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By a Fluke, Limbaugh finds himself in gnarly fix
Sandra Fluke, the 30-year-old Georgetown coed strongly rebuked by Rush Limbaugh after testifying that taxpayer-funded birth control should be made available to all women, revealed on MSNBC that Barack Obama has telephoned her to offer his thanks and support.
“He encouraged me and supported me and thanked me for speaking out about the concerns of American women,” Fluke said. “What was really personal to me was he said to tell my parents they should be proud, and that meant a lot because Rush Limbaugh questioned whether or not my family would be proud of me, so I just appreciated that very much.
Democrat House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has used Limbaugh’s comments to fundraise, and Republican House Speaker John Boehner has denounced Limbaugh’s remarks as “obviously inappropriate.”
The Conservative talk show host has since apologized for his poor choice of words.
Now sponsors are pulling their advertising from Limbaugh’s popular radio program in reaction to his derogatory comments about Sandra Fluke, who is now revealing herself as a longtime committed women‘s rights activist.
Online flower delivery service ProFlowers said Sunday that it has suspended advertising on Limbaugh’s program because his comments “went beyond political discourse to a personal attack and do not reflect our values as a company.”
Six other advertisers have reportedly pulled ads from his show. Mortgage lender Quicken Loans, mattress retailers Sleep Train and Sleep Number, software maker Citrix Systems Inc., online data backup service provider Carbonite and online legal document services company LegalZoom.
Limbaugh tactlessly called Fluke a “slut” and “prostitute” last week after she testified to congressional Democrats in support of national ObamaCare policies that would compel employers and other organizations, including her university, to offer group health insurance that covers birth control for women.
This is the text of Limbaugh’s apology to Fluke issued Saturday after he was criticized by leading politicians and several advertisers left the show.
Clear Channel’s Premiere Radio Networks Inc. hosts Limbaugh’s program, one of the country’s most popular talk radio shows. The company is supporting Limbaugh, whose on-air contract with Premiere runs through 2016.
“The contraception debate is one that sparks strong emotion and opinions on both sides of the issue,” Premiere Networks said in a statement emailed Sunday by spokeswoman Rachel Nelson. “We respect the right of Mr. Limbaugh, as well as the rights of those who disagree with him, to express those opinions.”
Clear Channel Media and Entertainment operates more than 850 radio stations in the U.S., and Premiere says it’s the largest radio content provider in the country, syndicating programs to more than 5,000 affiliate stations.
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