Like him or not, what the media did to Rush Limbaugh should scare us all. So, Limbaugh is “too divisive” to participate in an ownership group but Keith Olbermann can provide NFL game commentary? What kind of bizzaro world are we living in?
Limbaugh responds to his critics in the WSJ. Read the whole thing, but here’s the kicker:
As I explained on my radio show, this spectacle is bigger than I am on several levels. There is a contempt in the news business, including the sportswriter community, for conservatives that reflects the blind hatred espoused by Messrs. Sharpton and Jackson. “Racism” is too often their sledgehammer. And it is being used to try to keep citizens who don’t share the left’s agenda from participating in the full array of opportunities this nation otherwise affords each of us. It was on display many years ago in an effort to smear Clarence Thomas with racist stereotypes and keep him off the Supreme Court. More recently, it was employed against patriotic citizens who attended town-hall meetings and tea-party protests.
These intimidation tactics are working and spreading, and they are a cancer on our society.
Shame on Michael Wilbon, Rick Sanchez and CNN (I know MSNBC is beyond shame so why bother?). And shame on all of us who don’t speak out against modern day lynchings like this.
UPDATE: To be fair, Olbermann spoke out against the lynching of Limbaugh:
“There’re now gonna be character tests for sports owners?” Olbermann said. “There’ll only be three of them left. Unless they beat the Vikings Sunday as of next Thursday it will have been a full year since the Rams won a game. My God, if Limbaugh wants to buy them far be it for me to tell him he’s flushing his money down a rat hole.”
Glad you updated the post. It wasn’t the media that nixed the deal. It was the owners and commish. BTW Goodell is known to lean right and his wife works at Fox News. Most NFL owners I have met don’t strike me as liberals.
Mark Cuban got “lynched” too when he tried to buy the Cubs. Apparently his past antics didn’t sit well with MLB. Same thing happened to Rush. The owners are snobs.
I was pulling for Rush to get the team. Then I was pulling for the Rams to play the Eagles. McNabb vs Rush would have been some great TV!
Well, so you are saying it was ok for CNN and MSNBC to manufacture racists quotes that Rush never uttered?
Which racists quotes are they claiming his said?
Honestly there are plenty to choose from. It came up on our show and I went back and got show transcripts from Rush’s show where he called Obama a “Halfrican American”, where he said watching and NFL game is like watching the “Bloods and Crips without weapons” and I covered the Super Bowl McNabb played can tell you first hand that the comments Rush made about him didn’t make him angry but, as he put it, the comments hurt him and his family. And no, McNabb isn’t an angry person, he is about as classy a guy as I’ve ever interviewed and I’ve had the chance to on a couple of times. The guy takes as much heat as any QB in the league (they booed when he was drafted!) and race has nothing to do with how his covered.
Just last week I was listening to his show and he said was commenting on how 70% of the NLF may be african american players but he wanted to point out what color the guys are that pay that 70%. I’m sure he was just trying to point out that the league needs to hire more minority owners.
I’m not saying CNN or MSNBC didn’t get something but I have confirmed and or heard every one of the above comments.
This is exactly what Rush intended to happen. He turns into a martyr. He is a victim. The liberals kept him out of the NFL! This is great for his show and his ratings (October is sweeps month for us radio types) but it is not the truth. This is Rush being Rush. It is way he has made a gazillion dollars doing what he does.
Poor Rush.
Half-rican-American. Never heard that. Technically correct. Definitely funny. How is it racist?
Now the made up quotes were blatant things like slavery was a good thing and that James Earl Ray should get the Medal of Honor for killing ML King. Purely made up shit.
Anyway, the point is when we establish a political litmus test for team ownership, employment or anything, we are in real dangerous territory.
Sorta like what The One is trying to do to Fox News…
Political litmus test for team ownership? You don’t think any conservatives own NFL teams? There is a litmus test but it has nothing to do with politics. Unless of course saying black NFL qb’s get special treatement because of their color and that the NFL is like Bloods and Crips without weapons is a political view.
I never heard the other stuff. I am sure it is wrong and those who said it should retract and admit the mistake.
But it isn’t hard to argue that Limbaugh has made some comments that don’t sit well with a lot of people.
And if you think the half-rican american line is funny you should use it the next time you see an interracial couple with a child. Go up and say they have a cute half-rican american baby and see how funny they think it is. In fact, say it in an NFL locker room and see if you make it out. The “Bloods and Crips” don’t like comments like that I guess.
Fair points. I would not call anyone a halfrican to their face and not expect a punch in the nose.
You know, I’m not going to try and defend everything Limbaugh says. He uses satire and mockery to make points. I didn’t hear the context of the quotes you cite, so I can’t judge.
I’m sure we can agree that the same standards should apply to all, regardless of politics.