Since the Fluke firestorm erupted, I have been puzzled by the omission of Angie’s List from the list of nationally known Limbaugh sponsors, and by the absence of any announcement from them that they have stopped advertising on his show. I was aware that Angie’s List was a sponsor because I had complained to Angie's List before Limbaugh made his Fluke comments. If you are interested in connecting dots, and how tax-deductible corporate expenditures can be used to advance politicians and policies, read below the fold.
I really didn’t know much about Angie’ List when I first heard Rush Limbaugh himself read a commercial for them on his show. I listen to Rush occasionally (my Limbaugh Limit is seven consecutive minutes), mostly as opposition research to use against the middle-aged white male ditto heads whom I encounter daily. I seldom listened to any commercials on his show except for the ones he read himself so that I could be certain never to buy the product he advertised. I had seldom heard of his sponsors and I assumed every national advertiser avoided his show because they did not want to be associated with his toxic views (I guess I was wrong about this last point).
But the idea that a company like Angie's List, with an advertising demographic which must skew heavily toward women, would advertise on a show hosted by a 4-times- married woman hater like Rush Limbaugh seemed like such an insane business decision that I was sure I was missing something, but I didn’t care enough to inquire about it further.
Until, by happenstance, in mid-February, pre-Fluke, I received an email from Angie’s List soliciting my membership. True to my Limbaugh-List policy, I tossed off a three-line response to their email, assuming I would not get a reply:
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 6:05 PM
> To: Angie's List Member Services
> Subject: RE: Rush Limbaugh
>
> Is it true that you are a sponsor of the Rush Limbaugh show? I cannot possibly trust a company that trusts Limbaugh. Take me off your email list now.
I was surprised that they replied, but I was irritated by the content of the reply:
From: MemberServices@angieslist.com
> To: [me]
> Subject: RE: Rush Limbaugh
> Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:51:44 +0000
>
> Hi James,
>
> Thanks so much for writing to us. I do apologize for any frustration caused by our advertisement running during the Rush Limbaugh program. I do want you to know that our advertising strategy is to use as many networks and venues as possible to share information about the service we provide at Angie's List.
>
> We use this wide array of venues not to express support for any specific outlet, philosophy or comment from whoever is hosting or participating in each show, but to reach as many consumers from as many points of view as possible. We place ads on all the major networks and cable outlets, as well as radio and newspapers, reaching outlets that cover the gamut of conservative to moderate to progressive to liberal. On any given day, we'll hear negative reaction to our choices from each part of that spectrum, most of them protesting that we do not support their particular issue or that we do support another.
>
> Just as we trust members to read reports and make their own decisions about which service companies to hire, we trust them to make their own choices about which outlets to watch, listen to and read. We don't believe it's our job to tell them which of those venues to support or monitor. That said, we have ongoing conversations about where to place our ad dollars, and we'll certainly add your comments to that discussion.
>
> As requested, I have made certain that you have been removed from our mailing list; however, this process may take up to one full business week to complete. I apologize for any inconvenience in the meantime but assure you that this matter has been handled.
>
> Please visit www.angieslist.com and click on the "Contact Us" link if you have further questions. You are also welcome to simply respond to this email if needed.
>
> We really appreciate your email as well as your patience. Again, I apologize for your troubles.
>
> Have a fantastic day…!
>
>
> Shannon K.
> Written Correspondence
> Angie's List
[Bold face added]
This seemed a little too smug for me, and I was certainly not going to let them think they had the moral high ground:
From: [me]
To: memberservices@angieslist.com
Subject: RE: Rush Limbaugh
Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 12:49:27 -0600
There are several reasons why your reply does little to restore trust in your company.
First, Rush Limbaugh sponsors are very seldom household names. [ As noted, I was wrong on this point].Companies who advertise on his show are obscure, which is odd for a program with millions of listeners, and there is a reason for that. There is a consensus among responsible companies who understand the importance of protecting their brand that they must avoid contaminating their brands by association with unsavory characters.
Do you believe that it is merely a “different point of view” to call the President of the United Sates a “man child”, as Rush has repeatedly done, or to feature a segment by a staffer on his show pretending to talk to the President in a distinct ghetto dialect, using ghetto slang, as one “brother” to another? Far worse are the outright falsehoods Rush makes everyday about people, places and events in the news. If you are interested, I can give you a thousand examples.
Second, your commercials on Rush’s show are not run during the “break” but spoken by Rush himself, giving your brand his imprimatur by making it clear that your company has entered into a specific contract with Rush to endorse the Angie’s List brand. This is a decision about Rush made at the highest level of your company by someone who is almost certainly a big Limbaugh fan. Trying to bury Rush’s commercials for you under a “wide array of venues “is about as disingenuous a statement as Rush himself would make.
Third, your statement that you trust your “members to read reports and make their own decisions about which service companies to hire, [and you] trust them to make their own choices about which outlets to watch, listen to and read [and that you] don't believe it's [your] job to tell them which of those venues to support or monitor” begs the central question: do you think it is your job to insure that money you pay to public figures to advertise your company’s services is not spent on someone who disseminates hate and lies on a daily basis to millions of people? If your answer is that Rush does not do that, then you are either delusional or your company is willingly complicit in those lies and that hate, and a boycott against your company’s services is warranted.
Best regards,
Later, after Limbaugh made his Fluke comments, I didn’t think I needed to rub their face in it, but I did invite them (perhaps too smugly) to tell me that they would no longer advertise on the Limbaugh show:
To: memberservices@angieslist.com
Subject: RE: Rush Limbaugh
Date: 3 Mar 2012
How do you like me now?
I assumed that Angie’s List, which I do not think was ever publicly identified as a Limbaugh sponsor, would quietly disavow future advertising on his show, or at least tell me they wouldn’t. As far as I know, they have done neither.
My pre-Fluke email accusing Angie’s List senior management of favoring Limbaugh and his views was pure conjecture on my part, and I did not know enough to take the conjecture public in the form of a Daily Kos diary even though I did post the email exchange, post-Fluke, as a comment to an Eclectgblog Diary. The continuing failure by Angie’s List to take any action with respect to Limbaugh, and my enduring curiosity, however, caused me to do some follow up research.
From the filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for Angie’s List, a public company:
William S. Oesterle is [the] co-founder [of Angie’s List], has served as [its] Chief Executive Officer since January 1999 and has served on our board of directors since our inception in June 1995. *. He also took on additional outside responsibilities from July 2003 until December 2004 when he managed the political campaign of Indiana Governor Mitchell Daniels.
Michael D. Rutz has served as … Vice President of Sales since February 2011. …. He also has served as a key strategist in political and advocacy roles for several political campaigns ranging from mayoral to congressional to statewide contests, and held a key role in the campaigns for Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels in 2004 and 2008.
From the Rush Limbaugh website:
Mitch Daniels Delivers Terrific Speech
January 25, 2012
1/25/12
RUSH: You know, the response to the State of the Union last night is getting more positive reaction than the State of the Union speech itself. Mitch Daniels. And I have to tell you, other than his opening Mitch Daniels called Obama a liar in the classiest way I've ever heard it done. He called him pro-poverty. ….
Remember, before the State of the Union show, we had a story on Monday, the headline story was "Establishment hoping to find a way to get Mitch Daniels back in the game." Well, I know his wife said no, but things change. I'm not predicting it. In fact, the unconventional wisdom is that it can't happen, it's unlikely to happen. It's way too late now anyway as a matter of law within the party, party rules, not so much law, party rules, the delegates are pledged. But there are people holding out hope. There were people holding out hope
Let's listen to some Mitch Daniels sound bites. He did the response. This has created... Oh, you cannot imagine what's going on in the Republican establishment since last night into this morning and up to the present. There is... I don't quite know how to describe it. It's not quite buyer's remorse. There's just, "Oh, what if! Oh, if only," and then, "How can we maneuver things to get rid of these guys that are currently running and get this guy to say yes?"
There is such a mixture of disappointment yet anticipation and excitement about what could have been. It is near orgasmic on the establishment side. This is, "If we only ran..." ... No, no, no. It's not, "If we only ran a conservative." The Republican establishment doesn't look at Daniels as a conservative. It's why the speech was good but they don't look at him as a conservative. They look at him as a one of them, a moderate. They see him as a moderate. He's strong conservative on budget matters, but outside of that? "No, no, he's not an extremist racist, sexist, bigot, homophobe…. Who's defending the Republicans in Congress? There's nobody. They don't even defend themselves. Mitch Daniels did last night. And here he calls out Obama for dividing the nation
….
Is it safe to assume that Mr. Osterle and Mr. Limbaugh are personally acquainted? I think it is. Is it safe to assume that Mr. Osterle is reluctant to speak out publicly against Mr. limbaugh? I think it is.
A few clarifications. The business model of Angie’s List is based upon honesty and integrity, and I have read nothing to suggest that their company’s services do not live up to their corporate mission. The CEO of Angie’s List appears to be a distinguished businessman. He has every right to engage in political speech and financially support any political actor he chooses. Now, under the Citizens United ruling, he can legally direct his corporation to make contributions to political causes and actors he favors.
The basis of my complaint against Angie’s List and other Limbaugh sponsors is that the cost of advertising on Limbaugh’s’ show, which basically functions as a 3-hour-a-day Super PAC ad, is a tax-deductible expense, while a pure political corporate contribution to a Super PAC is not.
Yes, Rush, you are forcing me to have my taxes subsidize your political propaganda, which, believe me, is far more repugnant than your fevered fantasies of a college student’s sex life. The people running Angie’s List, not Ms Fluke’s parents, are the one who should be ashamed.