This is just a quickie. I read a lot of right wing blogs (for punishment and hilarity in equal measure) and for days, they've been pushing the meme that Bill Maher called Sarah Palin a "c--t," so why shouldn't it be fine and dandy for Rush to call a college student a slut and a prostitute.
A wing-nut colleague of my husband texted him all night yesterday about this and I keep reading this ridiculous defense wherever I go.
Tonight, Maher threw fuel on the fire and obscured the issue entirely by tweeting this self-serving bon mot:
Hate to defend #RushLimbaugh but he apologized, liberals looking bad not accepting. Also hate intimidation by sponsor pullout
link
Well, I hate that it comes to this and I like Bill Maher on a number of issues, but the fact is, his language about Palin was misogynistic and he is just looking to cover his hide here. This tweet is all over the right blogosphere and if we don't come down hard on him, we risk looking like hypocrites.
He was extremely ill-advised to comment on this at all, especially as a prominent million dollar donor to the Obama campaign. I'm not sure how this check is going to look at all good now.
Lest anyone think I'm concern trolling, I understand the difference between what Bill said and what Rush said. I defended Bill just last night in this coment:
I hated what Maher said. That word alone (19+ / 0-)
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obscured any rational point he was trying to make in my opinion. I didn't support it then. I don't now.
That said, there is a UNIVERSE of difference in the two comments. One of my husband's wing-nut workmates kept texting him about this tonight. "Explain Bill Maher" he pestered all night, as if women on the left stayed silent about this in the first place (hint: we didn't).
Sarah Palin is a public figure, probably one of the most famous women in America. She was a contender for the Vice Presidency of our country. She is a very rich woman with a well-oiled PR machine at her beck and call. She has a platform to strike back at her detractors. She is in a position to respond to any attack easily and forcefully.
Sandra Fluke is a private citizen. A graduate student with little income as she is presumably not employed at the moment. She has no PR machine at her beck and call. She is a young activist who was asked to speak on a matter of importance to her and for that she was savagely attacked by the biggest blowhard in RW media.
Misogyny is all bad and I'm not going to argue which is most egregious. They're both egregious. But the situations and the players could not be more different.
by kat68 on Tue Mar 06, 2012 at 02:02:37 AM EST
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Now Maher has decided to chuck women's issues to salvage his own reputation. Sorry, but what an ass and a traitor. We need to cut this guy loose if we plan to win on this issue.