Why Do They Serve Rush Limbaugh Over Nevada's Women?

Earlier today, President Obama called Sandra Fluke, a student at Georgetown University in DC, to thank her for speaking up for America's women.

President Obama called the Georgetown University law student who testified at a House contraception hearing last week, thanking her for speaking out about the concerns of American women.

Sandra Fluke told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell that the president called her while she was in the green room waiting to go on television. Obama “said I should tell my parents that they should be proud,” Fluke told Mitchell.

Fluke has been subject to some very harsh words from Rush Limbaugh, who called Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute.” And his remarks have set off a firestorm of criticism. Georgetown University President John DeGioia praised Fluke’s testimony and called Limbaugh’s comments “misogynistic, vitriolic, and a misrepresentation of the position of our student.”

So what happened?



How many times have Republicans whined when one of their own gets negative media attention? Yet when a young woman is being attacked by their favorite media attack dog, they're afraid to say a peep. Even as corporate advertisers of Rush Limbaugh's radio show pull out (after realizing they look bad for sponsoring his BS), they're staying in.

Meanwhile, Rush Limbaugh is doubling down, and even TRIPLING DOWN (!!!), on his vile, misogynistic hate speech. And he's not just attacking Sandra Fluke. He's attacking women everywhere.

As always, Desert Beacon has more.

According to the Census Bureau, there are 2,723,322 residents of the state of Nevada, and 49.5% of them are female. The Centers for Disease Control 2010 study tells us that nationwide 68% of Hispanic women, 89% of white women, and 78% of African American women have used “the pill.” [DB] We might reasonably assume that these statistics generally apply to women in Nevada. So, for the 1,348,045 women in Nevada we can estimate that some 72% (970,600) have used The Pill. Again, it isn’t necessary to repeat the term used by Mr. Limbaugh to characterize these women. [...]

As we would frown and tell a child that “That’s not funny,” or “That’s not appropriate,” in the home, we should frown and tell Mr. Limbaugh that his comments on women and ethnic group members are not acceptable. Freedom of Speech has never been a License to Insult and Defame. Respectable home have standards, and we should strive to make our nation a respectable, and respectful, place to live.

In the interest of raising the standards of our national discourse, in the interest of setting examples for our younger citizens, in the interest of advancing respect for all the residents of Nevada — white, African America, Hispanic, and women — I ask that you take exception to Mr. Limbaugh’s comments concerning Ms. Fluke, and that you ask him to apologize to the 49.5% of Nevadans to whom his discourse is objectionable, tasteless, and beneath any standard of civility.

Yesterday, Dean Heller joined his G-O-TEA colleagues Joe Heck and Mark Amodei in attacking American women and demonizing any woman who uses contraception. And even worse, they're repeating the lies that Limbaugh and his fellow "tea party" media flame throwers have tossed out. But that's just it: Limbaugh and his ilk are LYING, and Nevadans shouldn't have to worry about their members of Congress taking their marching orders from Limbaugh's lies in attacking American women.

While it’s difficult to believe that he doesn’t by know what Fluke actually said (her entire testimony is on video), Limbaugh and other conservatives like bloggers Erick Erickson and Michelle Malkin are fabricating the claim that Fluke wants taxpayers to pay for contraception. That is blatantly flase. Fluke’s testimony, and the entire contraception debate, is about insurance companies paying for contraception as part of their health coverage, they way they pay for any other medication, such as Viagra. Morevoer, Fluke’s testimony was not about herself, but about a friend who need contraception to fight cancer and other fellow law students.

This conservative narrative, which is pure fantasy, seems to be based on a single bogus article from CNS News, which Limbaugh repeatedly cites, with the ludicrous headline, “Sex-Crazed Co-Eds Going Broke Buying Birth Control, Student Tells Pelosi Hearing Touting Freebie Mandate.”

Meanwhile, Limbaugh apparently doesn’t understand how birth control works. His entire stance is premised on the notion that women need more birth control the more sex they have. Of course, as anyone who has taken an 8th grade sex ed class could inform him, that’s not how it works.

So if Rush Limbaugh, Dean Heller, Joe Heck, and Mark Amodei can expect their health insurance to cover Viagra and Cialis, why can't Sandra Fluke and Nevada women expect their health insurance to cover contraception? Is that really too much to ask?

Nevadans, including Nevada's women, deserve better representation in Congress. And perhaps instead of mumbling and groaning privately about the political implications of their choice to attack women and women's health care options, and perhaps instead of throwing a public temper tantrum on camera over Democrats pointing out the obvious, the (all male) Republicans of Nevada's Congressional Delegation should ask their buddy Rush Limbaugh to apologize for his disgusting, slanderous attacks on Sandra Fluke and the 98% of American women who have used birth control. And perhaps they themselves should apologize for pushing to strip Nevada's women of the ability to make their own health care decisions.

(And by the way, you can do something to make it right by signing the Center for American Progress' petition in support of Sandra Fluke!)