are in favor of. Any other time we join the apology band wagon.
Now the question is should insurances be required to cover contraceptives. My feeling is no. Now some one howl for an apology.
Please at least try to learn the truth (and that means not depending on Rush and Faux News).
Ms. Fluke was testifying about how a friend had to have surgery because she couldn't afford the pills (which are used for many medicinal purposes, not just birth control); Fluke said nothing about needing them or using them for contraception. Rush made that up, like so much of the untruths he spews.
And there is the howl.
What's the matter Kenny boy, the howl of the truth hurt your ears?
Should Viagra be covered by insurance companies?
Another thing you seem to be ignoring is the actual use of the hormones found in birth control pills as a medical treatment, not simply as a contraceptive.
Here's a real life example – there's a topical skin cream known as Vanica, used to remove unwanted hair. A vanity product obviously, not something that an insurance company should cover.
...But the active ingredient in Vanica, eflornithine, is one of the few drugs that are able to combat the parasitic disease known as African Sleeping Sickness. If I somehow become infected, do I expect insurance to cover that?
Hell yes I do.
The old double sandard is at work again. Let a Repub or conservative say something and the world is coming to an end. Let a Dem or Liberal say something simlar and it is no big deal. This Fluke gal is an obvious Liberal plant within Georgetown U. It is a Catholic school that does not need to cater to Contraception as the Obama and his folks would like. As a Tax payer I do not need to provide birth control to this gal or anyother for that matter. If she wants birth control go to Planned parent hood and get it, don't dump on Geoergetown or the taxpayers. We as a country have bigger problems to solve. As usual the Dems are deverting attention away from their other failed policies. After-all it is the Chicago way.
At least try to get some facts, rather than blindly accepting what Rush says.
Ms. Fluke was testifying about how a friend had to have surgery because she couldn't afford the pills (which are used for many medicinal purposes, not just birth control); Fluke said nothing about needing them or using them for contraception. Rush made that up, like so much of the untruths he spews.
" This Fluke gal is an obvious Liberal plant within Georgetown U."
Whoa....paranoid much?
So you agree with Rush?
as typical of the right, you managed to get all the facts wrong. No one is talking about tax payers paying for anything, She was talkin gabout including them in the insurance coverage that she pays for. When the right has no standing, they just make up the story,
Wow...with brain power like yours I see why you're one of the brainless morons who follow RushTard
A "plant" at one of the top law schools in the nation? Are you high? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get into Georgetown Law? In 2010 there were more than 12,000 applications for less than 500 spaces. That is less than a 4% chance that any one applicant would be offered acceptance. You cannot "plant" someone in a law school like Georgetown, the statistics prevent it. Therefore sir your premise is outrageously flawed.
You are aware that you are already paying for people's birth control right? Medicaid and Medicare (both are taxpayer funded) cover birth control with $0 copay. And, by paying for birth control (which you already are, and have been doing for some time), you are preventing more births - and births cost a lot of money. More than a $30 pack of birth control pills.
What about all the horrible things Bill Maher has said and other liberal TV and Radio hosts have said about Conservative women? Have a listen at that diatribe and see if you can defend it at all. Can only liberal women be maligned and hurt? Stop the double standard.
Limbaugh doesn't work for anyone he is a syndicated talk show host. You seem to like Democrat men in your business.
Pointing out another wrong does not make Rush right.
What did Maher say specifically? Was he talking about someone who was a public figure? Was he stating his opinion or was he telling lies about people? I know Bill Maher is not a particularly nice guy but from a legal standpoint Rush was more wrong, although from a moral standpoint they are about equal.
I have HBO and sometimes at night I can't sleep so I turn on the TV, switch to HBO 6 different channels and at least 1 is Mahurs up to 3 channels of repeats. Man I hate him, not one positive thing to say about anything except his precious democrats.
Wow do all you rightie whackos get the same script with the same questions and talking points?
Why should I pay for her contraceptives?
Ms. Fluke was testifying about how a friend had to have surgery because she couldn't afford the pills (which are used for many medicinal purposes, not just birth control); Fluke said nothing about needing them or using them for contraception. Rush made that up, like so much of the untruths he spews.
Why should I pay for your diabetes/cancer/heart medicine?
Just because you decided to be fat/lazy isn't my fault.
You don't, her private insurance is supposed to.
hope you keep yourself in great shape and don't drink, smoke or take any risks with your health including many sports activities because there will be someone who doesn't want your health insurance company to pay for it (including the health insurance company)
She did not ask for you to pay for anything. If you followed the news, the hearing was for private employers like Georgetown to cover contraceptive in their insurance plans. I don't agree the government to mandate that but you totally missed the point of why she went to the hearing.
Because it is a legitimate health care prescription
Agreed. If I pay for that...then I want her to pay for my toothpaste I use everyday.
No one is asking you to. They are simply asking that contraceptives be included in the prescription drug coverage that is part of the insurance plan provided by, and most often, at least partially paid for, by the insurer's subscriber.
Why should I pay for your Viagra?
OK, pay for her unexpected baby. The pelvic exams, the hospital visits, the ultrasounds, the medications, the vitamins, the birthing classes, and THEN the delivery. Then pay for the breast pump, the vaccines, and subsequent monthly doctor visits to check on her and the baby. And give her tax dollars for Earned Income Credit, and her Child tax credit, and her daycare. Oh yeah, and she gets WIC deliveries.
She said she's "an American woman who uses contraception." Why should I pay for that? The issue has nothing to do with her health.
And no one is asking you to. Not even Ms. Fluke.
Tom, you are right, contraception coverage should be an option.
Wow Tom... are you on the same Internet I am?? GO GOOGLE and find out the truth yourself, why do you use ONE source? Lazy? Not very smart? What?
If she swallowed then she wouldn't need contraceptions.
You aren't paying for them. Her premiums are paying for them.
The underlying policy for this mandate is misguided. More contraceptives isn't the answer. Read Eberstadt;s article "The Vindication of Humanae Vitae."
Oh, here we go. The lunatic fringe just got home from the factory.
Always easier to call names than present a reasoned argument. Not very persuasive, but easier. Who's the factory worker with difficulty thinking?
Tom who cares about religion? The topic has NOTHING to do with it.
You must be. No well-educated person would actually believe that no one should use birth control.
You're delusional.
Rush is an entertainer and a pundit. If he doesn't have enough people interested in his message, then he'll go off the air (ala Air Ameria). That Do*che bag Bill Marher doesn't apologize for the feces that flows from his mouth and nor should he. If enough people get tired of his tired and hateful rhetoric, then he will go off the air. The fact that the media has their collective panities in a bunch over this just further exemplifies their double standard and why the majority of the public know they have a specific agenda that clouds their abiltiy to objectively report the news.
Every republican mistake is the medias fault. This is why the party is so lost today.
Amen John!
You are a shallow thinker.Fluke was not a private citizen. She was a prop for the liberals, who are our nation's predominant scourge. As such she got what she deserved. Her comments were inane. They earned a strong characterization from Mr. Limbaugh.
If her comments were "inane", yours are downright pathetic. Get a brain you idiot.
Love all the whining conservatives! Poor little things.
A "strong characterization"????? Seriously?
Walter Michael, you are wrong.It is people like you that prolong hate. How would you feel if he called your sister those words for fighting for what she believes in. ?
MR. Limbaugh?? Wow...I don't even know where to start with you, so I'll keep it simple.
Where's your proof she's not a private citizen? That she's a prop? Go back to sleep.
Limbaugh has no shame. And he has no real convictions. All he understands is money. Hit him where it hurts.
i don't see the same reaction against bill marher or ed schultz,or you're a dou
23bag in the same category
Once upon a time (many years ago), Rush was kind of funny. Somewhere along the way, he lost his humor and became a nasty, bitter man. Now he is just an embarrassment, not just to Republicans but to the human race. Why does anyone listen to Rush? He is no different than the so-called comedians that depend on cursing, vicious attacks and toilet humor. Apparently there are a lot of low-class people that sink to that level. It is time to push Rush to the margins of society where he belongs, and stop letting him be considered a serious political figure.
Stop comparing Rush Limbaugh with Bill Maher. Don't whine about any double standard. Bill Maher is a COMEDIAN. He is on HBO – due to this excellent arrangement, his show is free of sponsers. He can say anything he choses to say. Limbaugh is an old, disgusting over weight blowhard who tries and wants desperately to be taken seriously. Not the same thing at all, so there cannot be a double standard.
Don't forget drug addict in deniall!
Rush is a stupid, arrogant man...he has no education...was a disc jockey in Pittsburgh for years before he took on a political persona...did his health insurance help to pay for his "pills" that he abused! The people who listen to his garbage are as stupid as he is! Pull him off the air, please!!
Episcopals are a foul , dirty. and a gay fornicating cult. They have no standing in the eyes of GOD, satan is their Pope.
You're as ridiculous as Rush and sound just as uneducated
Tell us what you really think, brother.
They are called Episcopalians fool.
Just as Jesus said "Let those without sin cast the first stone", All of those left minded people whom have verbally assaulted Sara Palin and Ms. Bachman, should be fired also. Fair is fair, or do we not play by the same rules. ????
I don't believe anyone called either of these women any of the names which your friend used. The difference may seem minor to you but it is actually a HUGE detail!
That makes no sense.
Blame the DFL Liberals. Some how the GOP twists everything to liberals/DFL fault. I love that the true colors of the GOP and their support group is showing American and the WORLD now. Please quit turning it on the DFL we all understand that is how you understand the GOP to work, but as you can see that is not working. Never has worked and never will.
This is idiotic. We all subsidize each others personal habits.
What about the morbidly obese man who eats a one pound steak for dinner every night? One triple bypass could buy a lot of birth control...yet we silently pay for the choices he makes.
Contraception is healthcare. End of story.
How about everyone pay for their own healthcare, end of story?
Some just do not understand the concept of living in a society. Like some on here have said some of us do not believe in war but we still pay taxes that go to fund war. We all pay for things in our insurance that we neither need nor want.
Last I checked Rush Limbaugh didn't cost me anything. Ms. Fluke is trying to stick me with her contraception costs. Why isn't she apologizing?
Who's paying for your viagra, Dave?
you idiot! you're not paying for her healthcare... she is! what part of that don't you get?
Last I checked, and I actually checked the facts [unlike you], Ms. Fluke was testifying about how a friend had to have surgery because she couldn't afford the pills (which are used for many medicinal purposes, not just birth control); Fluke said nothing about needing them or using them for contraception. Rush made that up, like so much of the untruths he spews.
Dave, she is not asking YOU to pay anything! You don't understand the issue, it is about havving insurance companys cover contraception, policys that she would be paying for.
are you as stupid as what you write?
You have Rush Limbaugh's disease. You don't know what you're talking about. Sandra Fluke wasn't trying to "stick" you with anything. Especially the costs of her own contraceptives. She was talking about basic health services to women which are and have been covered without co-pay by insurance companies for a long time. Insurance companies have no problem with this because it would ultimately cost them more not to provide that coverage. It costs more to treat polycystic ovarian syndrome than it does to cover the cost of birth control pills. It costs more to treat endometriosis than it does to cover the cost of birth control pills. It cost more to provide pre-natal care for an unexpected pregnancy than it does to cover the cost of birth control pills. The AMA, NIH and CDC all agree that contraceptives, i.e. birth control pills, should be part of the basic health coverage provided to women, just as mammogram and annual OBGYN exams are covered. You need to pull your skull out of your anus and start reading more and watching FOX News less. Sandra Fluke was NEVER talking about herself or her personal needs. She was talking about something which all women already receive UNLESS they work for a business that is owned by the Catholic church. The president of Georgetown University and more than 100 of its professors have come out in support of Ms. Fluke. Wake up and join the 21st century.
Yeah...that .0005 of a cent would have taken the house payment, right?
Contraception is a penny's worth of prevention...compared to 250K to raise a kid til 21. Or until the single mom goes on welfare.
I think it's value well spent.
Sorry Dave, Only private and employer healthcare contributes to part odf the cost of contraceptives. Your tax dollars don't count. I humbly suggest you check the facts.
Explain how you pay for other women's health care.
Assume a fat man like Rush were to have a bypass and he doesn't have the money to pay for it. He ends up in the ER – you bear the cost for it. That is called cost of living in a society. And others do the same for you. Welcome to civilization, you have a lot to learn.
Seriously? Where do you get your facts? Rush himself? This bill was to REQUIRE insurance companies to cover the cost of birth control. NOT TO ADD A TAX to the American people to pay for it? Really? Are you that small minded? There is no bill to have us pay for anyone elses contraception. Just to have it added as full coverage for medical insurance. READ THE BILL!!! And a little education for you, birth control pills help to prevent pregnancy that is unwanted (you want your daughter to be knocked up), help to prevent cesearian and ovarian cancer. it helps regulate womens cycles and ALSO helps inthe reduction of Breast cancer. Please educate yourself before talking out of your "holier than though religious ass". Thank you, educate yourself, and have a nice day. – SIncerely, an educated person.
Exactly, how difficult is it to provide a coverage with an option? Those who need birthcontrol coverage can go for this option.
Rick.... okay, let's make everything an option. What should my health care premiums pay for your vasectomy or your prostate cancer? I don't have a prostate. How about you decide in October which disease you will have that year (ear infection or cancer?) and only pay the premium on this disease? Is that what you are proposing?
Women's health insurance premiums are higher than men's in most companies, isn't that enough for you?
f this man wasn't losing sponsors you wouldn't have heard an apology in a million years – nice to hear an opinion from a man with such great family values – divorced three times, fired from 6-7 jobs in his lifetime – bringing in some little blue pills to help old "SID" get motivated, fraudulent prescriptions, and so many more things – if they need female contraceptives just have this idiot parade around naked – 0 population growth!!!!!!!!!!!!
He is getting a wonderful lesson in customer service to his sponsors. I think it is great and a good learning opportunity for Rush.
I agree with the article period!
Jon Stewart said it best. Limbaugh is just a terrible person.
For a person who's been married 4 times and has NO children, he/she has obviously been using some type of birth control. If Don Imus was fired for his comments, Rush should go too. It will never happen though because money talks. I can't wait until November. I think we're going to see a LOT of women running for republican seats – and they will WIN! Time to get these out of touch, Republican men OUT of our business. It's 2012 for goodness sake!