This week Rush will ridicule Sandra Fluke. Again.
Sandra Fluke and Rush Limbaugh
El Flushbowl has harried Sandra Fluke at least 25 times SINCE that notorious three day attack in February/March. This time he'll comment on the alleged ineffectiveness of her outreach effort to potential liberal voters.
The circumstance of Sandra's most recent assailability has already been framed; the source for right wing scoffery is a Reno Gazette-Journal article entitled Fluke takes center stage in Reno. The article casually notes that she "spoke Saturday in front of about 10 people at the Sak ‘N Save in north Reno."
A quotation at the end of the article proved ironically predictive: one of the individuals wishing to see Fluke "wanted to see the person who members of the media had used 'intimidating rhetoric against as a political tactic.'"
Simply making such an observation to a newspaper reporter is sufficient for that individual to be singled out for special attention by the right wing blogosphere. The next round of intimidating rhetoric — this time utilizing the tactic of ridicule — was just about to begin.
Video and more just after the jump.
This news non-story has literally exploded in the right wing blogosphere, with the number of news concentrator and blogging sites covering the Fluke talk just south of 1,000. Breitbart apparently pitched an early pebble into this pond of pernicious pestilence by promoting a video of Sandra Fluke speaking to the small group noted by the Reno Gazette-Journal. (Breitbart.com is confident enough of the dedication of its followers these days — or perhaps they're just so greedy — that they are running TWO ads before each video. I was sufficiently surprised that I verified this with a second and third viewing. Five of the six commercials were Romney commercials.)
Sandra Fluke meets with supporters in Reno (Video from Youtube)
From there it spread to Drudge and Newsbusters and Twitchy, and onwards. Even the Washington Times eventually got in on the act. It became the top item at the Reno Gazette-Journal website.
Few are telling the story straight; indeed, there is little value in telling a non-story. The entire point is denigration and snark. If one ascribes to the concept of psychological projection, then Newsbusters offered a telling comment about their own propensity for attack: "A Republican or conservative speaking to 'about 10' people would of course either be justifiably ignored or mercilessly ridiculed." Perhaps they have no mirrors at Newsbusters.
Anyone who tours with different events scheduled throughout the country knows that occasionally crowds will be small. When the draw is someone with the demonstrated ability to generate interest, ten participants is much more a critique of local organizational efforts than of any shortcoming by the guest. The right wing feeding frenzy over Sandra in Reno says little about her, and a lot about her detractors' fear of her influence. If they've been observing, then they know all too well her ability to draw a packed house.
Sandra Fluke campaigns for candidate Elizabeth Warren
Which brings us to El Rushbo. Another event similar in size to the Fluke talk in Reno — in this case a National Organization for Women protest against Limbaugh called for Friday, May 18, 2012 — exploded onto right wing blogs when photos indicated only seven participants. Limbaugh predictably ridiculed the organization the following Monday: "There were seven NAGs that showed up outside our DC affiliate to protest the fact that I'm alive..."
National Organization for Women protests Rush Limbaugh, May 18, 2012
Limbaugh argued that the National Organization for Women was using him to increase their membership and raise funds. In fact, if Limbaugh wanted to identify the most significant threat to his greatest vulnerability — talk radio's lucrative advertising revenues — he was looking in the wrong direction.
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